To Shun Or Follow The American System? (page 2)

Satanus

Doesn't china throw a wrench into the generalisations?

S

Robert K Stock

Englishman:

What are your criticisms of the American penal system? Is it more than just the death penalty?

The Nazis and Soviets equaled the Communist Chinese in harsh treatment of prisoners.

I think that the more independent thinking is discouraged by the state the harsher the punishment. Religious fundamentalism of all kinds will crack down on dissenters as harshly as single political party states.

Tigerman

48 % of Brits believe in God's existence ? Truly, my heart hurts for your nation . . .so very sad.

DanTheMan

Satanus, although the Chinese gov't suppresses the freedom of its people in many and varied ways, on the whole is it really a cruel and punitive culture such as exists in countries where the fundamentalist clerics hold unchallenged power over the masses and politicians? That isn't the impression that I have of modern China.

"And of all the plagues with which mankind are cursed, ecclesiastical tyranny's the worst." - Daniel De Foe

This is one of my favorite quotes, having escaped the religious tyranny of JWism. But then again, I can see why conservative religious types would feel that secularism makes people vain and selfish. It's tough to know what the answer is, these are the sorts of questions I wrestle with endlessly. If the evidence for God is lacking, then naturally society should reject the notion of God as being antiquated. On the other hand, perhaps widespread secularism and atheism is a recipe for a collective psychic breakdown. I can't see how somebody who subscribes to a completely rational view of life can experience the ecstacy and joy and sense of purpose that a more mystical or religious person does.

minimus

In America, I think it's more about liberal vs. conservative anything. If the area or judge is more inclinied to be more legalistic, it can effect the result of the court case and punishment meted out. I'd rather be punished here than China or Islamic states.

Max Divergent

There?s as much evidence for the existence of god as there is for the idea that harsh punishment reduces crime? so if people have faith enough to believe in god, then they might have as much ?faith? (or is that credulity?) to believe that throwing away the key or throwing the switch is a good idea.

Nationality has nothing to do with it - it's got more to do with whether people accept 'common sense' ideas uncitically, or require good evidence to support their beliefs.

Englishman

Englishman:
What are your criticisms of the American penal system? Is it more than just the death penalty?

The death penalty is the big one, certainly. It's just well past time that the USA got rid of it.

I've read that once you've been convicted of many offences in the US that they stay with you forever and even disqualify some people from certain state benefits. Our system wipes out convictions after a ceratin period of time; they're considered "spent" except for very serious offences.

Englishman.

ballistic

Hi Mike, some of us think they should bring back the death penalty. I mean for the sickest most dangerous evil people who are doing life.

Partly because they don't deserve life, and partly because we have 75,000 people in prison and predicted 90,000 in ten years and it costs you and I - 500 pounds a week per prisoner to keep them in there.

blondie

Just on a factual point, not every state has the death penalty. That is an interesting fact about the US. States rights is a very important issue in the Constitution. Only the powers spelled out and assigned to the federal govenment in the Constitution are valid. All others are assigned to each state.

STATES WITHOUT THE DEATH PENALTY
Alaska Hawaii Iowa Maine Massachusetts	Michigan Minnesota North Dakota Rhode Island Vermont	West Virginia Wisconsin ALSO - Dist. of Columbia

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/state/

Blondie

talesin

What concerns me is that the prison system is one of the fastest-growing industries on this side of the pond. Prisons are generally for the poor, not the evil. A lot of people are in prison because of a system built to ensure they will fail.

Ballistic, most of those people are in prison for nonviolent crimes and wouldn't fit into your criteria ... by your definition, the death penalty wouldn't solve the problem.

t

To Shun Or Follow The American System?

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