I’ve heard things like ‘8 years - they should have locked him up for life’ and I do think there should be penalties for crimes. But such long sentences which also severely limit any chance of a productive life seem somewhat barbaric and counter productive.
I know if I had to spend even a night in jail, I would think long and hard of every doing whatever again. For more serious offenses a few weeks to months would be more then enough (again for me).
The time could multiplied by something for multiple offenders (1st offence max 6 months*, 2nd max 6 yrs*, 3rd max 60 yrs*, 4th max 600 years*) which would serve as extra deterrent.
Sometimes I think other methods of punishment would be better. Alternative and/or ancient punishments in lieu of prison. Like tarring and feathering, putting offenders in stocks for a day while passersby mock them… giant tattoos on the forehead (like RAPIST and CHILD MOLESTER). But alas, locking poeple up in cages is the best we can do.
The problem isn’t with the length of sentances, but with which crimes recieve the longer sentances. When you can get more time for selling drugs than for molesting a child, something is definately wrong.
You’re not of the right mindset to be a serious criminal. Honestly, a good deal of criminals spend their time cursing their defense attorneys, dreaming up appeals, and thinking up ways to cause trouble, not in repentant introspection.
It’s a rare thing indeed to see a genuinely sorry criminal. Mostly, they have an excuse as to why it wasn’t their fault, or why they got a tough break. “Yeah, I killed the guy, but listen to what he did to me . . .” Getting some of them to even admit to themselves that they did something wrong is near to impossible. Not to mention the ones who have elaborate conspiracy theories about how the entire criminal justice system went out of its way to “frame” them. The general feeling is often anger at the system, not repentance.
Most of the people that are in prison have very little chance of a productive life once they’re released, regardless of the length of their sentance. Lacking in educational skills, social skills, or knowledge of a trade, most would end up in minimum-wage unskilled labor positions, which would make it difficult to support themselves, let alone any familiy they may have. If they can get someone to hire them, that is. Who wants to hire a known criminal?
Some of them have substance abuse problems, and treatment programs “on the inside” are poor, due to low funding and the sheer numbers of inmates, which make it difficult to give each inmate the individual attention which is needed. Once they get out, it’s easy to fall into their old addictions, and difficult to support an addiction on minimum wages. They turn back to crime as a way of supporting themselves.