# Letting the elderly out of prison

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letting-the-elderly-out-of-prison/17269>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [January 17, 2000, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letting-the-elderly-out-of-prison/17269 "2000-01-17T01:22:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2000, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letting-the-elderly-out-of-prison/17269/21 "2000-01-18T22:04:00Z")

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I have to buy into Doug’s post. There does not seem to be a whole lot done along the lines of rehabilitation, nor is there any public attitude that “he’s paid for his crime” as there once seemed to be. Have we gotten harder of heart?

Amused by the reference to Koch’s isolate them stance. One prison operated by New York City is located outside Cape Vincent, NY (look it up; there are parts of Pennsylvania closer to NYC!).

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2000, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letting-the-elderly-out-of-prison/17269/22 "2000-01-18T22:45:00Z")

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Poly, what do you think of the punishment aspect? Do you agree that it is a different issue from reform?

Regarding paying for a crime, how long does it take to pay for a murder?

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**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2000, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letting-the-elderly-out-of-prison/17269/23 "2000-01-19T06:37:00Z")

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Revtrim–I would _like_ to believe that reform is possible in a young prisoner.  
Having said that I admit times have changed and so, it seems, have some of those young prisoners.  
Some of the crowd today appears to be gang members who have no compunction about killing a neighbor. A person who can feel no remorse about a crime cannot be reformed.  
In this case a prison can be no more than a giant holding tank to keep such a person from perpetrating their trade on society.  
A judge I interviewed once told me he sent people away for three things–a)greed, b)meanness (he would be using the malicious, cruel, nasty definition here) and c)stupidity.  
I hold a small hope the stupid one could offer a shot at being reformed.

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