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A discussion forum where you are free to discuss politics, taxes, crime, punishment (or the lack thereof), etc.
A discussion forum where you are free to discuss politics, taxes, crime, punishment (or the lack thereof), etc.
5 comments:
A report on AM 600 today stated that TN state tax revenues are on the decline due to the slumping economy. The fiscal note attached to the bill. According to the National Institute of Corrections TN currently houses over 26,000 inmates while another 58000 are on probation or parole. TN has an incarceration rate 9% higher than the national average. And it cost over $18,000 a year to house each inmate.
If TN decides to throw more people in cages, how do you expect the taxpayers to foot the bill? Property tax increase? Sales tax increase? Reduced services for law abiding citizens?
I don't have any problem throwing violent thugs in prison. What I have a huge problem with is the rate of incarceration in TN of non-violent offenders.
Your weekly "Thug Thursday" frequently features vagrants with substance abuse problems. The arrests range from public intox, criminal trespass, and DC. Think Otis on the Andy Griffith Show.
When we're not arresting hobos for squatting, we're arresting other people for non-violent consensual crimes like prostitution and simple drug possession. Why are we throwing these people in prison over an over? Its not working.
We're fighting mental illness like its a criminal justice problem and its not. These people aren't behaving rationally so the "cause and effect" part of their brain isn't functioning. I'm not making excuses for them. I'm saying that we need to find a way to treat them before we go broke.
//Your weekly "Thug Thursday" frequently features vagrants with substance abuse problems. The arrests range from public intox, criminal trespass, and DC. Think Otis on the Andy Griffith Show.
//
These people do have a lot of PD charges, but they also have burglaries, robberies, selling drugs, assaults, etc.
Since the mental institutions have been closed down, we need a place for them, and I think prison would work. Anyone who has been arrested more than 10 times, in my humble opinion, needs to put away for an "extended stay".
Your solution is what has led us to this point. It has been tried, and found to be lacking. We need a progressive punishment system that is publicised - frequently. New York City increased the penalty for smaller crimes and the naysayers said it would overflow the jails. Guess what, it didn't! The thugs knew what would happen if they continued their deeds, and they left town. That's what I want to do, make them go to some other "criminal friendly"
environment.
It is my understanding that any misdeamenor is eligible for up to 11 months and 29 days. Everyone at the city and county level always passes the buck and says it is a state legislature issue. Why is there no pressure on local judges to start giving the full time for mulitple misdeamenors.
//It is my understanding that any misdeamenor is eligible for up to 11 months and 29 days.//
You are singing my song! Well, almost. You see, if everyone of the 100,000 people who get arrested got sentenced to 11/29 we'd have a problem. So.... we need a matrix that uses a strategy that won't max the jails out, but will help people to decide to either stop being a criminal, or to move elsewhere.
If you are so incensed, how about calling your friends and having them call the good legislators and DEMAND a change?
What does it take to change the laws so we can house the convicts in tent cities or the Pyramid, etc. We should not have to raise taxes to support these thugs. We need to change the laws to make them work and sell there goods to repay there stay.
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