What measures should the US take to reduce incarceration rates?
A substantial portion of those in prison are there for drug or prostitution offenses. Those should be public health matters not criminal issues.There is also a real problem with the differences in justice between the rich and famous and the rest of us. Many celebrities are used as role models for much of the public. Many celebrities are employees or contractors of major corporations that are publicly traded. Those companies can be regulated much much more carefully in that respect-as can elected officials and goverment employees.Americans Want Congress Members To Pee In Cups To Prove They're Not On DrugsWe have more elected officials with severe substance issues than the general public and something similar may apply to police and judges. That sets a horrible example:Amazon.com: Party Like a President: True Tales of Inebriation, Lechery, and Mischief From the Oval Office (9780761180845): Brian Abrams, John Mathias: BooksHigh level corporate crime often involves a slap on the wrist and violations of parole are treated laxly. That need to change.Chicago and London have shown increased use of cameras can greatly contain crime. There are important civil rights issues and privacy issues to deal with there, but the technology can be created to make it vitually impossible to commit street crime without being caught and people will stop trying.A citizens dividend, universal health care and a free higher educational system(even if those were very, very basic) would help here. That might start with veterans.There is a real need for low end tax relief (including hidden taxes via regulation) and a more carefully selective immigration policy. Guest workers should never be hired for entry level jobs.I have mixed feelings about returning to corporal punishment. If that is done, it must be done carefully and in a way that doesn’t single out particular groups. IF corporal punishment were an option, I think many offender might choose it instead of prison.The technology exists to much more effectively monitor those on parole. Carefully monitored and retrictive parole can be expanded.
Bring back Public Executions?
Does anyone else think that public executions would be a good deterent? Cutting off thieves hands and executing rapist and murderers in a horrible fashion and publically would scare some people straight. It also has the added benefit of pre-emting repeat offenders. Cruel and Unusaul Punishment for Cruel and Unusual Crimes. I am not advocating Sharia Law or anything, but honestly I choose to live my life a certain way and obey laws and basic human decencies. It costs me nothing. If you cant act like a human, you should die like a dog. I am tired of dealing with these losers repeatedly. Those 3 punks need to die if they are guilty. They need to die hard, screaming and crying in such a terrible display that the next time a group of like-minded scum does something "just for fun" it will be bowling, because they have had the fear of God put into them.
How was the US Constitution influenced by the principles of the classical school of criminology?
The Classical School in criminology is usually a reference to the eighteenth-century work during the Enlightenment by the utilitarian and social contract philosophers Jeremy Bentham and Cesare Beccaria. Their interests lay in the system of criminal justice and penology and, indirectly through the proposition that "man is a calculating animal", in the causes of criminal behaviour. The Classical school of thought was premised on the idea that people have free will in making decisions, and that punishment can be a deterrent for crime, so long as the punishment is proportional, fits the crime, and is carried out promptly. These principles can directly be seen in the Constitution. ie. speedy trials, no cruel and unusual punishment, and the development of the judicial branch of government with courts that hold people accountable for their actions.
How is torture (or "waterboarding") unconstitutional?
I think they should use it for extreme purposes during War. Think about it they have cut off fingers of our soldiers and sent them back to the US we should be able to torture their prisoners (men whom if they had the chance would kill our soldiers) to get important information that could potentially save lives. In order to protect ourselves I think it is only necessary to use torture. But for criminalization purposes I think it is wrong to torture someone for a confession. As effective as it is it is still wrong.
What are your thoughts on the upcoming national prison strike (8/21/18-9/9/18)?
Legally they haven’t got a leg to stand on-period.Thirteenth Amendment - Slavery And Involuntary Servitude.Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.Anyone can strike and refuse to work. That part is easy. In California they will pump out the disciplinaries, and hear them at the rate of 30 days loss of Good Time credit per day work refused. When you are doing 2 years or less that will hurt your parole date significantly.Institutions also have contingency plans that include making and issuing sack lunches with no inmate help whatsoever. One day, or one week the system can withstand for quite a time.Will it bankrupt the system? If you can keep the strike together long enough sure, absolutely. But that is the trick. There will be significant pressure to break the strike and go back to work.How is that? Well, an Emergency will be declared. Diverting staff to perform inmate services means no staff for visiting. No visiting cuts into the Dope market, which means the big guys at the top aren't getting their skim off the top. That is one place pressure will be placed. The other is no store. After a short time the Honey Buns, cup of soups, the bag of chips run out. More pressure on the group to break from the strike. Now, throw in the loss of good time credit, store, visits, inmate mail, phone calls, and the pressure builds to stop the strike.Oh, you guys want to sit down on the yard? Good luck with that too. If you are in Blythe count on 115 degrees in the sun. Want water? LOCK UP we are passing out ice water in the units. Going to sit down in Susanville? After dark the temperature drops into the thirties. Its warm in the housing unit if you lock up.The real reason the prison passes out goodies isn’t the make money reason the former inmates are claiming here on Quora. It is if the inmates act together as a single force, the staff can take away the goodies and coerce the inmates into cooperation.It is just that simple.
What are some weird traditions that only exist in your country?
I'm from Andhra Pradesh, don’t know whether the following tradition is in practice all over India or not, however it is practiced strictly in our community (Vysya).Note: My intention is not to hurt any one feelings, these are my views on the tradition.I had visited my native (Srikakulam) to attend funeral of my wife’s grandmother. As a tradition till 11th day lot of rituals are to be followed by Husband and/or son of the deceased.Every day before eating lunch, some portion of the food should be offered to crow. They should wait for the crow to taste the food to start their lunch. The belief is that the soul of deceased shall come as crow and observe all arrangements and eat the food if satisfied.On the third day, as usual all are getting ready to have lunch and offered some food to crow.But to everyone’s surprise, even after half an hour no signs of crows near by. Its not a good sign and everyone is panicked.Then all the elderly people are giving all sort of advises- likeCalled everyone and asked them offer prayer to deceased.Asked to prepare favourite food of the grandmotherCalled the Purohit and enquired what went wrong and he advised to do some Shanthi homa.Etc . . .I was like . . .However, after 45 mins a crow came and ate the food that was offered. Then everyone felt relieved and started their lunch.Images are for reference purpose only.Images source: Google and my phone.Edit : Wow! 100+ upvotes! Thank you guys for the overwhelming response!