USA, please explain this to me ....... Prisoners

[mezzaninedoor]

Im told from a recent Time article about the Obama clemency programme that 46% of prisoners in the USA prison system are drug offenders. Added to that, 1/3rd of these prisoners had no or very minimal criminal history. Added to that, they are primarily Black or Hispanic ...............

The average pressure on federally imprisoned people in the USA is that the average federal drug sentence is just over 11 years and this it seems is not stopping people committing drug offences, they need a new approach, one would think?

[MyNameIsTerry]

But when did punishment ever stop crime when you have poor societies? We always had high crime rates long before we had efficient police forces and ways to record crime.

Aren't we talking about demographics of the poorest in society here? The poorer the place you go to in the UK, the more the risk of such things.

If you mean become more liberal with sentences, will they end up like us? Our courts make some ludicrous sentencing decisions. Ask the criminals if they feel deterred by knowing judges sentence lightly. I've grown up in such an area all my life and known my share, none of them thought that way and saw it as more of a green light.

[mezzaninedoor]

Yes I agree, we are looking at the poorest percentiles of the population. It feels however that they are paying the price for failing economic policies in being the bulk of the prison population.

[MyNameIsTerry]

If you mean they are sentenced more heavily than someone more privileged who commits the same crime, I agree. If you mean just because they are socially disadvantaged, then I would disagree because not everyone in their position turns to crime, many scrape a living but are determined to remain good people.

We have plenty of people under the poverty line over here but they aren't all burgling other people's houses.

But I appreciate that it opens the door to people to consider it. Sadly, even improving their situation still doesn't stop some.

---------- Post added at 13:48 ---------- Previous post was at 13:13 ----------

One of the big problems for them is going to be how do they reform? Once you have a record you are largely on the scrap heap when it comes to jobs. It's not limited to them, I believe telling your prospective employer that you have a disability, or are over a certain age, creates the same problem.

But I think with some there needs to be a moral change as they have a chip on their shoulder about being born into a less privileged life. Life has never been fair and in our countries we are so privileged thanks to the generations that came before us but some don't look at life that way.

[mezzaninedoor]

I think I agree with everything you have just said there Terry.

Its a circle that is very hard to square, partly because any social engineering is fighting against the chips on peoples shoulders that have formed.