
U.S. To Release 6,000 Inmates from Prisons - wanderingstan
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/07/us/us-to-release-6000-inmates-under-new-sentencing-guidelines.html
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kardos
> While news of the early releases was widely praised, it raised some concerns
> among law enforcement officials across the country who are grappling with an
> increase in homicides. Their fear is that many of the freed convicts will be
> unable to get jobs and will return to crime.

This is painful to read. It implies that nobody should leave the jails, ever,
because (a) it doesn't rehabilitate them and (b) they're labelled an ex-
criminal and society doesn't want them back.

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FussyZeus
It's unfortunately also true. We've convicted millions of people for
nonviolent offsenses and locked them up away from society, away from
employment, right alongside truly dangerous people. Now we're letting them out
of the jails but they have little/no skills and will be locked out of numerous
benefits programs and have a very hard time getting work, so yes, they're
probably going to become homeless, criminals, or both.

Mind you as sad as this whole mess is, the authorities wringing their hands
about this is infuriating to new levels. Akin to breaking someone's legs with
a baseball bat before a race and then saying "Wow they're going to have a hard
time winning this one, maybe they just should stay out of the race."

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Shivetya
Won't mean squat because one of the leading reason for these people to likely
offend again is that government rules and regulations lock them out of some
benefit programs.

Federal law passed under the Clinton Administration prevents those convicted
of drug offenses from receiving welfare or food stamps unless a state
specifically allows it. Really.

So on top of the onus the felony conviction gives them, on top of state
regulations limiting jobs they can have (look it up, some states won't even
let you do the simplest of jobs) we have laws that prevent them from receiving
benefits until they can get a job, meaning they have no food or money except
from family or charity.

If we are changing sentencing laws the retroactively vacate the felony
convictions of non violent drug offenders. This will immediately remove them
from being subject to that 1996 reform law

~~~
dang
> _Won 't mean squat because_

"Won't mean squat" is far too dismissive. Being let out of prison obviously
means something, however great the difficulties that remain.

That's a pity because the rest of your comment is substantive.

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awjr
Wish I could find it, but there was an article recently about analysing why
the US appears to have 22% of the world's prisoners. The analysis determined
District Attorneys used to issue prison sentences in about 1/3 of cases and
this has gone up to 2/3 of cases. The implication being that DA's needed to
show they were tough to progress their political careers.

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yodsanklai
I'm playing devil's advocate, but isn't it the proof that democracy is
functioning?

Where I live, I believe a majority of people are for harsher sentences, or
even death penalty (which was abolished a long time ago against popular
opinion). I find it sad because I think it's both cruel and ineffective, but I
often wonder how to reconcile this view with the idea of democracy.

~~~
VLM
democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding on what to have for lunch.

~~~
hwstar
If the Opulent Minority has to be sacrificed in order for the country to move
forward, and the Opulent Minority is the lamb, then I guess the populous is
going to have lamb for lunch. This is why king Luis XIV was "Shortened a
little bit". (Apologies to Alan Sherman).

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eimai134
It would be nice if there was a revenue-neutral or even for-profit system that
helped former prisoners, the homeless, and people on welfare transition to
self-sufficiency. The U.S. has a great need for healthy, organic food, as well
as manufacturing. Many of these people don't have the skills (or ability given
background checks) to rent apartments or get cars. They could live onsite in a
rural area and work, learn job skills and life stills, while providing a
valuable and profitable service.

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Intermernet
>"People come out of prison hardened and angry and more likely to offend"

I'm guessing (though I'm not an expert) that this is a problem with the prison
system, not those in it.

~~~
wanderingstan
>"People come out of [ _U.S._ ] prison hardened and angry and more likely to
offend"

There are other prison systems, like those in Germany and Norway, which
actually treat prisoners and teach them how to love a productive life on the
outside.

~~~
hwstar
Not only that, they don't dress them in orange prison uniforms, or transport
them in waist chains and leg irons.

Sometimes respect and dignity for the prisoners by the prison authorities can
go a long way towards reforming the prisoner.

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hwstar
The states hold the majority of the US prison population and the federal
government releasing 6000 prisoners isn't really going to change things. The
states need to do the same thing.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_incarce...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_incarceration_rate)

As you can see, the southern states have the highest prison population. Any
surprise there?

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hawleyal
So statistically no one?

~~~
maxerickson
It's roughly 3% of federal prisoners.

