

Luxury Prisons are the Best for Society? - shrig94
http://sg.posthaven.com/tryna-go-to-jail-dog

======
nutball
Or get rid of all the prisons. Stop locking people up in cages.

~~~
tzs
What would you suggest as an alternative?

~~~
nutball
I'm not sure of an alternative. That needs to be experimental, I think. An
analysis of the problem of prisons doesn't require an alternative to be
suggested, though. Let me explain.

Prisons are awful places that aren't designed to prevent crime but rather to
punish and control. Prisons are awful solutions to solving crime and have been
since they became a popular tool of social control in the late 18th century.
Before prisons became frequently used, the sovereign would mostly torture and
maybe publicly execute criminals. But spectators sometimes would be sickened
by this and revolt, freeing the condemned, leading to the questioning of the
rule of Law and King. A more efficient solution to problems of social control
was invented with the modern prison. Lock people up, and they can't run wild
on the street stealing bread and shit.

The US prison system contains 2.3 million people in sick conditions. In the
last thirty years, since the economic crisis of the 70's and the decline of
welfare services and social democracy, the prison population has exploded with
the help of drug laws. This is an apparatus to control the unemployable
population so that they aren't running wild on the streets stealing your
Macbook.

One alternative idea is restorative justice. Working with the victims and
community to understand the root cause of the 'crime' committed and reach a
resolution. The offender then is a crucial part of the process. This is
similar to what indigenous societies did. This probably wouldn't work in a
mass society.

