re: #63 Obdicut

There shouldn’t be punishment, though. There is not virtue to punishment beyond the very, very small amount of deterrent provided. There should, instead, be rehabilitation.

That we’ve basically given up on it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t actually be the goal. That we’ve given up on it is one of the main reasons we incarcerate a higher percentage of our citizens than any other nation on the planet.

That is a huge, expensive, and vital problem. We really should address it.

If you’re talking about imprisonment in general, the first duty is to punishment, not rehabilitation and that’s how it should be. Rehabilitation is secondary, but not everyone can be rehabilitated either.

I don’t accept that these are poor abused kids who can’t help themselves as Windy suggested. They know completely well what the consequences are for what they did. If they’re minors, it’s a little different, and I don’t know if their parents will be held responsible. They should in some way, but if they’re over 18, they are fully responsible.