positions on new law

[AtlanticBlue99]

im just curious on your opinions' on the new law in Texas regarding drug related incarcerations. they are reducing or eliminating many sentences on drug charges to reduce overcrowding in prisons.

i think this is good b/c it will cost tax payers less money to house these drug offenders and give the state more focus on the violent offenders in jail.

this could also bring up the new law about minors and 1st degree murder punishment. a supreme court ruling of 5 to 4 ruled against the death penalty for minors who premeditate murders. i think that no matter the age, if the person is sane and murders someone else in the 1st degree, they should be sentenced to death. these minors are getting life sentences b/c they are simply minors. them getting life sentences just costs tax payers more money and overcrowds prisons even more.

because of this loophole in the judicial system, it is possible for minors who kill in the 1st degree to be released on parole at age 21. so theoredically, a 17 year old could (for the day before his 18th b-day) decide to kill people and plan it out. now the kid can serve 4 years for killing someone and then be filtered back into society.

the same 17 year old could (for the day before his 18th b-day) get cought in posession of a pound of pot and be incarcerated for 5 years.

what is more important in our society- the safety of innocent citizens, or the safety of an individual who wants to cause harm and chaos?

sorry for the diatribe of a post, but shoot your opinions.

 

[2001_Saleen]

I'd have to see a lot more statistics regarding the fine points of this law before I can draw an accurate opinion

 

[AtlanticBlue99]

well there is current news coverage on one aspect of it. fox news has been following the story of the 14 year old who got kicked off his school bus for chewing tobacco. the kid then got his hands on a gun and came to the bus stop again and shot and killed the bus driver.

the people being interviewed, mostly trial lawyers, say that because of this new law, he could be out at age 21. i say try him like an adult because he acted like one. adults (people age 18 or >) can purchase and legally chew tobacco. this minor acted like an adult when chewing the tobacco, so when he kills someone, he should be tried like an adult.

psychiatrists have stated that the human brain is not fully developed in the area of rash decisions until age 25. so if they do not try this kid as an adult, they need to raise the limit from 18 to 25 years of age to be tried as an adult.

 

[mdvaldosta]

Personally Im not a fan of the prison system... I mean honestly, why give someone life with no chance of parole? Just fuggin execute the dude, sh!t, what a waste of tax dollars.

In all seriousness though, if it were my decision not only would ALL prisoners be forced to do some kind of work to earn their pay in prison - but also their should be someone who looks at the court cases and says "hmm... guy got 12 years for stealing a video tape.... and this person got 2-5 for robbing a convenient store :dunno

 

[2001_Saleen]

well there is current news coverage on one aspect of it. fox news has been following the story of the 14 year old who got kicked off his school bus for chewing tobacco. the kid then got his hands on a gun and came to the bus stop again and shot and killed the bus driver.

the people being interviewed, mostly trial lawyers, say that because of this new law, he could be out at age 21. i say try him like an adult because he acted like one. adults (people age 18 or >) can purchase and legally chew tobacco. this minor acted like an adult when chewing the tobacco, so when he kills someone, he should be tried like an adult.

psychiatrists have stated that the human brain is not fully developed in the area of rash decisions until age 25. so if they do not try this kid as an adult, they need to raise the limit from 18 to 25 years of age to be tried as an adult.

problem 1

 

[2001_Saleen]

Personally Im not a fan of the prison system... I mean honestly, why give someone life with no chance of parole? Just fuggin execute the dude, sh!t, what a waste of tax dollars.

In all seriousness though, if it were my decision not only would ALL prisoners be forced to do some kind of work to earn their pay in prison - but also their should be someone who looks at the court cases and says "hmm... guy got 12 years for stealing a video tape.... and this person got 2-5 for robbing a convenient store :dunno

yeah that shit is fucked up

 

[IntruderLS1]

I'd have to see a lot more statistics regarding the fine points of this law before I can draw an accurate opinion

Oh come now, it's never stopped you before. :lol :lol


The jail thing I dis-agree with. California is a great example. Make life worse, and the punishment harder for crime, and the crime rate drops. It's really that simple.

I'm w/ Joe 1000% on the inmate work programs. It makes so much sense, and yet they still don't do it. Hell, I'd sell off their labor dirt cheap, and turn a profit for the state on them. Charge them food / board too.

Just my humble oppinion.

 

[AtlanticBlue99]

fox news is conservative but it is "fair and balanced". i know it is more conservative though. but the reason i said fox is b/c no other station has as good reporting to get the scoop on such stories and loopholes in our gov't systems. every other news organization out there is very liberal and you can watch the political viewpoints of the news, or you can see the different "local" stories that each is able to bring to the public. i dont want to turn this into a political debate, but our judicial system is quite unfair when it comes to sentencing in a few major areas including: 1) drugs, 2) murders and violent crimes, and 3) other non-serious crimes recieving jail time and costing us money.

i agree with Joe that the people in jail should do work that "law-abiding (or those who dont get caught)" would prefer not to do. inmates should not get paid pennies on the hour like they currently do, but they should work for their stay in jail.

 

[Jugador]

i'm glad they're changing the rules. look at it...prisons are full of drug dealers wasting tax money. why not fuckin "tax" them with some badass fines but let them off the hook and then technically they're making money.

 

[AtlanticBlue99]

exactly... that way the gov't makes money off of fines instead of wastes money imprisoning them.

 

[IntruderLS1]

But by leaving them on the streets and making life more expensive on them is only going to step up their recruiting efforts. That means more young kids falling for it. You want to make money off inmates, I say put them to work, and charge them for the place they live. When they get out, rent is a reality, so we may as well get them used to it now.

 

[2001_Saleen]

fox news is conservative but it is "fair and balanced". i know it is more conservative though. but the reason i said fox is b/c no other station has as good reporting to get the scoop on such stories and loopholes in our gov't systems. every other news organization out there is very liberal and you can watch the political viewpoints of the news, or you can see the different "local" stories that each is able to bring to the public. i dont want to turn this into a political debate, but our judicial system is quite unfair when it comes to sentencing in a few major areas including: 1) drugs, 2) murders and violent crimes, and 3) other non-serious crimes recieving jail time and costing us money.

i agree with Joe that the people in jail should do work that "law-abiding (or those who dont get caught)" would prefer not to do. inmates should not get paid pennies on the hour like they currently do, but they should work for their stay in jail.

I'd say CNN Headline news is pretty bi-partisan ( that's what I watch) The 2 I stay away from are CBS and Fox News (side note, I have a button with their logo but instead of FOX NEWS, It says "news for dumb fux" LOL but CBS blows too. I like both sides, then I draw my opinion which is 90% liberal.

 

[AtlanticBlue99]

im the same, i like to hear both sides of an argument then form my opinion. but instead of 90% left, im more like 80% right. mainly right on some moral issues and stuff like that.

 

[GTron]

In Texas, it doesn't really cost the tax payers anymore to house the prisoners. Texas prisons are more or less self supportive. They do also make them go out and work. Most of the people in my area work for the prison system. We have I think 5 prisons within 20 miles of my house. They grow their own gardens and the prisoners work them, raise cattle, everything.


I'm with you though. A lot of them do need to be weeded out, but not by letting them free. Bunch of them need to get their asses fried.

 

[IntruderLS1]

I'm actually glad to hear that Mac. I figured you for the one sourse information shopper type.

I'm a sampler too. I can't stand CBS, but eat up as much CNN and FOX as I can.

Most people think I'm Hard Core Right Wing, but every test I've taken says what I always say. I'm a moderate who just couldn't stand the Dem's for the past 2 years.

I wouldn't vote for a Red guy JUST becuase he was red, and I wouldn't NOT vote for a Blue guy JUST because he was blue. I'm all about the personality, believability, and plan of action.

 

[AtlanticBlue99]

well said :rock

 

[Veronica]

very well said!

 

[Vfast]

we are so messed up on the fight on drugs..legelize pot most dealers will go out of business and see them at mickey d working with drive bys beening less a threat.... toco bell would flurish....drunk driving would almost be gone.... if you don't want people smoking pot working for you just drug test the m like some do for liquard and beer....hell even the federal defict would be gone and billion of new tax dollars that we send to brazil and the like could be use for education..feel free to but me on your ballot

 

[CareBear3030]

I do believe the government should legalize pot too. I for one do not smoke...have plenty in the past...but just makes me dumb and I'm getting to old for that. And it also makes me lazy....rather veg on the couch than get out and about...or excel at work. Yes it does have its downsides....but....IMO it is absolutely no worse than alcohol.

As far as the jails being crowded with dealers....thats to me should have several sides. If it is just pot....and yes I said 'just'...make it legal...no pot "dealers" in jail. But for cocaine, meth, ocycotin, etc those people do not need to be on the streets. I do not want those things available to my children, or even myself.

Put pot in the liquor stores....make a crap load of money....to send to Iraq (oh thats another thread)....and put the real dope dealers in jail. JMO.

 

[artisan00]

looks like im a little late on this thread -

anyway - i agree that the laws are alittle screwy. but i dont agree that ALL of those cases of murder are deathpenalty worthy. I ALSO dont agree that a 17 year old who murdered someone intentionally should be out in 4 years on good behavior or whatever.

but somewhere in between the ages of 5 and 17, (i know i am going to make this sound black and white, thuogh i know its really more gray, but just to express a poiint) there is a point where some becomes more "aware" or "capable of understanbding" actions like this. what i mean by this, is lets say some 10 year old gets a hold of a weapon (but his dad or whataver hasnt ever really explained to him what it is , etc..) and he kills someone. not really by accident, but not really *on purpose* either either. what happens then? i used 10 years old, even though it seems young, just to show that again, theres some threshold of understanding whether you beleive it or not. now, even thugh a kid who does that shuold be theoretically counciled and so forth, do you relaly htink they shuold be put to death for an action they didnt understand? for all you know, the kid is just a normal, emotinally stable child who just isnt mature enough to understand death and crime fully. but give him 10 years to grow up, and theoretically he would grow up just fine.
i know this is a weird example, but you see the point? its hard to just say "all murders -> death" like that.

although i do agree with the idea someone said about prosoners havinbg to work..

k ill be back..