We Need Cruel and Unusual Punishment
It starts with the false premise that a psychologist can say that someone &quot;is of no further danger to society.&quot;<p>If that were true, then the solution is easy - psychological evaluations for everyone and rehabilitation until they are no threat!<p>It then posits that a new criminal system would choose &quot;a prison system, similar to what we currently have in the States.&quot; Which is a horrid system; what sort of people, working with a fresh slate, would decide <i>that</i>?<p>&gt; &quot;Sounds too good to be true? It shouldn’t be.&quot;<p>Or, why not choose the Norwegian approach? Low crime rates, jail programs to help rehabilitate, and their prisons don&#x27;t &quot;cripple the convict&#x27;s future.&quot;<p>It&#x27;s almost as if there were other alternatives between choosing the US prison system or caning.<p>&gt; But what does that really mean? Instead of carelessly tossing around that term, as though it’s supposed to end all debate, let’s critically analyze it for a second.<p>All that analysis, and not one link to the US Supreme Court cases on that topic or other legal definitions? <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Cruel_and_unusual_punishment" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Cruel_and_unusual_punishment</a> says &quot;There are generally tests that can serve as a guide to what cruel and unusual punishment is according to various legal textbooks in accordance with the law. These are: 1) the frequency at which the punishment occurs in society, 2) overall acceptance in society, 3) severe (the punishment fits the crime), and 4) if the punishment is arbitrary.&quot;<p>Caning in the US does not fit #2.<p>&gt; Our current system of mass incarceration is horribly broken.<p>Agreed.<p>&gt; But in order to truly punish and deter criminal behavior, and do so in a manner that imposes minimal long-term costs on both society and convicts, it’s time we started considering other forms of punishment.<p>Or, you know, a strong social net, more social equality, a reform of the prison system to treat prisoners as people and not a modern form of slavery, and other things which <i>aren&#x27;t</i> simply a shift in how we punish people.