Comments on: Crime Statistics: No Prison Sentences for Most Felony Convictions

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:49:05 +0000

“How the United States leads the world as to incarceration when considering the above is a question that we cannot answer.”

This actually can be answered easily. The punishments that exist for many crimes are unjustified i.e. mandatory minimums for relatively small amounts of drugs.

By: admin

admin — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 01:46:06 +0000

Hi Ryan: Thanks for your comment. But if most crime is not reported and if most reported crime is not solved and if a hefty portion of solved crimes are not prosecuted and if 90 percent of prosecutions are plea-bargained and most of those do not get prison time, how do we hand out felonies like candy?
Best, Adam.

By: ryan

ryan — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 01:37:57 +0000

The only true crime is that in America we hand out felonies like candy.

By: admin

admin — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 16:41:09 +0000

Hi Shiloh: This response is to you and Terry; both of you are making similar observations. Thanks for writing.
It’s obvious that the society holds too many people accountable for too long. There is research indicating that ex-felons, after a certain amount of time without new charges, are no more likely to re-offend than the average person.
There are a lot of people who are years beyond their crime and drug use who are still being help responsible for their actions. That does society little good.
The flip side of the issue is that there are plenty of people who go on to great careers despite their criminal records. They work with mentors and religious leaders for referrals and get their records expunged (where possible). They are persistent and do not take “no” for an answer. It takes a lot to overcome the stigma but people do it every day.
We appreciate your comments.
Best, Adam.

By: Terry Ray

Terry Ray — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:10:05 +0000

Although we live in a society that glorifies crime (in movies, music on television, etc.), once someone has committed a crime they are treated as a pariah. Jobs, places to live and chances to contribute to society become severely limited. Yes there are a number of programs offered by correctional facilities to reintegrate you back into the community from jail, but they do nothing to change the nature of how people perceive a felon. States have been in the business of creating and charging defemdants with laws they have no intention of prosecuting them for( some of these charges are much more serious sounding than the real offense) simply to force the defendant to “plea out.” Take Florida for instance, if you enter into a building with the intention of commiting a felony (say writing a bad check over $300) they charge you with burglary. I don’t care what anyone says if I see burglary on a prospective employes application it’s going to the bottom of the pile. We really need to take the business out of incarceration (a service oriented function of society) and put production of usefull things back into the minds of US citizen.

By: admin

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:16:03 +0000

Hi. Thanks for your comments. Sorry for the late reply. I would like you to read http://crimeinamerica.net/2010/03/09/do-prisons-reduce-crime-crime-news/ and see if it alters your opinion.
Thanks, Adam.

By: Kent George

Kent George — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 13:01:01 +0000

I believe that very few crimes warrant more than six months in jail/prison. Anyone who has been in a hospital for several months knows how long that can be.

Also, prison is supposed to be for loss of freedom for a specified time. The dangers an inmate suffers from other inmates is above the intention of incarceration. The state must protect inmates from dangerous inmates.