General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: 300+ teens attack pedestrians on Chicago's Magnificent mile. 28 arrested [View all]sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)use jail to scare children. The most successful programs when young people show signs of going down the wrong path are a combination of discipline and redirection, iow, rehabilitation rather than all punishment. Our system, thanks to the 'tough on crime' Republicans, is all about revenge and punishment. Since it has not worked, maybe it's time to try to think of better ways to create a better society.
Or we could just ignore it, complain when things like this happen, and just keep throwing people in jail for a while where they learn to be even better criminals. Our recidivism rates are among the highest in the civilized world. The goal should be to create productive citizens rather than create more criminals.
Poverty doesn't excuse not knowing right from wrong. We have wealthy Wall St. Bankers who don't know right from wrong either. I wonder why throwing THEM in jail for a while to scare them, is never even considered.