What does DTK need?

[ijmorlan]

This is only useful if you intend to lock people up forever. For serious crimes like premediated murder, this is perhaps a solution.

For petty crimes, this isn't a real solution, both in that it's like, stereotypically fascist, and also that it's immensely expensive. Incarcerating people isn't free.

Of course, regimes that do this kind of thing usually just go full fascist and start working their prisoners to death.

In any case, assuming we would would actually like a free society, we need to plan for releasing people sometime, and if that's the case, minimizing recidivisim should be our goal.

I find it disturbing when I need to point this kind of thing out.

I find it disturbing that we need to point out that we do have jails and need to house violent inmates that are at risk of reoffending

Not to speak for Dan, but he said “For serious crimes like premediated murder, [locking people up forever] is perhaps a solution”, and then says that’s not a good solution for lesser crimes. Now you say that we “need to house violent inmates that are at risk of reoffending”. So what exactly is the difference between what you are saying?

It sounds to me like you’re enthusiastic about imprisoning lots of people, but when challenged retreat to talking only about violent offenders.

That’s not to say that there isn’t a discussion to be had (in particular, what exactly do we do with somebody who keeps shoplifting again and again, including after being imprisoned for a short period? drunk driving, same question?), but I think overall we could do with a little less enthusiasm to lock people up for long periods of time.