Reforming Australia's Prison System: Am I Insanely Cruel or Logical?

[Adam]

I don't know anything about prison systems overseas, but the Australian system is truly messed up. On average, a criminal in prison costs us AU$55,000 per year (I think that is the figure). Rapists and murderers and such are often released for crazy arse reasons after a couple of years. Sometimes relatively safe white collar criminals are put in with murderers and such. Many of them have internet access, TV and video, swimming pools, very nice gymnasiums, and more. Basically it's a big joke.

I had the idea that our prison system should be as follows:

Class 1 prisons:
- White collar crims, those who have shown no violence in their crimes.
- They get the most spent on their comforts and security, and the most effort is made for training and such.
- Class 1 criminals should never be in prison as long as any Class 2 criminal. Sentences should be shorter than for Class 2s.

Class 2 prisons:
- Crims who have been violent, but have caused no permanent damage.
- In the middle as far as spending and comforts and such are concerned.
- Longer sentences than for Class 1s, but not permanent.

Class 3 prisons:
- Crims who have caused some permanent problem, such as murder or rape or mutilation.
- Very little money is spent on them. Bare concrete cells, gruel for dinner, no TV or internet and such; don't spend much on them at all. Do only enough to meet the bare minimum required under international law.
- Since they inflicted permanent harm, their sentence should be permanent. Leave them in until they die.

And leave all cases available to the public for further investigation.

Am I insanely cruel, or is this a logical system?

 

[kyle_soule]

Here in the US you can get a longer prison term for car theft then you would for rape or murder.

 

[LogicalAtheist]

Kyle - Yep.

Here in the US, anyone, in for any crime, can get off after about 10% of their term for good behavior. When a jury gives someone life in prison, that prisoner can still get out on parole hearings...

Furthermore, our prisons are so full, because of the lack of reeducation for prisoners, that we let people go all the time on parole. They continue to committ the same or worse crimes.

Boy I wish I was the USA Dictator. In one year this country would improve so much.

 

[Andy]

In the UK you gety let out really early but people want to go back inside because there lifes are better in than out very stupid! sounds like all of the prison systems around the developed world are the same.