I know some places are more progressive in this regard. But from the U.S., I’d like to see every person entitled to:
- shelter
- food
- healthcare
- education and higher education
(As an aside, not sure “right” is the best term here, I think of these more as commitments that society would make because we have abundance. One advantage of the word “right” is that a person is justified in expecting it - it’s not welfare/ a benefit / a privilege)
Criminal sentencing should be the same as the posts, IMO. Prison should be rehabilitating, not just punishment/legal slavery. There should be punishment, yes, but even parents who spank their children usually tell their kids why they got spanked and how not to get spanked again. Prisons seem to forgo that second part of it, and focus entirely on the spanking aspect.
What’s frustrating is there’s an obvious and effective way to incentivise that too. You don’t even need to give up private prisons.
Just split the payment. The prison gets paid say 20% up front. The rest is paid out over the 10 years post release. If the inmate ends up back in prison, the rest of the payments are lost.
Basically, 80% of their income is made by keeping the inmates from reoffending. Kicking them to the kerb with no skills becomes a big loss. Job training, and a robust post release support network are suddenly money makers, rather than sinks.
I’d never thought of this. This is a great idea. You need to shout it from the rooftops.
I’m not American. The prison system over here, while FAR from perfect, is an order of magnitude or more better than the US system. I’d rather not let private prisons get a foothold over here.
Then I will scream from the rooftops.
No one will listen to me, because everyone important is making money off the current system. But I’ll try.