Why does this country lock up and throw away the keys

[MoseyWalker]

SO MANY NON-VIOLENT PEOPLE?

Does it really make sense to lock up millions of people for nonviolent drug offenses?

Does it really make sense to lock up many whose crime was only getting pissed off - and not getting violent?

Does it really make sense to lock up people who make a mistake, but didn't hurt anyone?

Wouldn't some other options make a hell of a lot more sense?

Why does this country lock up so many people? Is it money? Is it fear? Is it ignorance? Is it something else?

Any ideas?

[lectrobyte]

1. a combination of factors -- the police-prison industrial complex, control

the "underclass", fear, law and order, fascism's guiding principles, control, suppress dissent, probably some more.

[sgxnk]

2. fwiw

i am strongly against most aspects of the drug war

in brief, i don;'t think people should be jailed for using illegal drugs

and many illegal drugs i don't even think should BE illegal

with that in mind

in many, if not most jurisdictions, it takes a LOT to get locked up for any period of time

i arrested one juvenile for his EIGHTH stolen car

he had yet to serve more than a month jail time for stealing cars

it's a well known fact in my state, that if yer a juvie, and you steal a car - you get off with a slap

we can't even BOOK them for auto theft. it's only a "c" felony. they get a ride home

seriously

if yer smoking mj, in some states it's not even a crime. it's a civil infraction (ie a ticket with no possibility of jail time: see: california)

my point is that i;'m often surprised at how hard people have to work to get any signficant jail or prison time

but i do agree that locking people up for using drugs is a misguided policy