Psychopath coin toss

[Svartalf]

I have an alternate point of view. I think that those who are considered long term dangers to society should be placed in a 'quarantine facility'. This would not be a prison, in that it is not designed to punish, but to separate. That means permitting the denizens therein to have computers, TV's etc., to make their lives more bearable. However, the big thing is not to release them till they are so old that they are unlikely to offend again.

Meaning they would be even more expensive to maintain than normal prisoners, while not being able to hold a meaningful job or other income generating activity any better than them... nice idea, but socially and financially not very good.

[Blind groper]

To Svartalf

Not much more expensive. The major cost of locking people up is the expensive need for security. That applies whether we treat them as being punished or not. Adding a few measures to permit a better life will not add much to the cost.

On the other hand, keeping them in prison may save society $$$$$$$$. Remember that I am talking only of serious offenders. If it costs $100,000 per year to keep them incarcerated, that is cheap compared to the loss of a single life, which some pundits value at $ 6 million.

Even re-arresting such a person and trying him again for a repeated crime will cost the taxpayer something in excess of a million dollars. Keeping him locked up is cheap.