US Supreme Court Orders 46,000 criminals released

[charlou]

Post industrial steam punk ... hmmm what does that look like?

[Svartalf]

And the ships will run on steam power will they? Or perhaps the Galleon will make a return?

Interesting question... can sail propel modern metal constructed ships?

I must admit I miss the times when some fairly larged ships sailed some distance along rivers to get to major cities inland (places like Bordeaux, Nantes or Rouen, or london tor that matter)

[JimC]

Have they been released yet?

I haven't heard of any major gun battles in Montana, so perhaps not yet...

[Santa_Claus]

Prison Works. and is a cheap solution............you just have to factor in the whole life cost of the alternative.

Prison means they can't breed.
Prison means they can't commit crime within Society (the overall cost of crime prevention, capture and proccessing from recycling offenders is horrendous......and they are a drag on the economy of a society).
Prison means that when they are released they are older, and if not wiser - then they are less able..........how many middleaged gangbangers are there?
Prison gives the chance of rehabilitation, even if only from time to reflect.

I like the 3 strikes law. I would also like work camps (In Montana cutting down forests, digging up coal etc - in the South, picking cotton).

In practice that means a lot of people won't ever be getting out - or only for a few years between longgggggg sentences, but that is just a reflection that lots of people are not much use to society. In the good old days Wars and Pestilence took care of 'em. Nowadays we have 'em on breeding programs......gotta break the cycle.

[Adenosine]

"...lots of people are not much use to society."

Did you ever think that maybe society is failing lots of people instead?

[Santa_Claus]

"...lots of people are not much use to society."

Did you ever think that maybe society is failing lots of people instead?

No.

I don't disagree that it is a sign of civilisation to look after useless f#ckwits, but it is a question of numbers. and cash.

Head in the sand means our society / tribe gets out competed by those who don't cripple themselves. and eventually that don't end well.

[Atheist-Lite]

Nuclear and big. Like in the old days merchant/passenger ships. I don't know about America....it'll be a inward looking nation with the loss of empire, and may lose touch with the modern world. Best to come down from empire slowly like the UK did - if you can pass your knackered empire onto some sucker nation that'll buy you time to leave the stage with grace. Then you can use the money to become part of the modern world.

And the ships will run on steam power will they? Or perhaps the Galleon will make a return?

[Adenosine]

The UK didn't come down slowly. It divested itself of it's empire with the grace of a surgeon throwing off bloody scrubs. How many of Britain's former dominions' independence bids went well?

[Adenosine]

"...lots of people are not much use to society."

Did you ever think that maybe society is failing lots of people instead?

No.

I don't disagree that it is a sign of civilisation to look after useless f#ckwits, but it is a question of numbers. and cash.

Head in the sand means our society / tribe gets out competed by those who don't cripple themselves. and eventually that don't end well.

It isn't a culture war. It is the right thing to do to look after everyone. But my biggest problem with your sweeping generalisation that lots of people (ie. those in jail) weren't much use to society. That overlooks the fact that most of them are in there for drug offences and crimes committed in the pursuit of drugs. Remove that and the jails will be at least half empty. So my question to you is who sets the criteria for "usefulness to society"? And now ask yourself what that society would look like and when you would you be judged "useless to society"?

[Clinton Huxley]

The UK didn't come down slowly. It divested itself of it's empire with the grace of a surgeon throwing off bloody scrubs. How many of Britain's former dominions' independence bids went well?

Nonsense, the whole thing was managed with the wisdom of Solomon. Of course, we shouldn't have done it at all but that's another issue

[Coito ergo sum]

[Warren Dew]

Have they been released yet?

I haven't heard of any major gun battles in Montana, so perhaps not yet...

The ruling only applies to California. The other 98% of the states here, including Montana, are better managed.