Are longer prison terms really an effective deterrent? Or are they just a waste of money?

Question

Are longer prison terms really an effective deterrent? Or are they just a waste of money?

Answer 1

No, obviously people still commit horrible crimes.  The death penalty doesn't even deter crime.  I still support the death penalty-we just need to get rid of all the appeals and just get it done.  I do believe we need long prison terms for those who deserve it.  We need to lessen prison terms for drug offenses to free up space for violent criminals.

Answer 2

Look at it this way. If they are locked up in prison, they aren't in your neighborhood committing crimes.

Answer 3

Longer prison terms are definitely a waste of money.  Prison does NOT rehabilitate anyone.  In fact, it creates supercriminals.  For example, once a petty local criminal gets a long state or federal sentence, he or she is no longer a petty local criminal.  This is because he or she is exposed to other criminals long term and "networks" in prison with others who share their interests and they tend to work together outside.

Once released, the former inmate is not only hardened from prison but they are convicted felons who cannot get a job, are stigmatized by society, and who are now connected to a network of bad *** criminals.

Watch Shawshank Redemption or read The Rich Get Rich and the Poor Get Prison by Jeffrey Reiman (sp?).  Prison as a rehabilitation is a farce kinda like the war on drugs.  They don't work, the govt understands this and perpetuates it b/c they are a revenue booster (in terms of pork) even though they cost taxpayers entirely too much.

Just my opinion.

Answer 4

They don't need to be a deterrent to be effective. A criminal in prison isn't commiting crime by preying on the community, its that simple.

Article in the London Times shows that the average number of crimes (self reported) for the previosu 12 months by criminals on entry to prison was:

140 crimes for non drug addicted offenders

257 crimes for junkies criminals

Based upon my experience here, I say the figures would be even higher in the US.

The longer you keep criminal scum in prison the less ability they have to reoffend.

Answer 5

When you get around to taking a course in criminology or Penology, you'll come away with the same question.  there is no clear answer to what sort of prison term, if any, is an effective deterrent, and thousands of books have been written, and thousands of studies made of this very subject.  You were maybe expecting a short, definitive answer here?

  Seriously, I am not trying to discourage you from studying this matter further.  If you're like me, you may find it fascinating.

Answer 6

Of course longer sentences are deterrent; if a longer sentence keeps a bad man in prison longer then it helps society as a whole.

Answer 7

No, and I think it's about time we came up with some different punishments. Why can't we take an HONEST look at what Singapore does?

Answer 8

well i support the death penalty for really horrible people (like you killed people) because i don't think we should be paying for those kind of people to live.

if that helps.

Answer 9

Longer Jail sentences don't necessarily stop people from committing crimes should they be released, but it keeps them off the streets long enough to clean them up!

Whats really a waste of money is keeping illegal immigrants and non-citizens housed in our jails when they don't pay taxes but still make up 1/3 of our prison population...

Also, it is 5 times MORE EXPENSIVE to give someone the death penatly than to give them life in prison...(mainly because of the appeals process)...

Answer 10

They are in fact a waste of money.  A piece of rope and strong tree branch are much cheaper.

Answer 11

Longer prison terms are neither a deterrent or a waste of money.

Most criminals do not believe that they will get because "they have a fool proof plan ... the real perfect crime".  Longer sentences will not deter them from a life of crime.  They never think about getting caught.

Longer sentences do keep the criminal  element of society off the streets for longer periods of time.  That keeps the criminal from committing his next "perfect crime" while they are in prison.