#1
Whether you and the society you are in believe that criminals should be punished or rehabilitated affects how your overall justice system functions. What the function of prisons is, what to do with criminals, and how the damage they’ve done to society should be restored are all difficult questions that say a lot about your sense of ethics and morality.
There’s an argument to be made for restorative justice, where the criminal justice system encourages the restoration of relationships among the offenders, victims, and communities. However, there’s a question here whether the state should (or even could) force an individual to atone for their crimes.
According to the American Psychological Association, until the mid-1970s, the idea of prisoner rehabilitation was a key part of the prison policy in the United States.
“Prisoners were encouraged to develop occupational skills and to resolve psychological problems--such as substance [misuse] or aggression--that might interfere with their reintegration into society. Indeed, many inmates received court sentences that mandated treatment for such problems.”
However, things soon drastically changed.
#2
The guy that’s shirtless? Who beat his girlfriend? He has his first initial and last name in a big bold tattoo across his chest.
#3
....yea that was a fast trial.
In the US, the system’s stance toward criminals then took a more punitive turn, with less focus on rehabilitation. In other words, there was a switch towards a “get tough on crime” philosophy, where prisons were seen as a place to punish the incarcerated.
The result, according to the APA, was a huge growth in the prison population. And yet, the effect on crime rates was modest.
“As a result, the United States now has more than 2 million people in prisons or jails--the equivalent of one in every 142 U.S. residents--and another four to five million people on probation or parole. A higher percentage of the population is involved in the criminal justice system in the United States than in any other developed country,” the APA reports.
As per the US Department of Justice, an estimated 15% to 20% of people in prison are mentally ill.
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#6
"Prisons have really become, in many ways, the de facto mental health hospitals. But prisons weren't built to deal with mentally ill people; they were built to deal with criminals doing time,” noted former prison psychologist Thomas Fagan, PhD.
Meanwhile, Robert Morgan, PhD, a psychologist at Texas Tech University, explains that psychologists struggle to implement special programs for prisoners to transition back into society, alongside their regular prison caseloads.
“We're focused so much on the basic mental health services that there's not enough time or emphasis to devote to rehabilitative services.” There’s a lack of resources and too few mental health professionals in most prisons.
What’s more, there’s a fundamental tension between psychology, which is rehabilitative, and corrections, which is much more oriented toward punishment.
“Right now there's such a focus on punishment--most criminal justice or correctional systems are punitive in nature--that it's hard to develop effective rehabilitative programs,” Morgan explained.
#7
Client actually had the money he had embezzled in his possession and could still return the money. He would have faced penal liability, but we could have pleaded him out to have served no more than a few months of probation. Under his circumstance, prison time was unlikely.
Client does not believe our advice. Client believes he is going to prison. Client believes his best course of action is to return to his country of birth, Iran. The United States strictly prohibits transfer of technology which can be used for nuclear programs to Iran. I explain this all to Client.
Client tries to board a flight to Iran. In his luggage is a programmable logic controller his firm had been subcontracted with the Federal government to develop. I don't know why he was taking this PLC with him, but it was there when he was pulled off the airplane in Stuttgart and taken into custody.
Client is now facing up to 20 years in federal prison for espionage and unlawful transfer of classified military technology to a hostile power.
People, listen to your lawyers.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
#8
#9
Kid had one traffic cone on each arm and one on his head, walking jauntily down the main drag. As soon as I pulled up next to him he started doing the robotic drunk-guy-acting-sober walk. Carefully put the cones down on the sidewalk and kept walking as though nothing had happened. Forgot about the one on his head, though.
What do you think? Have you ever witnessed someone covering up their crimes, only for everything to backfire in an even worse way? If you’ve ever worked as a lawyer or in law enforcement, what are some of the worst, most bizarre criminal behaviors you’ve seen?
What do you personally believe criminals can do to make genuine amends? Is everyone capable of repenting for their crimes?
If you feel comfortable sharing your thoughts and experiences, you can do so in the comments at the very bottom of this post.
#10
It is like a $100 fine, and you lose the knife.
So he ended up in much more trouble, but in the end he got off with a larger fine and a real talking to from a judge. Bloody twit.
#11
What would’ve been a ticket for theft turned into multiple felonies when a girl tried to hide her ID in a shopping bag that she used to steal stuff, by stuffing it into my back seat. It was a plastic sack, they’re not quiet. She had the longest criminal history I had ever seen. She gets caught a lot.
Had a kid run from me in handcuffs after being picked up for a juvie probation warrant. He kicked out my back window, dove headfirst into the pavement before trying to jump a six foot fence. In handcuffs. He got halfway over. His shirtless half slid down the top of the fence, where I picked him up - with a bajillion splinters - and booked him for multiple felonies. If he’d just cooperated he would’ve been home by lunch time.
#12
Dude was 5 minutes late getting back from Cinderella Liberty (back on base by midnight) the night before. Seriously, the gate guard would probably have covered for him, but he freaked out.
Police found him in the morning bloody and locked in the trunk of his car. He claimed he was beaten and robbed. Cops saw right through his story. He had wrecked his own car, beaten himself with a tire iron, and locked himself in the trunk.
Charged with filing a false report and obstruction on the civilian side. Unauthorized Absence, damaging government property (meaning himself), etc. on the military side.
#13
#14
He had been drink driving, hit a cyclist and hurt them. Driving ban, fine, maybe a suspended prison sentence given he had never been in trouble before. He was only 19 years old.
But in his drunk mind he decided that Police couldn’t prove he had been drink driving if there was no car. But he had parked the car back at home in the garage.
So he set the garage on fire with a can of petrol. Destroyed the garage, the car, the side of the house, the mobile home parked on the driveway and a large proportion of his neighbours garden.... still got charged with drink driving amongst other things.
#15
Not only is he incorrect legally, but he admitted (under oath, on the record) to committing a felony for which he was already under investigation. All for a beat-up old car. Which the judge promptly awarded to my client.
#16
We get a call about a guy passing counterfit $100 dollar bills at CVS. We get there and the CVS manager says describes him as a male black wearing a blue sweater with white stripes and he last saw him running towards Stop and Shop.
So walking into Stop and shop we see a Blue sweater with white stripes sitting on the bench...the perp shed his sweater. To be honest with you the sweater was our real link to to the guy. So walking around Stop and Shop we see the one and only black dude so we start talking to him. The manager from CVS comes over for a show up and confirms its him. The guy protests saying it cant be him, he was in church, he has evidence to prove it...honestly I started to believe that it wasnt him.
So while we are walking out with him we pass the sweater on the bench and the guys asks us "please dont forget my sweater, its cold out" ............boom.
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#18
The robber was wearing a black ski mask, and it is hard to ID Bruce as the robber. However, the liquor store owner testifies that the robber had a big diamond on the pinkie finger of his right hand. Bruce has such a pinkie ring and, in full view of the jury, promptly sweeps his right hand from the top of the defense table to under it and turns to me in his chair.
Bruce is extremely agitated and tells me, "I wanna testify! That motherf--ker is lying!" Me: "What do you want to testify to, Bruce?" Bruce: "I wanna tell them he's a liar! He couldn't see my ring. I was wearing gloves!"
Bruce followed my advice but was convicted nonetheless.
#19
#20
The owner's lawyer called me up to extort my client and told me that if our client testified as to facts XYZ in support of his defense in the divorce, that they would appreciate it. If my client would not perjure herself, they would have her prosecuted.
I recorded the attorney and filed a transcript along with a motion with the court. The Judge brought down the hammer and he was professionally disciplined by our state licensing authority for attorneys.