Through a combination of personal choices and being lucky enough not to be accused of a crime, I've not had to think much about such things.
But this article on programs making it easier for fugitives to turn themselves in has me thinking.
Is it a good idea?
Does it suggest something's wrong with our system?
Does it suggest a perception that law enforcement goes above and beyond "to protect and serve" and taint due process (as part of the status quo?)
Is this a puff piece meant to make these "easy surrender" programs more successful by making 'em sound less scary?
Is this sort of thing a correction to a system that's been otherwise broken, thus leading to a feedback cycle that causes the accused to withdraw even more?
I sort of think that most of the citizenship knows if they've broken the law. But my only experience of the persecuted/falsely-accused has been from dramatic cinema.
I really don't know what's what here.
It's hard to forget hearing some numbers that said "Hey, we're 5% of the world's population, but we've got 25% of the world's prisoners"
Sunday, December 21, 2008
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It suggests something is wrong with our priorities. The core values that were either lacking or trumped in these people or in their loved ones are at issue more than anything else IMO. But the program doesn't work to solve that, just to mitigate the cost on both ends.
I remember when this happened here. There were several people interviewed on the news in distorted face and voice.
it was a repeated refrain that I had a hard time having sympathy for but understood that not everyone is going to be strong all the time. it was that they couldn't provide all of the things they wanted or their children or other loved ones wanted. They had the perception that these things were needed and needed from them. The ideology of consumption. It ruled them and ruined them.
I like the compassion of the program but I do have trouble with the fact that like usual none of the core issues are addressed. I am betting almost none of them got any type of therapy.
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