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Comment by ceejayoz

3 days ago

> If there is no real penalty for being a career criminal, people will continue to be career criminals.

I know this is a wild idea, but what if they had better options than career criminal for a living?

Americans are so invested in the penalties they can’t imagine the incentives approach.

10 comments

ceejayoz

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al_borland  3 days ago

I asked for a realistic alternative solution and you offered none, just more criticisms for the status quo.

There are already incentives for honest work… a paycheck, benefits, etc. Not to mention being a net positive to society. There is also the option to start a business, which has unlimited upside.

Some people put a lot of effort into breaking the law and making life worse for other people. If that effort was directed in a positive direction, they could be successful, without being a criminal.

This also goes for the white collar criminals that get a pass while running large companies or governments. If those efforts were directed in a better direction, life would also get better for everyone.

I wish there was as much sympathy for the victims as the criminals.

co_king_5  3 days ago

> Americans are so invested in the penalties they can’t imagine the incentives approach.

It's not Americans generally speaking, it's a vocal minority of white supremacist fascists.

polski-g  2 days ago

The average drug dealer makes less than minimum wage. People commit crimes because they enjoy doing it, not because they need to. We know this because we have survey data on convicted criminals.

  • ceejayoz  2 days ago

    > The average drug dealer makes less than minimum wage.

    The average drug dealer struggles to keep a minimum wage job.

    > We know this because we have survey data on convicted criminals.

    We know otherwise because the US isn't the only country in the world, and places that focus on rehabilitation and job training have dramatically lower recidivism rates.

monero-xmr  3 days ago

This may be hard to accept - but there are some people who can’t help themselves. They are career criminals and even when presented with honest work they still choose to commit crimes. There exist sociopaths who don’t feel empathy or remorse, and are driven by their own desires and needs regardless of the cost to other people and society. They cannot be rehabilitated. They need to be locked in a cage forever. Society has known about these people since civilization began