| Millions of people in the world currently rot in jails or | | | | brutally lock a person in a cell. We have no need to |
| prisons. People think of jails and prisons as an | | | | throw a person in jail or prison if they pose no more |
| essential part of society, but do we really need | | | | danger than the average person but committed a |
| them? Do prisons really protect people from violence | | | | one-time crime due to external circumstances. |
| and victimization, or do prisons just make matters | | | | Mentally Sick People - Finally, we have sick people. |
| worse? Let's look at the different types of criminals | | | | These people have some sort of mental defect that |
| that governments throw in prison. | | | | makes them a danger to other people. If we do not |
| Non-violent non-victimizers - Governments have a | | | | restrain these people, they will victimize other people. |
| tendency to criminalize behaviors that do not hurt | | | | So we must restrain them. But why put them in jail |
| anyone. The governments create victimless crimes | | | | or prison? They need treatment, and prison will not |
| by creating authoritarian laws. When people break | | | | cure them; it will just torture them. If we put them in |
| these laws, they have not hurt anyone in any major | | | | jail or prison, then we can never let them out |
| way. These laws can include any laws outlawing | | | | because jail or prison will not cure them. If we put |
| victimless behaviors, such as drug possession, | | | | them into a treatment facility, then we may |
| prostitution, peacefully practicing a religion, and so on | | | | successfully treat or cure some of them, at which |
| and so forth. For example, the United States | | | | point we can safely release those ones back into |
| currently has over 1 million people behind bars for | | | | society. We will protect more people by putting |
| victimless crimes, which only limits freedom and does | | | | mentally sick people into treatment centers (including |
| not protect others. Instead of putting these | | | | insane asylums), then by throwing them in jail or |
| non-violent people in jail or prison, we can just let | | | | prison. These people need professional care in a |
| them go and legalize all victimless behaviors. It makes | | | | medical establishment, not the punishment of prison. |
| more sense to let people have freedom than to | | | | I think most people feel like me in that I would |
| waste resources enforcing authoritarian laws. | | | | prefer to protect people and to do it in as least |
| Incidental Criminals - Some people may commit an | | | | brutal a way as possible. I have no interest in using |
| illegal act of violence or victimization due to external | | | | the force of government to pointlessly get |
| conditions. We can refer to these people as incidental | | | | vengeance or inflict punishment using prisons. Thus, I |
| criminals. These 'incidental criminals' do not have any | | | | see no need for prisons. We can release people who |
| more of a tendency to hurt others than the average | | | | have no psychological defect that makes them |
| person. For example, consider someone who has to | | | | dangerous, and we can put the ones with |
| steal to feed his family one day. Almost anyone | | | | psychological defects in treatment. Let's base our |
| would do that, so it does not mean we need to | | | | policies on sympathy, understanding, and a desire to |
| throw the person in jail or prison. If we can change | | | | protect people. Let's not base policy on a wasteful |
| the conditions that cause a normal person to a | | | | indulgence in state-sanctioned vengeance. |
| commit a crime, then we can do that rather than | | | | |