tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219905081700134231.post5984027629890791972..comments2023-04-28T01:31:16.936-07:00Comments on Syntax and Syllables: Let the convicts go?Brookehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16636698545363320814noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219905081700134231.post-61704908409781254392011-08-05T08:06:23.005-07:002011-08-05T08:06:23.005-07:00I agree that something needs to happen I just have...I agree that something needs to happen I just haven't yet found a solution I think is the right one.<br /><br />KSL featured a piece a few months back about Drug Court. http://www.ksl.com/?sid=13371494&nid=165 From what they reported the approach the court is taking is working and more and more people are learning to deal with their addictions and become functioning and contributing members of society. Maybe an approach similar to this for other types of offenses would work as well.<br /><br />I also think legalizing marijuana would reduce some of the prison population that, if freed, would contribute to society in a positive way.Carihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10895439409407301866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219905081700134231.post-90551954205151422852011-08-05T06:53:52.376-07:002011-08-05T06:53:52.376-07:00I completely agree with you. I've always felt ...I completely agree with you. I've always felt strongly about this issue. I've heard a few NPR reports on the subject as well. Seth has a misdemeanor for something incredibly stupid (slapped by a Provo judge). Just that misdemeanor creates such stress and problems when applying for jobs, school, etc. Now, people who have jail time on their record, it's a thousand times harder. In my eyes, it's nearly impossible to come out of prison and start fresh, be a reformed person, because your opportunities are so limited. It's incredibly easy to fall back into old habits when you have needs going unfulfilled. The system is so reactionary and punitive instead of preventative, it's alarming. There is no easy fix, but it is definitely broken.Jackiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17668627023355331847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219905081700134231.post-46018835681147558642011-08-05T06:33:59.101-07:002011-08-05T06:33:59.101-07:00State mental health facilities WERE shut down for ...State mental health facilities WERE shut down for a good reasons. Today, however, I know first hand that they are being subjected to tabloid-like slander for economic reasons rather than abuse, neglect, or mistreatment. It's so easy to take funding from such a small group--especially since very few care to speak up for a group so oppressed by society that no one bothers to hear what they have to say (some of it's good if you take the time to understand). Mental health professionals work on shoestring budgets to create a therapeutic community for people who can't find help elsewhere. Some of them are involuntarily committed, but surprisingly, so many more arrive by bus, or get dropped off by a friend and check themselves in at the front lobby. They know it's a safe place where they'll receive support and respect when they don't feel well. By getting people off the streets when their medications need adjusting, or their minds need rest, we lower crime rates, and bestow dignity--among other things. There are beautiful, loving people in both the medical and the social work fields within these hospitals. There are beautiful and wonderful people who are patients, both long and short term, in these facilities. And while I'm ALL about rehabilitative therapies for people with the capacity and/or desire to live outside a psychiatric hospital--I strongly believe it's the best home others have ever known. If I ever become rich, this will be my fight.Kristenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08831940307090165112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219905081700134231.post-10217315703400246142011-08-05T01:05:00.239-07:002011-08-05T01:05:00.239-07:00Part of my nursing classes included a class on men...Part of my nursing classes included a class on mental health. We took tour of the county jail and learned about mental illnesses. As a nurse, I have had the opportunity to take care of a handful of prisoners (none of them mentally ill, by the way). It is appalling to me as a medical professional to think about what our justice system does for people in need of real help for mental illnesses. Often times, they are unrecognized, untreated, and improperly cared for. Our police officers are often unprepared and untrained for handling the mentally ill. I agree that our prison system is needs reform, not just in terms of medical care. We often take the attitude of locking somebody up and then letting them go without doing anything to try to reform them. <br /><br />sorry...I know this is long and rambling. I have a lot of feelings on this topic and it's hard to get them all out in logical form at 4 in the morning.Tionahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00386290410782119125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219905081700134231.post-88330437942511327552011-08-04T23:03:38.774-07:002011-08-04T23:03:38.774-07:00I learned this from QI (love that show!) that 1% o...I learned this from QI (love that show!) that 1% of the US population is in prison. That makes over 3 million, which is higher than any other country including China, which has a population five times that of the US. There are more 19-year-old African-American men in prison than there are in college. I'm not sure what that means.Mirandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07540183943239138432noreply@blogger.com