At what point should be a criminal be released from prison?

[wimp]

.

[dead0man]

when his/her time has been served

[Ferguson97]

If/when they’ve been rehabilitated.

[Chips]

Rapists/Murderers/Terrorists: Never (maybe paroled after a very, very long time)

Treason/Sex/child trafficking/Child pornographers: 30-40 years

Drugs: 1-10 years

DUI: 1-3 years

Manslaughter: 1-20 years

Arson: 3-15 years

Shoplifting: 1-5 years

Armed robbery: 5-20 years

Unregistered ownership of a gun: 1-10 years

Most minor offenses: 3 months-2 years

[Former President tack50]

I am against life imprisonment even with parole; which seems like an extreme position to have but we had it between 1978 and 2014 and the country didn't exactly become a heaven for crime. Life imprisonment abolishment is also a very popular policy among Portuguese speaking nations.

I'd personally go to the old system Spain had, where the maximum prison penalty was 25, 30 or 40 years depending on the exact crimes commited. (25 if no individual crime carried a sentence of 20 years or more; 30 if one of the crimes had a sentence of 20 years; 40 for terrorists)

That worked for decades and we should have kept it. Sadly "tough on crime" policies are very popular (I think life imprisonment with parole, introduced in 2014, has like a 70% approval rating. Life without parole is unconstitutional in Spain and so is the death penalty)

[Dr. MB]

Rapists/Murderers/Terrorists: Never (maybe paroled after a very, very long time)

Treason/Sex/child trafficking/Child pornographers: 30-40 years

Drugs: 1-10 years

DUI: 1-3 years

Manslaughter: 1-20 years

Arson: 3-15 years

Shoplifting: 1-5 years

Armed robbery: 5-20 years

Unregistered ownership of a gun: 1-10 years

Most minor offenses: 3 months-2 years

Half the population would have served time if you were in charge. Most “minor offenses” don’t see any jail time (and for good reason - even putting past the fact it’s unethical to lock people up for most of the stuff which would fall under that category jails and prisons would be insanely overcrowded if every arrest resulted in a prison sentence). I’m also not totally sure why you’d potentially want to lock up a shoplifter longer than someone who committed manslaughter. How libertarian of you.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Marijuana/Mushrooms/Other: Zero
Hard Drugs: Mandatory Treatment
Drug Dealing: From 0-3 years for the small-time dealers to 15-30 years for the kingpins.
Manslaughter: From 2-10 years (unintentional) to 8-18 years (intentional)
Robbery: From 1-15 years depending on circumstances
Animal Abuse: 2-35 years depending on severity and the animal
Armed Robbery: 7-15 years
Third-Degree Murder: 10-25 years
Treason: 10-40 years
Second-Degree Murder: 15-30 years
Rape: 15-35 years + lifetime sex offender registry
First-Degree Murder: 30-35 years (After sentence is up judges can consult prison workers/fellow inmates and add up to 10 years extra after an annual review)
Child Rape: 35-50 years + lifetime sex offender registry/mandatory court approval to leave the county.
Mass Murder: 35-45 years (10 year rule applies)
Terrorism (25+ killed): 40-60 years (10 year rule applies)

All crimes before armed robbery qualify for 60% parole while all crimes up to and including second degree murder qualify for 75% parole, except for those convicted of animal abuse if a cat is involved.

[Dr. MB]

Marijuana/Mushrooms/Other: Zero
Hard Drugs: Mandatory Treatment
Drug Dealing: From 0-3 years for the small-time dealers to 15-30 years for the kingpins.
Manslaughter: From 2-10 years (unintentional) to 8-18 years (intentional)
Robbery: From 1-15 years depending on circumstances
Animal Abuse: 2-35 years depending on severity and the animal
Armed Robbery: 7-15 years
Third-Degree Murder: 10-25 years
Treason: 10-40 years
Second-Degree Murder: 15-30 years
Rape: 15-35 years + lifetime sex offender registry
First-Degree Murder: 30-35 years (After sentence is up judges can consult prison workers/fellow inmates and add up to 10 years extra after an annual review)
Child Rape: 35-50 years + lifetime sex offender registry/mandatory court approval to leave the county.
Mass Murder: 35-45 years (10 year rule applies)
Terrorism (25+ killed): 40-60 years (10 year rule applies)

All crimes before armed robbery qualify for 60% parole while all crimes up to and including second degree murder qualify for 75% parole, except for those convicted of animal abuse if a cat is involved.

Should dealing any drug including weed/psychedelics result in prison time? Or do you only mean dealers of hard drugs?

So if a guy fakes having a gun and doesn’t actually have one would that count as armed robbery and be punishable by the same amount of time?

Should there be any distinction between say a 20 year old having sex with a 16 year old and a pedophile molesting a little kid? Because I see a huge difference there but you didn’t make any distinction and a 35 year prison sentence is just a little bit excessive there in my opinion.

What counts as “treason”?

Why should people be able to be sentenced to more time after their time has already been served? What would qualify someone for such a punishment?

Lots of generalizations here. Should these be the mandatory minimum sentences without any discretion from the judge? This would seriously affect actual real peoples’ lives if it was put in place and result in often much harsher sentences than currently is handed down. Plus it just doesn’t make a ton of sense. Criminal laws are the ones which need nuance more than anything.

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Marijuana/Mushrooms/Other: Zero
Hard Drugs: Mandatory Treatment
Drug Dealing: From 0-3 years for the small-time dealers to 15-30 years for the kingpins.
Manslaughter: From 2-10 years (unintentional) to 8-18 years (intentional)
Robbery: From 1-15 years depending on circumstances
Animal Abuse: 2-35 years depending on severity and the animal
Armed Robbery: 7-15 years
Third-Degree Murder: 10-25 years
Treason: 10-40 years
Second-Degree Murder: 15-30 years
Rape: 15-35 years + lifetime sex offender registry
First-Degree Murder: 30-35 years (After sentence is up judges can consult prison workers/fellow inmates and add up to 10 years extra after an annual review)
Child Rape: 30-50 years + lifetime sex offender registry/mandatory court approval to leave the county.
Mass Murder: 35-45 years (10 year rule applies)
Terrorism (25+ killed): 40-60 years (10 year rule applies)

All crimes before armed robbery qualify for 60% parole while all crimes up to and including second degree murder qualify for 75% parole, except for those convicted of animal abuse if a cat is involved.

Should dealing any drug including weed/psychedelics result in prison time? Or do you only mean dealers of hard drugs?

So if a guy fakes having a gun and doesn’t actually have one would that count as armed robbery and be punishable by the same amount of time?

Should there be any distinction between say a 20 year old having sex with a 16 year old and a pedophile molesting a little kid? Because I see a huge difference there but you didn’t make any distinction and a 35 year prison sentence is just a little bit excessive there in my opinion.
What counts as “treason”?

Why should people be able to be sentenced to more time after their time has already been served? What would qualify someone for such a punishment?

Lots of generalizations here. Should these be the mandatory minimum sentences without any discretion from the judge? This would seriously affect actual real peoples’ lives if it was put in place and result in often much harsher sentences than currently is handed down. Plus it just doesn’t make a ton of sense. Criminal laws are the ones which need nuance more than anything.

1. Only hard drugs. Things like marijuana don't count, although you could still be convicted under unauthorized business or similar laws.

2. Only if they have an actual gun. The variation in sentencing allows for less strict punishment depending on that.

3. It only applies to the rape of someone under the age of consent if they themselves say it was a rape and it doesn't fall under Romeo & Juliet laws. So basically in order to qualify someone over 21 has to rape someone under 16 and for the victim to say it was rape. I will cut down the minimum by five years though.

4. Treason follows current statues, with lots of room for sentencing variation to distinguish between things that severely harmed the country and, say, Jonathan Pollard.

5. I left a lot of room for variation in sentencing. The additional time is to allow courts to impose life sentences on completely insane serial killers without opening a pandora's box. And no, this is a progressive sentencing code. It eliminates the decriminalization for light drugs/marijuana and eliminates jail time in favor of treatment for hard drug users. It also ends life sentences and the death penalty.

[Dr. MB]

Marijuana/Mushrooms/Other: Zero
Hard Drugs: Mandatory Treatment
Drug Dealing: From 0-3 years for the small-time dealers to 15-30 years for the kingpins.
Manslaughter: From 2-10 years (unintentional) to 8-18 years (intentional)
Robbery: From 1-15 years depending on circumstances
Animal Abuse: 2-35 years depending on severity and the animal
Armed Robbery: 7-15 years
Third-Degree Murder: 10-25 years
Treason: 10-40 years
Second-Degree Murder: 15-30 years
Rape: 15-35 years + lifetime sex offender registry
First-Degree Murder: 30-35 years (After sentence is up judges can consult prison workers/fellow inmates and add up to 10 years extra after an annual review)
Child Rape: 30-50 years + lifetime sex offender registry/mandatory court approval to leave the county.
Mass Murder: 35-45 years (10 year rule applies)
Terrorism (25+ killed): 40-60 years (10 year rule applies)

All crimes before armed robbery qualify for 60% parole while all crimes up to and including second degree murder qualify for 75% parole, except for those convicted of animal abuse if a cat is involved.

Should dealing any drug including weed/psychedelics result in prison time? Or do you only mean dealers of hard drugs?

So if a guy fakes having a gun and doesn’t actually have one would that count as armed robbery and be punishable by the same amount of time?

Should there be any distinction between say a 20 year old having sex with a 16 year old and a pedophile molesting a little kid? Because I see a huge difference there but you didn’t make any distinction and a 35 year prison sentence is just a little bit excessive there in my opinion.
What counts as “treason”?

Why should people be able to be sentenced to more time after their time has already been served? What would qualify someone for such a punishment?

Lots of generalizations here. Should these be the mandatory minimum sentences without any discretion from the judge? This would seriously affect actual real peoples’ lives if it was put in place and result in often much harsher sentences than currently is handed down. Plus it just doesn’t make a ton of sense. Criminal laws are the ones which need nuance more than anything.

1. Only hard drugs. Things like marijuana don't count, although you could still be convicted under unauthorized business or similar laws.

2. Only if they have an actual gun. The variation in sentencing allows for less strict punishment depending on that.

3. It only applies to the rape of someone under the age of consent if they themselves say it was a rape and it doesn't fall under Romeo & Juliet laws. So basically in order to qualify someone over 21 has to rape someone under 16 and for the victim to say it was rape. I will cut down the minimum by five years though.

4. Treason follows current statues, with lots of room for sentencing variation to distinguish between things that severely harmed the country and, say, Jonathan Pollard.

5. I left a lot of room for variation in sentencing. The additional time is to allow courts to impose life sentences on completely insane serial killers without opening a pandora's box. And no, this is a progressive sentencing code. It eliminates the decriminalization for light drugs/marijuana and eliminates jail time in favor of treatment for hard drug users. It also ends life sentences and the death penalty.

But just to be clear, you do support mandatory minimum sentences without leaving it up to the judge?

[Kahane's Grave Is A Gender-Neutral Bathroom]

Marijuana/Mushrooms/Other: Zero
Hard Drugs: Mandatory Treatment
Drug Dealing: From 0-3 years for the small-time dealers to 15-30 years for the kingpins.
Manslaughter: From 2-10 years (unintentional) to 8-18 years (intentional)
Robbery: From 1-15 years depending on circumstances
Animal Abuse: 2-35 years depending on severity and the animal
Armed Robbery: 7-15 years
Third-Degree Murder: 10-25 years
Treason: 10-40 years
Second-Degree Murder: 15-30 years
Rape: 15-35 years + lifetime sex offender registry
First-Degree Murder: 30-35 years (After sentence is up judges can consult prison workers/fellow inmates and add up to 10 years extra after an annual review)
Child Rape: 30-50 years + lifetime sex offender registry/mandatory court approval to leave the county.
Mass Murder: 35-45 years (10 year rule applies)
Terrorism (25+ killed): 40-60 years (10 year rule applies)

All crimes before armed robbery qualify for 60% parole while all crimes up to and including second degree murder qualify for 75% parole, except for those convicted of animal abuse if a cat is involved.

Should dealing any drug including weed/psychedelics result in prison time? Or do you only mean dealers of hard drugs?

So if a guy fakes having a gun and doesn’t actually have one would that count as armed robbery and be punishable by the same amount of time?

Should there be any distinction between say a 20 year old having sex with a 16 year old and a pedophile molesting a little kid? Because I see a huge difference there but you didn’t make any distinction and a 35 year prison sentence is just a little bit excessive there in my opinion.
What counts as “treason”?

Why should people be able to be sentenced to more time after their time has already been served? What would qualify someone for such a punishment?

Lots of generalizations here. Should these be the mandatory minimum sentences without any discretion from the judge? This would seriously affect actual real peoples’ lives if it was put in place and result in often much harsher sentences than currently is handed down. Plus it just doesn’t make a ton of sense. Criminal laws are the ones which need nuance more than anything.

1. Only hard drugs. Things like marijuana don't count, although you could still be convicted under unauthorized business or similar laws.

2. Only if they have an actual gun. The variation in sentencing allows for less strict punishment depending on that.

3. It only applies to the rape of someone under the age of consent if they themselves say it was a rape and it doesn't fall under Romeo & Juliet laws. So basically in order to qualify someone over 21 has to rape someone under 16 and for the victim to say it was rape. I will cut down the minimum by five years though.

4. Treason follows current statues, with lots of room for sentencing variation to distinguish between things that severely harmed the country and, say, Jonathan Pollard.

5. I left a lot of room for variation in sentencing. The additional time is to allow courts to impose life sentences on completely insane serial killers without opening a pandora's box. And no, this is a progressive sentencing code. It eliminates the decriminalization for light drugs/marijuana and eliminates jail time in favor of treatment for hard drug users. It also ends life sentences and the death penalty.

But just to be clear, you do support mandatory minimum sentences without leaving it up to the judge?

No those are guidelines, although I support the top end being a mandatory maximum and in general not sentencing any less than 5 years lower than the minimum.

[Meclazine for Israel]

I don't think we should have prisons.

They don't work and if you go to prison, you don't come out with much of a future. In fact most ex-prisoners become 'hardened' by drugs and experiences within prison.

The English figured it out.

I think you should be sent to an island on the other side of the planet for the term of your natural life. And depending on your behaviour, your privileges are removed depending on what you did and how you behave.

You are never allowed back to your home country.

That guarantees a zero percent chance of reoffending in the homeland.

[Dr. MB]

I don't think we should have prisons.

They don't work and if you go to prison, you don't come out with much of a future. In fact most ex-prisoners become 'hardened' by drugs and experiences within prison.

The English figured it out.

I think you should be sent to an island on the other side of the planet for the term of your natural life. And depending on your behaviour, your privileges are removed depending on what you did and how you behave.

You are never allowed back to your home country.

That guarantees a zero percent chance of reoffending in the homeland.

So should Australians give the Brits a taste of their own medicine and send all criminals to England?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Ideally, whenever they have sincerely and thoroughly internalized the gravity of their deed and feel commensurate guilt for it as well as a desire to atone in whatever way possible.

In practice, there needs to be standardized times roughly matching the gravity of the crime committed, but parole boards should be free to release people early if they believe beyond a reasonable doubt the convict in question has fully reformed.

[TheReckoning]

If/when they’ve been rehabilitated.

[Cokeland Saxton]

Depends on the crime. Weed and mushrooms should be legal. For harder drug use, rehabilitation is a better option that prison. For lesser crimes, petty theft, dealing of hard drugs (not weed or shrooms), or DUI without death, just a few months or years. For moderate crimes like manslaughter, more severe robbery/theft, or running an illegal operation, several years but not super long. For sever crimes like murder, child/animal abuse (not including rape), or possession of child porn, many (25+) years, and the latter mentioned also desevers a spot on the sex offender registry for life). Very heinous crimes like mass murder, rape (especially of a child), or terrorism deserve life in prison with no chance of parole.

[Vosem]

Ideally, whenever they have sincerely and thoroughly internalized the gravity of their deed and feel commensurate guilt for it as well as a desire to atone in whatever way possible.

In practice, there needs to be standardized times roughly matching the gravity of the crime committed, but parole boards should be free to release people early if they believe beyond a reasonable doubt the convict in question has fully reformed.

This is exactly right. People here debating what the right penalties should be for specific crimes are thinking too granularly; you need to start with a general principle that the reformed do not belong in prison and that prison is for reformation. Antonio and I may disagree on how often reformation is possible, but where it is he's exactly right.

[VBM]

When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east

[Pericles]

Ideally, whenever they have sincerely and thoroughly internalized the gravity of their deed and feel commensurate guilt for it as well as a desire to atone in whatever way possible.

In practice, there needs to be standardized times roughly matching the gravity of the crime committed, but parole boards should be free to release people early if they believe beyond a reasonable doubt the convict in question has fully reformed.

This is exactly right. People here debating what the right penalties should be for specific crimes are thinking too granularly; you need to start with a general principle that the reformed do not belong in prison and that prison is for reformation. Antonio and I may disagree on how often reformation is possible, but where it is he's exactly right.

Punishment should be part of the role of the criminal justice system, both practically to deter offending and just for society to pass judgement on the offender. However, the primary goal should be rehabilitation, more than it is right now.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Rapists/Murderers/Terrorists: Never (maybe paroled after a very, very long time)

Treason/Sex/child trafficking/Child pornographers: 30-40 years

Drugs: 1-10 years

DUI: 1-3 years

Manslaughter: 1-20 years

Arson: 3-15 years

Shoplifting: 1-5 years

Armed robbery: 5-20 years

Unregistered ownership of a gun: 1-10 years

Most minor offenses: 3 months-2 years

Treason is in the murder/rapist/child trafficker tier. Minimum life no parole. Why no death penalty

[Senator Incitatus]

It is a moving target and best answered through democratic legislation, because it is the cumulative choice of society to permit reëntry. It is not a question of rehabilitation, and we should stop pretending that imprisonment is done for the prisoner's own good.