07-19-2022, 05:22 PM
(07-19-2022, 01:48 PM)hollodero Wrote: Again, not to be controversial, but this seems to be in apparent contradiction to your stance that the country is too soft on criminals. That doesn't sound so soft.
It's not as that isn't my position. The soft on crime DA's are largely concentrated in large cities with deep blue voting patterns. Also, the "progressive" DA is a fairly recent thing, I think the POS Krasner in Philly was the first in 2017 and the rest came around two ore more years later. Outside of these areas it's pretty much business as usual.
Quote:Also, while this might explain a difference towards other western countries, the US not only beats out Europe, but every country in the world. Including the real authoritarian ones with draconian sentences for disobedience or disagreeing with leadership etc.
A couple of points to that. One, we have a functioning legal system that isn't horribly corrupt. Two, find me a country like that where you get accurate numbers and that don't just disappear people on the regular. The latter happens in Mexico all the damned time, and Mexico is in much better shape than a fair number of the countries that would fit your description.
Quote:I am pretty certain these are the major factors, overall. I understand it's not a wholesome explanation though. But I'd guess especially fighting powerty effectively would go a long way.
(Btw. I'd rather trust democrats over republicans on that one, but that's a sidenote)
I can understand that, given recent history.
Quote:Ah well. As for Hispanics, I guess many of them are immigrants, more than black people for sure. Who are often less prone to crime than natural born citizens, that's the case here too. I guess it's because you'd risk not only sentencing, but being thrown out of the country. Also, those who immigrate, I'd wager, are usually not the rapists and murdereres Trump sees in them, that think raping and murdering is so much more fun in the US than in their home country. They rather are ambitious people that want to create something through hard work and not so much through crime.
You don't have to tell me, I've lived in Southern California most of my life. It's usually their kids that get mixed up in criminal activity, but that has been the case for every immigrant group in the US throughout history.
Quote:Asians (and maybe also hispanics and native americans) possibly are faced with a little less prejudice as well, at least when it comes to crime. My impression would be that the stereotypical criminal for many people rather is a black person than an Asian person. So it might be that systemic racism hits blacks harder than the other groups.
They've been just as subject to racism as any other group. What they do well is work their ass off and keep it in the family, so to speak. Initial Asian immigrants tend to keep to themselves and their fellow immigrants. Their kids are really the ones that start branching out.
Quote:Of course I could think of other explanations, but I usually have to delete comments of mine touching this hot iron. I come across as ignorant and slightly racist even to myself - and others - when talking about my thoughts about that. But I will say (and leave it this time) that I think the grim picture painted about the black experience in the US plays a part in it, a picture that is dystopian, often declaring it pretty much pointless to even try to achieve something as a poor black person. The system is so rigged against you and gives you no chance, that's what large parts of the media and popular culture seem to hammer home time and again, employers will harbor prejudice against you, police will beat you up, the man will hold you down in so many different ways. If I were to grow up with the constant affirmation that my race is a disadvantage I - not being a genius or particularly gifted - most likely can never overcome, I'd probably be quite hopeless too and possibly see no other way than to be part of a gang or selling drugs or going the unlawful way in some other manner.
And it apparently starts at a young age, as your figure shows. There might be a neglection factor, which is to be expected when so many adults are already in prison instead of home with their children. A sentiment that might put me in a position contrary to yours, as in I'd possibly advocate being somewhat soft on crime for this reason alone. A parent in prison puts the child on a path. In that and possibly other senses, high incarceration rates amongst a certain community imho have a self-enhancing effect.
I've mentioned this before, but I really wish I had the link to the study we had in one of trainings that showed the number one predictor of a child entering the criminal justice system, other than being male, was having no father in the home, or one largely absent. I can't tell you how many kids I've arrested that I also had arrested their father in the past. Really if you boil it down, we are all in agreement on the vast majority of this, we being myself, Bel and you. This is a problem that can be solved, but to solve it we have to acknowledge the entire picture, not just what is expedient, obvious or easy. Hard questions need to be asked, and answered, from all parties involved, otherwise we'll just keep spinning our wheels on this issue.
