This forum title refers to a fantastic book by the post-modernist philosopher Michel Foucault. The purpose of punishment for offenses has changed throughout history and has evolved into what it is today. But what is it? Is the purpose of imprisonment and capital punishment for retribution or as a deterrent? Or does it serve some higher function?
Those are great determinants for reform. The intent of the criminal almost always shows through eventually. If not by him/her blatantly saying it or by error in the court. Based on their intent you could find degrees of reformation. Prediction is always going to be a tricky thing. Sometimes, like in your example of embezzlement, it is easy. But theft is kind of a grey area. I think psychologists, specifically behaviorists would need a greater role in our justice system. Because maybe someone was stealing to provide for their family, but another was stealing for pure pleasure, or another because of an abnormal disorder.
That's a good point. We could probably fit that into the prediction category, but environmental influences should certainly be taken into consideration. Of course, if a criminal is truly "reformed" then environmental influences would affect them only as much as it affects the rest of us. But yeah, there's only so much an individual can handle and if we can put a restriction on criminal influences or at least account for them in deciding whether to let the criminal go, then I think rehabilitation would be much more successful.
No need to get info. Just your gut feeling, why is there prison? Do you feel compelled to obey the law because you're afraid of going to jail? Or do you think jail is just a way to make sure something bad happens to people who do bad things? Why kill someone for certain offenses and not others?
The prisons function I believe is nothing more but to put criminals away from society. I have never had the feeling of going to jail if I did not obey a law.
Jail is for more serious crimes then anything I would ever do. I'd say people have this feeling only on rare occasions. A drug dealer knows he can go jail, and he still does it.
A murderer surely never thinks of the law. You don't say "Hmm, If I kill this hooker, I'll go to jail for 20 years!...She is no where hot enough, let me back off" >_>
He is into too much of anger or whatever emotion is that has caused him too murder.
