Crime: Why does anyone even bother?

[Royd]

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You're related to Lindsey Lohan?

 

[elizabethbinary]

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I think this might be what made me so sympathetic. When I worked with the criminals, I had a bias at first towards hatred, but then I saw how, well, human they were. The differnt levels of different crimes for different reasons and yet the majority of them were incredibly emotive responsive people with hopes/dreams/ideas. Some even had a really intense work ethic. Others spoke in length of the love they had for their family and the remorse the felt for the one big mistake they made (this particular one held up 8 shops with no gun, just walked in and asked for the money, even said please... got 10 years. He had just found out his wife was pregnant with their 5th child). When you see them, talk to them, and watch them interact with others you begin to be acutely aware of how human they are eve though you don't want the to be, really.

I think perhaps it makes us feel better to think they're disgusting dredges of society because we can pretend it takes a lot to make a criminal. But it really doesn't. Every single human has the capability and every single human has a reason - it's just whether or not you find that breaking point and where it is. Most people just never find that level.

I remeber watching a man cry, sob, scream because he was so distraught he killed a man in a bar when they got into a barfight. He got 25 years and was only 18 and he was remourseful from the second he threw that punch. Witnesses say he barely touched the guy. It was one small tiny mistake. One small thing that cost a man his life - and now when the man is 33 and has no job history, has spent 25 years learning off more hardened criminals and nobody in the world will give him a chance because 'criminals are criminals are criminals'... what will he most likely do? Well... now he knows how to make meth. Or he knows the best marijuana dealers this state has to offer. Nobody will give him a job... and he already has a record... and people already consider him an animal... he knows this before he even spends his time in prison. And he cries about how he ruined the other man's life and how remourseful he is and how he wishes he could make it up to society and not be in a little cage until he's let out with nothing to his name but the $200 and the clothes off your back they send you away with. $200 is not enough to find a job, but funnily is enough to buy about an ounce of weed you can break up and sell. This is what I mean by sympathy can prevent reoffence.

 

[elizabethbinary]

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Love you too, Kat..

And yep..i'd beg on the corner before i would steal food. I'd go to the shelter or church or local food pantry..
No excuse for it..Just because that store owner has lots of food..does NOT mean you can just take what you want from them. They PAID for that food to put in their store..
Why should someone get it for free?
Thats the problem with these thiefs..they feel the world OWES them something for nothing...

We're also flat broke this week..and maybe next week too...
Hubby is in school to get his CDL..and his un-employment stopped for SOME reason... (hopefully that will start again by next week..)
and i spent my pay on bills and food that i know my critters would need for 2 weeks..(until i get my next check)
So.. we're living on eggs and toast.. (soo glad my girls started laying again!), and we're using up the food in our freezer... and rolling our change...

Still not gonna steal from someone... like i said.. I'd BEG on a corner first.
NO excuse for it..

Begging is a crime i many areas as well, making you... a criminal. So you would still be breaking the law. Also, until you have no home, no internet no phone, no food source and no place to go, you have no place to judge.

I tried that argument. I was told that "was a lame excuse".

If you want to know who's a criminal dumb enough to get caught... it's YOU. (you the begger, you the anybody, really) becauseyou just begged, got caught, and were arrested.

Stealing is also way way way less obvious than begging. So most hungry steal so they DON'T get caught, because begging is pretty much out in the open and offensive to the general population.

You forget how you smell and look when you're hungry. Another instance of nobody wanting to be reminded of the dredges of society. Which is what everyone will see when you're on that street, no matter who you are.

 

[elizabethbinary]

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If only, there was a penal colony somewhere, where we could send them, and just let them fare for themselves.

Your government keeps this stuff up and it'll be America next!

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

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You're related to Lindsey Lohan?

lol Not Quite. More like a female Daniel Ocean wanna be

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http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2010/nov/18/trio-arrested-jewelry-store-heist-ar-662635/

 

[Countrywife]

Elizabeth - I am curious, and could be you mentioned it but it has been lost because I cannot possibly read all these pages- how long did you work in the prison system, was it in Austrailia or another place and what exactly did you do?

 

[elizabethbinary]

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I didn't work it work it. I studied nutrition and dietetics in university and halfway through someone close to me was incarcerated for a minor crime. After a couple visits and a few stories and talking to the inmates I got a bit horrified at what I saw was going on in there, so I started focusing my work specifically on criminal health and I changed schools so I could do this. There was only one school I could even FIND that had ONE course on the penal health system. They didn't even make criminal psychology a requirement (which I chose to take anyway but dropped from due to illness). Because of my chosen specialized field, I was allowed to attend the prison systems as a student to learn more. I got very very ill in July of last year and had to quit school until further notice, sadly - but this was my passion for a good couple years until this happened.

So I used to visit the prisons a lot, mostly the cafeterias, but also speak to the prisoners one-on-one so I could judge their physical and emotional health in my studies so I could focus on what foods we should be giving our incarcerated to better increase the chances of reformation. That was my ultimate goal. I still have a theory which I really hope to test once I get that woman's job (ONE WOMAN has this job for THIRTY prisons!) that if we were to rework the dietary system of prisons we'd have a lower probability of reoffence. The studies I have done so far would suggest this is highly possible - just nobody has really done it or cared to.

 

[Countrywife]

So, how much actual time in the prison, I am asking specific time IN the prison, have you had in your studies/research?

 

[elizabethbinary]

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Couldn't tell you. 8 hours a week for 6 months before I got sick, about. I did this in Australia.

Is there a reason you ask these questions?

(I guess I could call the prison and get my hours if you REALLY wanted, hahaha)

 

[noodleroo]

elizabethbinary; I applaude your efforts. Proper nutrition would be a nice start and I'm sure would help, but you can't force people to eat healthy. You can while they are incarcerated, but what about when they get out? Its the old 'you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink' thing...

There is not going to be an end to people misbehaving. You would have a very difficult time finding a diet to keep married people from having extra marital affairs, wouldn't you. I think everyone would agree that having the option of nutritious food, proper exercise and a good upbringing would be very helpful in making good decisions. But unfortunately, it will not stop people from making bad decisions.

I'll state this again; lock up your stuff, make eye contact and pay attention. For some people, kindness means 'weakness' so you have to be careful and smart. None of that guarantees that you won't be a victim of crime, it just lessens your exposure to the possibilities. Life is a balance of all things good and bad...