Europe really is soft on crime.

[Krill]

Penal colonies sound nice...we could use Antartica for that, might be interesting to some back in a few hundred years to see if they have made a decent civilization...

[DAVOUT]

Leaving the jail is not freedom; there are many conditions which have to be met until the end of the sentence; if they are not met you return to jail.
This is the complete decision made by the juge in charge of the sentence application; it is extremely detailed and anwers most if not all of the arguments developed in this thread. We can summarise it by : clear illustration of the "personnalization of the sentence".

http://a1692.g.akamai.net/f/1692/2042/7d/prdchroniques.blog.lemonde.fr/files/2007/10/cantatjugementliberation.1192489256.pdf

[Dinner]

Originally posted by MikeH
Yeah, it's standard in all western countries.

That's one of the most ignorant statements I've ever read on Poly, which is saying a lot.

Everyone already knows Shrapnel12 is an ignorant git. The fuktard is still claiming Bush is a great President.

[VetLegion]

Originally posted by Shrapnel12
My common sense tells me there are probably other countries like the US, but I don't know of any. So an honest question: What other countries have judicial systems where you are innocent until proven guilty and the prosecution has to show guilt beyond a reasonable doubt?

In every modern country I know of. In some countries of the Soviet Block it used to be that the court and the persecutor were the same thing, so effectively if you were charged you were convicted. But I don't think it's the case today.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Shrapnel12
My common sense tells me there are probably other countries like the US, but I don't know of any. So an honest question: What other countries have judicial systems where you are innocent until proven guilty and the prosecution has to show guilt beyond a reasonable doubt?

This has to be the funniest and most ignorant statement on Apolyton since Kuciwalker assumed that every teenage boy has a private en suite bathroom to jack off in.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Adagio

No, tougher sentences is also about keeping the criminal away from doing the same thing again for a longer time. The sooner the criminal gets out, the sooner he can do it again

Wrong.

Tougher sentences in democracies have more to do with the level to which the authoritarian personality dominates in a particular society. The US is extremely punitive because it is an extremely conservative and authoritarian society, which elects on the whole extremely conservative and authoritarian representatives.

This is a scientifically established fact, so don't bother with any mealy mouthed right wing denials.

[Adagio]

Originally posted by Agathon


Wrong.

Tougher sentences in democracies have more to do with the level to which the authoritarian personality dominates in a particular society. The US is extremely punitive because it is an extremely conservative and authoritarian society, which elects on the whole extremely conservative and authoritarian representatives.

This is a scientifically established fact, so don't bother with any mealy mouthed right wing denials.

That doesn't make mine wrong, there can be several reasons for tougher sentences you know

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Adagio

That doesn't make mine wrong, there can be several reasons for tougher sentences you know

There may be several avowed reasons, but the real reason is authoritarianism. Insane US sentences do a pretty crap job of preventing crime, after all.

[Adagio]

Yes, the US isn't exactly doing a great job at preventing crime, but are we talking about the US? Nope... We're talking about sentences in general

[Saras]

Originally posted by Agathon
This is a scientifically established fact.

Let's hear more.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Saras

Let's hear more.

Go look up Bob Altemeyer's research at your local library. I posted an e book of his stuff a while back, but you can probably find the academic stuff at any decent university library.