Have You Tried Storing Them Upright?

It’s as if Our Betters have forgotten, or never quite understood, that the fundamental function of prisons, besides punishment, is to keep dangerous and predatory people away from their law-abiding prey. For as long as should prove necessary. 

See also this, and this, and this, which offer a reminder that prisons do not exist for the benefit of the prisoner. Note, too, the quite vivid illustrations of criminal behaviour, the mindset in play. Because I think it’s rather important to have real-world examples in mind. Lest we forget.

[ Rolls shelled, boiled egg to Nikw211. As it travels, fluff accumulates. ]

For some reason, I felt a need to leave this here:

For readers curious as to exactly how much misery, fear, and social degradation a very small number of burglars can inflict on the world, on the better people around them, this item here may prove illuminating. In it, three prolific burglars, who between them had accumulated over 200 convictions, met their not-entirely-tragic end after colliding head-on with a lorry, while driving down the motorway at more than twice the speed limit, in the wrong direction, in a stolen BMW. Their fiery ceasing-to-be resulting in a rather significant drop in the local burglary rate.

An illustration, one of many, of how a very large fraction of crime could be prevented by dealing decisively with a surprisingly small number of persistent offenders.

Needless to say, there’s more in the linked piece.

In the comments over at Tim’s, some lively suggestions were offered: 

As always I advocate non-prison punishments. For example flogging and hanging.

And,

There’s an excellent harbour in South Georgia, but if that’s too far, declare Mingulay a military base closed to civvies and park them there.

I have to say, I’m not entirely unsympathetic. 

[ Orders curries, paces back and forth, checking watch. ]

I don’t think people understand it takes a lot of work to end up in prison.

Well, indeed. 

Likewise, the common assumption that someone who, finally, belatedly, ends up in prison is just like you, an average person who was having a bad day or who made a mistake. A fanciful blank-slate conceit that bears no relationship to the overwhelming majority of prison occupants, or to violent thugs generally. 

And then we have the army of progressive fantasists telling us that such creatures – say, the kinds of ferals who gleefully sucker-punch elderly women because they happen to be of East Asian descent – will somehow be morally redeemed by more free stuff and are only behaving as they do, as they choose to do, because they didn’t have better Wi-Fi, or enough theatre in schools. 

As I said in the linked thread, 

While throwing this together, I considered including links to some video of sucker-punching incidents, but it was all rather revolting and depressing. The point, however, is that if you see footage of such attacks, and the air of glee and triumph that often follows them, or of any other criminal savagery, then the idea that they’re a consequence of not having a nicer home, or not having enough theatre in schools, is bizarre. 

It also feels vaguely insulting to those of us who grew up in modest circumstances in rough parts of town, and who didn’t encounter much in the way of school theatre, but who somehow managed not to seek satisfaction in brutalising old ladies.

And which results in the odd experience of being expected to identify with, and sympathise with, creatures who repeatedly demonstrate, as vividly as one can imagine, that they would not return the favour. And who, given the chance, would happily prey on you. 

Oh, and in watching-Andor-in-the-hope-that-it-gets-better news, I’ve made it to episode 7, of 12, and it does improve, a bit. It’s currently… okay, a 7-out-of-10. Not compelling, but watchable. Some of the principal characters are now, finally, on the same planet and look likely to bump into each other.

So there’s that.