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MARK L. BAKKE'S
 Return to "Crime and Punishment" essay Back to Philosophy page Please feel free to E-mail me with your own comments on this issue or on anything else included in my Philosophy of Life section. Debate is good!
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REPLY #4 TO
"CRIME AND PUNISHMENT"
Boldfaced statements are parts of the original essay (or a subsequent reply) to which the respondent has directed his comments.
 Italicized/emphasized comments prefaced by (R) are those of the respondent and are presented unedited. My replies appear under the respondent's comments in blue text and are prefaced by my initials (MB). (R) your issues concerning prisons in this country seem to be very humanitarian, yet they lack significant evidence. (MB) I wish you had been more specific about which of my opinions you are taking exception to. In any case, my opinions are based upon published facts on the prison system that are available to everybody. For example, there's the Florida study that show recidivism rates falling by over 50% and national statistics showing a decrease in violent crimes -- both correllating with a toughening of sentencing and incarceration standards. If you wish to dispute something in particular, please bring it up so we can discuss it. (R) It seems that naivity overcomes reason in your passionate argument versus the way our prisons are ran. (MB) Does it? I don't stand alone in my criticisms of the system and few people could believe that all is well in our prisons. (R) Every person that I have spoken to, who has gone to prison, has never wanted to go back. Rape and murder, drugs and humility--all of these things are NOT the make up of a country club. (MB) How many hardened career criminal types do you know? I can't imagine that many people would *want* to go back to prison, but that wasn't my point. I said that the system itself treats many prisoners better than what their lives were like on the outside without demanding useful work or other societal benefit from the prisoner in return. In addition, aren't the awful things you mentioned also present on the outside for most of those who, euphemistically speaking, live on the wrong side of the tracks?
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