The Criminal Element

So we're seeing a gradual resurgence (though I don't know how long for) of the intellectual discussions on here, so I figured I might as well keep it up for at least one more post.  Today let's talk about the criminal element.  This is an exciting topic, since it's actually pretty close to what I studied in university.  That being said, I am by no means an expert.  I don't know about other towns, but where I live, drug users and the mentally ill are over-represented in the prison population.  They commit the most crimes and usually have the highest rates of re-offending.  I think the relationship between drug use and mental illness is correlated, but certainly not causal (heavy drug use will typically result in increased levels of mental illness, but drug use doesn't necessarily cause mental illness).  It also means that when searching for their next fix, these people tend to hurt the innocent (and non-drug users) and drag them into their circle of suffering.  But putting that aside to one minute, even those who aren't involved with drugs, the ability to commit a crime and hurt someone else has to be rooted in some sort of mental illness right?  There's elements of sadism, sociopathy, psychopathy, selfishness and what not in there.  Why can't people empathise and not hurt others?  Even seemingly innocuous things like shoplifting and so on are things which hurt other people. 

Let's also talk about the 'justice' system.  I use quotation marks because I firmly believe there is one justice system for us and another for the privileged few.  Those who know people or are considered powerful can quite literally get away with murder.  The rest of us get no sympathy as either perpetrators or victims, and I think that's something that's inherently wrong with the legal system.  Any group would prefer to protect its own, and that's what invariably occurs when anyone even loosely involved in the 3 arms of government (legislature, judicature and executive) under the Westminster system get caught up in criminal matters.  On another point, I don't believe the current prison system works to rehabilitate prisoners.  Rather it's more about punishment, but I think it also has the undesirable and unintended impact of institutionalising even more criminal behaviour.  If someone gets put in jail for negligent driving or shoplifting, why should they be sharing company with hardcore murderers and rapists and so on?  Not only will you be creating more victims, but you put them in a situation where they are surrounded by other criminal elements, of course that stuff is going to rub off.  So what is the alternative?  Put them in a situation where they are surrounded by only good people setting wonderful examples?  Hmmm, that's an interesting thought actually.  But the current system is based on one of fear, and ensuring that those who have committed crimes are forgotten by the community for as long as their sentence, and it doesn't really get to the root causes of criminal behaviour, or addressing them.

My last day of work for the week, and I for one am excited.  Yes, I know I have a job interview tomorrow, one that I am woefully unprepared for, but I'm looking forward to it.  I've never winged it before, and I'd be interested to see how I can handle myself under such pressure.  I've also got a lot of crap to get done tomorrow, so there is the slight chance there will be no post tomorrow, and perhaps no posts over the weekend.  But hey, you get what you pay for (hahaa)! 

Things are never so straightforward.  Perhaps I'm leaving it too late, but I could always be blindsided.  And then what?  There's nothing left on the other side.  I've got so much to read and prepare for tomorrow.  And I just can't be bothered really. 

I'm done with today.

Joaquin out.