Another slap on the wrist coming. Start making them do hard time and see how the crime decreases. I personally like Joe's way of having the pink panties and living in tents while doing actual labor instead of sitting in a cushy jail cell with TV, air conditioning and sitting on their butts getting away with even more crimes while behind bars. Crack down on the crack heads and all of the other criminals. Make the punishment fit the crime. If the jails are overcrowded then build a few more and stop making them a "hotel" and make then what they are supposed to be...places of punishment!

do you know michelle that the US has more people in jail that any other developed nation? that the war on drugs has failed in every possible way and has done nothing to decrease drug use regardless of how much time an addict serves? that it costs less to treat people for addiction than it does to deprive them of their rights and mark them with as a criminal for the rest of their life? I'm sure you've never touched an illicit substance in your entire life but maybe you know others that have struggled with addiction and maybe if you do some serious reflection, you'd find this view to be callous, cold, and lacking empathy. these people weren't robbing anyone, they weren't doing anything but looking suspicious, what integral part of your conscience is missing that you can say something like that?

How do you think they pay for that Crap they won't work because all they want to do is stay high or they flunk employers drug test and are fired, they STEAL to support the HABIT!

They STEAL from ANYBODY they can even FAMILY....

Exactly Gail. While the working class pass our drug tests and hold a job so that others may be slackers and not work and have money to buy and use drugs. When will someone actually see that there is something wrong with this picture?

Those are guesses, you have no idea what kind of lives any of these people lead, besides, you're missing the point. I'm not promoting or excusing drug use or even saying that there shouldn't be punishment. I just think that locking all drug users up forever and then branding them with a permanent record that limits their education and employment options while overcrowding a broken prison system maybe isn't the best solution and does nothing to solve the actual problem. I'm all for addressing social issues, all i'm advocating is that we do so in a way that actually produces results- like providing addicts with treatment- which is far cheaper than locking them up or building even more prisons. That's all. I've known addicts, I've worked with addicts, and I've seen people recover and go on to do great things and become productive members of society. Turning an addict into a convict doesn't accomplish that and if you can provide an argument backed with statistics or other evidence that proves I'm wrong then do it.

Actually Kenneth I do know people who have had serious drug problems. As a matter of fact it has been in my own family. They were medically addicted and didn't steal or break the law. These were prescription drugs prescribed to them by a doctor. I also know people who are/were addicted to drugs like meth, which is an illegal drug, and other drugs. They stole from me and others, they shoplifted and sold the things that they stole, etc, etc. etc. Call me cold and callous because you know what, it doesn't bother me at all. This is my opinion against ILLEGAL drug use. There are programs in prison to help people who have drug addictions. Jails that I know of even help drug addicts out. If punishment in this country was more like punishment instead of like free housing, game rooms, tv rooms etc along with crimes still being committed from prison or jail then maybe they would learn a lesson and NOT want to go back to prison. Do you know how many REPEAT offenders actually offend again so they can go BACK to prison where their life is much more cushy. Yes I know about prison rapes, yes I know about prison gangs, I am aware of the things that are bad that happen in prison. Clean up their acts, prisons included by tighter security and tougher laws and make it very uncomfortable for them to be there so they are afraid to go back instead of sitting while being sentenced with smug looks on their faces because they are fully aware that where they will be going has all of the comforts of home and probably even better than the homes they live in within the "outside" world. So don't tell me I have no conscience. The addicts I know either continue down that path or put themselves in treatment. Take a look at your own views and think about them and the validity of how they will actually "help" someone who DOES NOT WANT help. We each have the right to have differing opinions without you putting me down.

You got it right Michelle. Remember the kid that spray painted the car in Singapore? He got cained for it. Think he done it again? NO HE DIDN'T!!! Why? Because the punishment wasn't worth it. Get tough on crime!! Wipe your tears Kenneth. I don't have any trouble staying out of jail. I choose not to do the crime.

Kenneth knows a lot about addiction.

"Treatment" only works on people who want to stop. Some people go to "treatment" after they are caught to make it look good in court and get a light sentence. They get out and go back doing the "crap". The only treatment is will power and want. If it were a tough sentence and actual punishment in jail then the methheads would find the want and will power to stop doing the "CRAP"!!!

I agree with Michelle, And another point to be made is that most of these people are not first time offenders and have chosen to continue down the wrong path, I dont know of one person that has had a problem with the law that hasnt gotten a second chance......Its all in what you do with your chances that count, if you want to continue to do bad then thats more than likely what you will do regardless of the ability to recieve treatment, and if you chose to do the right thing then you will do what ever you have to do to put yourself into a better situation. Some people havent got any motivation for the reasons stated above, the jails offer more luxury than where they would stay if free, I would like to see tougher conditions for criminals.

You all sound crazy..........I'm just sayin!

Execute them. That will stop it for sure.

I'm wondering what jail/prison Michelle and others refer to that is so "cushy". I am aware of Federal Penitentaries that are compared to Country Clubs, but not at all aware of any jail or prison that's like a "hotel". Of course, everything is relative. If I am living under a bridge, then jail would be considered "cushy". For most people though - it's far from it.

You all can have any opinion you would like on this subject (or any other for that matter), but Kenneth's statements are based in fact. The US does have more people in prison than any other developed nation, the war on drugs has failed to curb the sale and use of illlegal drugs, it does cost more to keep a prisoner than to keep a patient.

It frightens me to read these comments sometimes and know that such barbaric thoughts run through people's heads on a regular basis. To think that someone who believes caining is a good idea could actually sit on a jury in this country is very unnerving to me. This is America. We should absolutely be tough on crime, but we cannot become so consumed with punishment that we fail to recognize the importance of prevention.

Yes, I know we have the right to differing opinions but your views aren't harmless, they result in real consequences for real people. What is the difference between someone who is addicted to medicine that was initially prescribed to them by a doctor and someone who is addicted to illegal drugs? Most people addicted to prescription medicine supplement their prescription with illegal drugs eventually. Also, if you have members of your family and people you know who have had a problem, how can you justify your statement? Simply because they weren't caught doesn't mean they didn't break the law. Don't they deserve to go to prison? Like I said, I've worked with people who went on to lead good lives, to serve their community as teachers and soldiers, hell, I've worked with people who already were respected citizens- but addicts just the same. Not all drug users are unemployed, immoral people who deserve prison time with rapist and murderers. The fact that we put them in the same category as hardened criminals shows that there is a lack of education on the subject.

Once a person has a criminal record, it follows them for the rest of their life and drastically limits their opportunities- leaving them to exist on the margins of society where they are more likely to relapse. The reason we have so many repeat offenders is because we have a system in place that does nothing to solve the underlying problem. I'm not attacking you as a person, I don't know you any more than you know the people in this article. I'm encouraging you to consider these individuals as human beings, to show empathy for your fellow man instead of calling for more prisons to fight a war on drugs we lost long ago.

I'm only saying that what we are doing now obviously isn't working is it? So think what you will, but so far not one person has used actual facts or shown any evidence contrary to what I am saying.