Quote:
Originally Posted by LancYorkYankee
I'd MAYBE even go so far as to charge relatives for imprisonment costs.
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Why should the relatives pay? Suddenly, we're choosing to punish the innoncent?
I know what my response would be - if society wants to lock them up, then society must pay for it. I'll pay my share, as part of my taxes, but that's an end to it. To ensure an equitable justice system, society needs to balance the cost of incarceration versus the cost of not imprisoning so many folks. Frankly, if it did not cost the public to run prisons, it could lead to any number of interesting abuses. For instance, under your proposal, wouldn't relatives be financially far better off helping a criminal hide out or escape?
Frankly, running a justice system, including prisons, is part of the cost of running a civilized society. If we don't pay the costs of maintaining civilization, we have no right to expect it to continue for long. From my point of view, the benefits far outweigh the costs I pay.