@ISIDEWITHQuestionsCriminal IssuesStarted 8yrs agoActive 18hrs ago

Should non-violent prisoners be released from jail in order to reduce overcrowding?

Prison overcrowding is a social phenomenon occurring when the demand for space in prisons in a jurisdiction exceeds the capacity for prisoners. The First Step Act of 2018 passed overwhelmingly in both houses of Congress and was signed by President Trump. Within the first year of enactment, more than 3,000 federal prisoners were released based on changes to the good-time credits calculation formula under the First Step Act, and more than 2,000 inmates benefited from sentence reductions.

Answer Overview

Response rates from 934k America voters.

61%
Yes
39%
No
38%
Yes
30%
No
14%
Yes, but they must perform community service on a daily basis
7%
No, but we should increase funding to offer education and skill building services for prisoners
10%
Yes, but place them under house arrest using an electronic bracelet
1%
No, we should build more prisons
0%
No, transfer them to under crowded prisons instead

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 934k America voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 934k America voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @8MKKM75 from Louisiana  answered…5yrs5Y

depending of what said prisoner was convicted for, like drug possession, or self defense they should be able to be let out on terms of good behavior.

 @9GX62WV from North Carolina  answered…2yrs2Y

Yes, but they should be required to attend some form of rehabilitation such as frequent community service, anger management classes, skills training, or a treatment center for addiction and mental health.

 @99JGS33 from Kentucky  answered…2yrs2Y

Yes, but they must perform community service on a daily basis and should be monitored using an electronic bracelet. Another way to reduce overcrowding prisons is to execute all death row inmates and execute all murderers, terrorists, and all violent criminals. Once they are sentenced to death they should be executed ASAP.

 @93PWQPQ from Massachusetts  answered…3yrs3Y

No, transfer them to under crowded prisons instead.

 @8XLR4JX  from North Carolina  answered…2yrs2Y

Yes, but they should be required to undergo some form of rehabilitation and should remain on a parole-like check-in system for a certain time period.

 @9D8JZSB from Florida  answered…2yrs2Y

Yes, except pedophiles

 @9LXTYYR from Pennsylvania  answered…1yr1Y

Yes, but if they commit another felony they should not be released from jail until there time is served even if they are non violent

 @9G3DHMG from Wisconsin  answered…2yrs2Y

No, we should abolish prisons and instead sentence all convicted criminals to the death penalty instead.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…8mos8MO

Horror in Northern Gaza: U.S. Questions Israel After Civilians Slaughtered in Residential Attack

An Israeli strike on a residential building in northern Gaza killed dozens of people early Tuesday, the territory’s emergency service said, in the latest attack to cause mass casualties in the area since Israel renewed its offensive against Hamas in the north.The Palestinian Civil Defense, the emergency service, said at least 55 people were killed in the strike in the town of Beit Lahia. Gaza’s health ministry said at least 93 people were dead, including 25 children. The Israeli military said in a statement that it was “aware of reports that civilians were harmed” in the town and was looking into the details.Matt Miller, a U.S. State Department spokesman, called the strike “a horrifying incident with a horrifying result” and said the Biden administration had contacted the Israeli government to ask what happened.Israeli forces renewed their offensive in northern Gaza this month, saying they were trying to stem a regrouping of Hamas, the militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparking the war in Gaza.The strike comes days after another Israeli attack on a residential block in Beit Lahia that left dozens of people killed or wounded, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense. The Israeli military confirmed the strike on Sunday, saying that the air force had “conducted a precise strike” targeting Hamas fighters.An overnight Israeli airstrike hit another residential building in the town on Oct. 20, killing dozens of people, Palestinian officials and emergency workers said.Roughly 400,000 people remain in northern Gaza, according to the United Nations, and many have been trapped in their ruined neighborhoods.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…8mos8MO

Death, Denial, and Silence: Inside China’s Push to Bury Zhuhai’s Devastating SUV Attack

Outside the sports center in the southern city of Zhuhai where a 62-year-old man had plowed an S.U.V. into a crowd, killing at least 35 people, workers on Wednesday quickly removed bouquets of flowers left by grieving residents. Uniformed police officers and officials in plainclothes shooed away bystanders and warned them not to take photos. At hospitals where patients were taken after the attack — at least 43 more people were injured — local officials sat outside the intensive care units, blocking journalists from speaking with family members.On the Chinese internet, censors were mobilized to delete videos, news articles and commentaries about the attack. Almost 24 hours had passed before officials divulged details about the assault, which happened on Monday, including the death toll. Their statement offered limited details, and they have held no news conferences.The response was a precise enactment of the Chinese government’s usual playbook after mass tragedies: Prevent any nonofficial voices, including eyewitnesses and survivors, from speaking about the event. Spread assurances of stability. Minimize public displays of grief.The goal is to stifle potential questions and criticism of the authorities, and force the public to move on as quickly as possible. And to a large degree, it appeared to be working.Though many residents of Zhuhai, the city of 2.4 million where the attack happened, were clearly shaken, they said on Wednesday they had not questioned the delay in information, attributing it to the government’s need to first sort out what had happened. A steady stream of people arrived by foot or taxi to lay flowers at the sports center’s entrance, but when officials took away the flowers and told the people not to linger, they quickly complied.Local governments have also vowed in recent months to spend more time screening for people who have experienced “failures,” after a spate of violent attacks, including several cases in which schoolchildren were stabbed.But officials were also clearly on the lookout for any deeper scrutiny of the Zhuhai killings. Videos and photos of the scene of the attack showed only as grayed-out squares on Weibo, a social media platform. Blog posts urging people not to treat violent attacks as isolated incidents, but rather to look deeper for potential social causes, disappeared.

▲  177 replies