It’s not hard to join the dots between fewer prisoners and less crime.
Click to view
The Labour, Green and Māori Parties all want fewer prisoners which is a worthy aim, but only if that happens because there are fewer criminals.
Bill English was right about prisons being a moral and fiscal failure, but unless, and until, there is more effective crime prevention, less crime and a better alternative to jailing criminals, prisons are a necessary evil.
Ele Ludemann is a North Otago farmer and journalist, who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.
Bill English was right about prisons being a moral and fiscal failure, but unless, and until, there is more effective crime prevention, less crime and a better alternative to jailing criminals, prisons are a necessary evil.
Ele Ludemann is a North Otago farmer and journalist, who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.
7 comments:
Sorry, can't find the keys.
What a shame !
>"Crime rates have decreased and prisoner numbers have increased ... It’s not hard to join the dots between fewer prisoners and less crime."
These statements contradict one another, don't they? The first says: less crime, more prisoners; the second says fewer prisoners, less crime i.e. direct proportionality versus inverse proportionality.
Maybe Barend it means with an increase in the offenders being taken out of society there is less crime. Labour etc were reducing prisoner numbers but those criminals on home detention or non custodial sentences and still allowed to roam freely were continuing to commit crimes.
Maybe Gaynor it means that you can't claim positive correlation and inverse correlation from the same set of data.........
Stats100 FAIL
Come on Barend. You really enjoy arguing over trivia. Most intelligent readers know what Ele meant
Whether a correlation is positive or negative ain't trivial. It can't be both at the same time. If most intelligent readers know what Ele meant, most intelligent readers need a prep course in inferential stats.
Note I used the word 'maybe' because I believe there are more variables in this than I know about.
There is the rate of recidivism and according to statistics the NZ rate is 56.5 % for people with previous convictions and who reconvict within 2 years of being released . Also about 35,8% are reimprisoned after two years. Also 53 % of the prison population are Maori by some definition of that.
I am concerned about the number of people being imprisoned but society has to be safe. Imprisonment should include prevention . For me cultural awareness is not enough.
The issue for me is primarily preventiion and what real changes should be made to stop criminality. Here is my opportunity to once again repeat my statistic from US Dept. of Education that two thirds of those who fail to achieve proficiency in reading will end up on. welfare or in jail. A large percentage of those in prison have poor literacy. Also a large proportion of those in prison are hyperactive.
These are the sorts of issues that concern me and I don't believe they are being addressed well . Fundamental child health and education concerns are needed.
Post a Comment