There are many commonly accepted ideas in society that are probably wrong. There appears to be a direct relationship between how commonly they’re accepted and how much of an angry and emotional reaction you receive for questioning them. A perfect example is the criminal justice system.
While many people perceive some problems with the current system, they have full-throated agreement with the underlying concepts of punishment. They might not always like how the police act or they might disapprove of some DA’s actions, but they see no other alternative than locking people in cages for committing crimes. It’s a slam dunk to them. And because it’s so obvious in their view, they feel justified in being dismissive of anything said against it.
A typical emotional reaction to a critique of the prison system is this: “So what you’re saying is that you’re okay with murderers and rapists walking around free?”
First of all, suggesting a better system would imply that you believe that there is a better way to deal with murderers and rapists, so on its face, this is just an unfair straw man. But there’s a stronger reason for why this reaction is so utterly stupid.
The irony of this reaction is that this is exactly what’s happening in the current system. Murderers and rapists and other criminals are roaming society. Are we to assume that because criminals who do get convicted for their crimes are imprisoned that the police and courts are getting all of them? Less than half of the violent crimes that are reported to the police are solved and fewer than half are even reported in the first place. It’s even worse for property crimes.
As it currently stands, there are many, many criminals roaming the streets. If you resist changes to the system that’s supposed to fix that, wouldn’t that mean you’re supportive of a system that has proven itself to ensure it happens most of the time?
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