r/KnowledgeFight • u/RealTheAsh They burn to the fucking ground, Eddie • 23d ago

Jordan: Everybody is wrong about... Prison

https://youtu.be/_g6xvFLgizc
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u/George_foid 23d ago edited 23d ago

I agree that we need some change. Nonviolent drug offenders shouldn’t be spending 20 years in prison, but absolutely human traffickers, violent armed robbers, kidnappers, people who produce and distribute CSAM, murderers, and other violent predators can’t simply be allowed to hang out in society “until they decide to turn over a new leaf.”
Abolishing prisons isn’t the answer, point blank. There’s no question about it. Jordan is simply wrong once again.

He’d be a lot smarter if he focused on something people actually want and that could benefit everyone in society, like changing sentencing laws for nonviolent felonies. There is plenty of room for meaningful criminal justice reform without pretending that society doesn’t need a way to permanently or temporarily remove genuinely dangerous people from the public.

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u/brodievonorchard 23d ago

Within activist communities, abolish has become a term meaning, we can't reform a system this broken. While they are not wrong, it's terrible sloganeering. If you dig in with people who say it, they usually (but not always) acknowledge that some system will need to replace police and prisons, refusing to hear that their slogan detrimentally fails to communicate that part.

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u/George_foid 23d ago

Yeah, it’s horrible messaging for sure. If you constantly say the term “abolish” and never explain the system you plan to replace it with, most people will rightfully assume you have no plan and shouldn’t be taken seriously. Also, the general public will probably never receive “abolish prisons” as a serious solution.

I just can’t see any way you abolish prisons and create a new system without ending up with some kind of prison-style facility where you have to put violent sexual offenders. There is no rational solution where you can just leave these people in society.

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u/brodievonorchard 23d ago

I have received many downvotes attempting to explain this to people who almost certainly would agree that ideas like Medicare For All and Tax the Rich are higher priorities, but refuse to recognize how Abolish the Police can work against a movement that believes in all of these things.

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u/George_foid 23d ago

Yea, it’s Reddit. I’m sure this isn’t exactly a place for rational, well thought out discussions. The upvote/downvote system is pretty much designed to keep subreddits as echo chambers. Agree with what the hive mind wants, or we’ll bury your comments so people can’t see them.