.

The death penalty should be rare. Like anything that's truly final. But it exists to protect members of a society from malefactors, who pose a danger to lives of others. Who, should they be allowed to continue living freely, would only upset order and destroy the sense of security to which people have a right. Prison, in my humble opinion, should be for rehabilitation of non-violent offenders. I'm not saying all violent offenders are irredeemable, but there doesn't seem to be a distinction in this society at all between people who smoke pot and people who shoot at children because they think they have a right to. Legally or in our media or collective understanding.

For instance, Sherif Arpaio's approach is completely dehumanising anyone who walks through the door of the filthy hellholes he calls a jail. The man has gone out of his way to focus on visible crime and non-violent offenses to project the image of strength and security at the expense of Arizona's people. age=1" What about Ambrett Spencer, for instance? After medical treatment was delayed for hours after she she started bleeding, this woman, who had pled guilty to a DUI, delivered her stillborn daughter. And yet she's the criminal. She's the danger?

Ambrett Spencer was one of 1,578 pregnant women who passed through Arpaio's jails in 2006, county records show. Only 42 of those women gave birth while in custody.

People with a couple DUIs deserve to spend a little time in jail, but they aren't exactly the dregs of society, either. These people are the real problem. They are the real threat. While people like Arpaio are compensating for their insecurity by pulling over every brown person in Phoenix and asking for ID, these people are shooting at kids and getting charged with assault.

Our priorities?!

It's so hard to like this country...

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