Tyler Miller52 said:But do they actually *want* to change? That isn't something anyone can control... What you mentioned applies to the most extreme cases. Our prisons are overflowing with criminals who could theoretically be helped, but they won't be because our system isn't built that way—it’s simply cheaper to throw someone behind bars than to invest in rehabilitating them. That’s really all I was getting at.
Society is what creates these kinds of thieves; figures like George W. Bush and his ilk are really just pawns playing by the rules that society established—more money, more influence, more control. Isn't that exactly why we still need to strive to fix what is broken and root out those primal urges for dominance that people seem to cherish so much? ☕
Where on earth are you getting the idea that they lack control?
Do you really think this is just some psychological impulse? People who truly can't control their urges—like kleptomaniacs—are a specific group, but everyone else has self-restraint.
Look at violent offenders—I know people who have absolutely no restraint, people who commit horrific acts against anyone in their path; let's just say they're beyond control.
But, imagine if they actually lacked control. Take someone like Paramount or Bullock—they aren't out there committing crimes in broad daylight in a public square or in front of an audience... they see young women on a beach, or perhaps they see their boss's wife, their doctor, or a police officer—do you honestly believe they don't exercise self-control?
From what I've read in certain testimonies, it seems like it doesn't even matter what kind of woman it is; it's logical because it isn't about sex, it's about hatred, sadism, and a desire to humiliate.
It is dangerous to absolve criminals of responsibility by labeling it a disease. Personally, I struggle with my weight because I have a weakness for chocolate, but I would never claim I lack control; I have it, I just choose temporary satisfaction over long-term health. As long as our brains are functioning, there are no excuses—it's not the chocolate's fault, nor is it biology; it's me. I have a friend who has ten thousand different theories about her weight because she refuses to admit she overindulges. She blames everything—hormones, pesticides, the water, the air, radiation, allergies—but she's the one choosing soda over water. She claims her body is "craving" it. Would I say she lacks control? Not at all. I'd say she's making excuses and refusing to face reality, and even if others don't agree, that shouldn't exempt her from the consequences.
In practice, inmates have access to medical care—but who asks how the victims are coping? If they aren't covered by insurance, they're basically on their own. Even if they are, they might not get full treatment because, for instance, there wasn't a specialized pediatric psychiatric ward in the greater Miami area (if there even is one now). So, Mr. Predator gets access to a chaplain and a psychiatrist in prison... while the child gets nothing.
If it were up to me, I would direct all resources toward helping the victims, while helping the criminals by toughening their sentences. Since we have to pay for it anyway.
Who is going to foot the bill for their treatments? It's incredibly expensive, and many people simply cannot afford it. Most importantly, it doesn't seem to yield results. In legal proceedings, the experts should have the final word—they should be the ones determining if the perpetrator actually lost control. Unfortunately, I know of several cases where a judge concluded, based on certain statutes, that the offender couldn't control their impulses and offered an apology to the victims, resulting in a reduced sentence—even when the expert testimony pointed to a total lack of empathy.
