Is It a Prison Planet? One Out of Three Now Face Arrest in US

The Daily Bell ^ | 12/19/2011 | Daily Bell

[JohnKinAK]

The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the government. Tacitus

[mgstarr]

“There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible to live without breaking laws.”
— Ayn Rand, “Atlas Shrugged”

[piytar]

"Did you really think we want those laws observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We want them to be broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against... We're after power and we mean it... There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of law-breakers – and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Reardon, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with."

-- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Beat me to it by a hair’s breadth.

[wardaddy]

BTTT

[JosephMama]

I wonder what percentage of these individuals was arrested because of America’s failed drug war.

[Navy Patriot]

There is no law the state will not abuse.

[FreedomPoster]

The extended version of that quote is the first one on my FR profile page. It is first for reason.

[goseminoles]

I think the headline is misleading. 100% of us face arrest.

[sagar]

Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. Simple.

How many guilty are in the prison? Do we want those people out?

[GOPJ]

...one out of every three people in the US will face arrest by the time they are 23.

I don't believe the statistic.

This reminds me of the crap put out a few years ago that one out of 11 children had been kidnapped. Turned out they were counting fathers returning their OWN children after visitation if they were more than 10 minutes late.

My guess? The usual criminals who commit 60 crimes by the time they're 23 are averaged in making the numbers a lie.

[SampleMan]

Combination of stupid laws and lawless people.

Loadup on ammo folks, its the Takers Generation.

[SamuraiScot]

Er, we're not just taking the gross number of arrests and dividing by the number of people, right? It looks as the investigators really did measure the number of individuals who have been arrested.

And here's another thing not mentioned: It's mostly males who are arrested. First, they do more mischief. And secondly, they're more likely to be arrested for any piece of mischief they do, compared to a girl who does the same act. Plus, only males are arrested for "domestic violence."

That would suggest that, if the numbers are right, about 1 in 2 males, or 50 percent, has been arrested by the age of 23.

I have trouble believing that. The sample must be skewed. I'm sure there's a trend, but this sounds hugely exaggerated. Did they only sample inner cities and the Mexican border?

And the article itself seems to assume some view of the world that's foreign to me. "State" justice as an extraordinary state of affairs? What's the alternative? The local landowner and his men keeping order, and trying and executing malefactors? It could work, I suppose, and was the system in ancient times. But I don't think it's all that common in societies that have flush-toilets.

[Mr Rogers]

Where in the hell do they get these statistics? I don’t know anyone who has been arrested for anything, and I’m in my 50s.

[Tench_Coxe]

At some point, being arrested becomes meaningless if everything is a crime of some sort.

[Cardhu]

Look on the bright side - no one is going to attack you for your freedoms again.

[mgstarr]

Great minds think alike - it is first on my profile as well.

[PeterPrinciple]

I have posted this before, it still amazes me to see kids under 18 arrested for possession of cigarettes.

[muawiyah]

If you are ever stopped at a border checkpoint by a young man who wants to see your papers YOU ARE UNDER ARREST.

There are people in this country who cross the border every day into and out of Mexico.

Were they in the study?

[saleman]

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