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WarOnPrivacy • today at 9:11 PM • 1 reply • view on HN

    I was unable to rent apartments in San Francisco. 
    I was unable to get a job directly after being released from prison. 
    It's funny because when you owe the state $17,000 in restitution and
    you can't get a job, people become extremely desperate. 
    And that desperation can easily put you right back into prison.
It is my experience that anti-human outcomes follow a perversion of focus - when intent shifts from actually safeguarding society (thru meaningful redemption), toward destructive (zero tolerance) or exploitive ends (credit, crim reports).

I suggest that serially denying paid-for redemption (fines, incarceration) forever (never ending punishment delivered via criminal records) is deeply evil.

Replies

bko • today at 10:44 PM

There's two ways arresting people safeguards society. You mentioned meaningful redemption. The other is removing the criminal from the general public which prevents them from harming others. Time takes care of a lot as it's overwhelmingly < 50 year olds that commit violent crime.