Here Here for Paying for Prison
Well, I’ve been pondering on the topic of yesterday’s class of how crime is profitable. I couldn’t believe we, America’s best and brightest, are paying nearly $30 grand a year to get our education and try to make something out of ourselves, when these criminals get to spend a lousy 5 years in pretty much the same conditions without paying anything; actually, benefiting by $18 grand. Why do they get a free ride?
I found an article where a county jail made their prisoners pay $20 dollars a day. Despite the many criticisms, this program actually worked. The article also made the point that they originally didn’t expect this to work because criminals are already so far behind, but they made the payments.
I say screw them. They know what they did. They have that $18 grand from selling the stolen car sitting at home. I have no remorse for anyone who breaks the law and benefits from it. Especially since I’m sitting here trying to keep my grades up so I don’t get the little scholarship money I have taken away.
Why don’t they try this out in more places? Where would the money go? Should we feel bad for the criminals who would have the criminal record and in debt?
Just for reference, let’s see how much a MC student would benefit from stealing some cars. First, we have the choice to stay in school. Pay the $150 grand for 5 years of school, plus whatever interest on student loans there are, and then hope to God the school repays you with a good enough job to just pass by in life. Second choice, steal a few cars and finally get caught on the third car. After benefiting $60 grand per car and putting it in a savings account, you get sent to 5 years of prison. You finally get out and return to life with your $180 grand (plus interest over those 5 years) sitting in the bank. Granted, you would have to get an education while in prison to be on the same page as a graduate, but being $180 grand richer as opposed to $150 in the hole just seems very tempting (ignoring the other factors of course).
12 comments:
I may be completely wrong on this, but I think that being a student and paying $150 for 4 years of school is still more lucrative in the long run than being a criminal and making money that way. If you think about it, if you are a criminal and, for example, steal cars, you are not going to be doing this until you are 60 years old or anything because chances are pretty good that you will get caught. If you are a paying to be a student at Marietta College and work hard honestly, you will most likely get a good paying job that will in the long run give you more money and satisfaction than being a criminal and getting caught by the time you are 23 and then being miserable in jail for the next 10-20. I don't know if my reasoning is accurate, but I guess that's my optimistic view of your topic.
Well, maybe you're right. (Compare to the benefits)
But in my opinion, I don't think it's tempting. Though we had to pay much more money for the college, no one want to get those money back by being behind the bar. Just like Alison said, we may consider this situation in long run. Just think about after a prisoner was released, he/she may spend long time to find a job. Compared to college students, they may spend the time that the prisoner stayed in jail on working or doing something they enjoyed. The happiness they got is much worthy than $180 grand the prisoner got.
Firstly, I want to say a diploma of college does not mean a long-term good job in future. A student who graduated from MC still possible has to work in War-mart. In contrast, a thief does not mean that he will surely be caught! In my view, this question should be answered from two directions: from the financial benefit and from the ethic.
From the financial benefit, stealing car is a good way to earn money. If a thief is skillful at stealing cars and is full of experience of how to avoid being caught, compared with that $7,500 cost every year, stealing cars could be a good job which can bring him millions of dollars per years. Besides, remember, the percentage of being caught is only 2%. So only those stupidest and unluckiest thieves could be caught. Let’s suppose that if your skill of stealing cars is as good as a protagonist in a famous movie, "Gone in sixty minutes", will you reconsider which way to go?
However, most of us do not like to be a car thief. That is because of our culture, because the common ethic is that it is wrong and shameful to be a thief. Furthermore, the meaning of the human’s lives does not only equal to money. Like somebody just wants to lead an easy life and somebody want to be the hero of business. To those people whose has and hold their own dream, no matter how attractive to be a car thief will be, they will never, ever walk on this way.
I can understand what your reasoning may be when you say that a process of stealing cars, depositing money, going to jail, and then being released with a considerably higher bank sum would be beneficial. However, in examining this situation, we must also consider that while you are in prison, you are losing a huge opportunity cost because you cannot steal anymore cars. Thus, you will have no means of gaining any monetary income. Also, if you are caught and sent to prison, you must also consider the high probability of having all or most of your illegal earnings confiscated from you. Unless you can get the money to your secret offshore holding account or something similar, that money will most likely be traced in some manner. Consequently, where does this leave you? With no income, no earnings from stealing the car, misdemeanor or even felony charges on your record, and you get to meet some nice new people in prison. From a non-felons perspective, it seems like the safer and more profitable route would be to resist the temptation to steal that brand new Lexus. Yes, maybe the risk of arrest is low, but it appears that the cost of going to prison far out weighs that of just saying no.
Depending on your calculation, it is worth to take the risk of stealing cars when they need a large bunch money. If they are lucky enough, they will never be caught.
However, in my opinion, not every one has the luck, and I don't think police will let thieves keep the money for stealing ars when they are caught. Moreover, think about the opportunity cost in long term. After they spent years in jail, they are not as young as before; it will be harder for they to find a job. Also, who gonna hire a person who might steal their cars? With a bad credit history, it will be difficult to do lots of things; therefore, the opportunity cost in this case is huge.
By the way, I really like the idea of charging prisoners.
If stealing cars were easy wouldn't evenyone already do it? If it's that simple everyone would steal cars because of the individual thinking concept that individuals will take advantage of any opportunity that will make them better off. Going to college I think is the best way, not just because it's honest and ethical but because a majority of the people go to college (not saying that if you don't that it is a bad thing) and the 180 thousand dollars or whatever you said that you'd have when you get out of jail these days really doesn't go very far and those 5 years you're in jail, depending on your major you could be making 100 thousand dollars a year.
Ok, let me just clairify everyone. I wanted to convey that I think it's crap that we're paying so much for our education (which is a good thing for society) when there are jerks out there doing this and actually benefiting that much from being menices to society. I didn't mean quit school and go steal a bunch of cars; (lol) sorry for the confusion.
There is also the possibility that the theif dropped out of highschool and could not get into college. The opportunity cost then is lost wages at... lets say... Wal Mart at $5.15/hr. Getting caught after stealing one car for this type of theif is not that bad, becuase they have so much more to gain by going to prison. i.e. a Ged, maybe a college diploma from an online university, health care. At this point stealing cars and getting caught might be more profitable, but after getting out of prison it would most likely be less profitable to steal a car and go back to jail rather than getting a job with the knoweldge they gained in jail.
Maybe what i am going to say is not exactly right but people should not feel unfair to compair their effot and profit with criminals because they are not willing to be criminals!!
The poster is right,criminals make more money than us even if they go to jail,but we have to consider about the benefit we'll get after we graduate. Education, however, can be considered as a long term goal for people to get more money. No one want to do something risky, so do the criminals. even though pay $150 grand to complete the college is costy but as economists said: people do things that make more benefit than cost. and the benefit for college students will be emerged sonner or later.
Crime Pays! It is really simple when you are talking about this subject. I feel you are 100% right. If you are a good criminal in the long run ,without getting caught, you will make more money than probably 75% of people with a college degree. To be completely honest crime does pay. The only reason more people don't do it isd because of the consequences. Take Lemark, a french theif, he never got caught in his life and has stolen of 200 million dollars in jewels and artifacts. So in conclusion simply stated crime pays and thats just the bottom line.
Crime does indeed pay. Just as hang li said, a diploma from college doesnt mean we will recieve good jobs. Thus leaving us in debt with minimum wage jobs. Thieves are not always caught and if so they recieve a place to live and three square meals a day. I feel that a life of crime may have more benefits in the long run even though they are incapable of making money while in prison serving their sentences.
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