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[Reelya]

There's quite a bit of evidence that many repeat offenders actually have pre-existing brain trauma. citation:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2018/02/26/60-per-cent-prisoners-have-head-injuries-experts-warn-brain/

60% of inmates have brain damage. Let that sink in. "rehabilitation" is based on the same worldview that says we should punish them: it views the problem as people being fundamentally healthy but morally wayward: the harsh view is that punishment is deserved, and that punishment will deter crime, and the compassionate view is that they're "misguided youth" who just need some social / moral guidance from well-meaning organizations and individuals.

The alternate viewpoint, which has a fair amount of evidence, but isn't the view pushed by either the liberal or conservative mainstream is that "most people in prison are actually mentally ill or have visible brain trauma". No amount of social conditioning or threats of punishment are going to change behavior, which is because of brain damage or under-treated mental illness.

Another one I read about once, was some researchers back in the 60s or 70s who cross-referenced childhood brain damage and childhood abuse (all types of abuse) among young kids (~12 y/o) who'd been in trouble with the police, then looked at later violent offending. Having either brain damage or child abuse upped the chances of violent offending by e.g. 10% extra. i.e. not that much. However, brain damage plus child abuse upped the chances of violent offending by a whopping 16 times (as in 1500% more).

So, in other words there are several things that can go wrong, any one of them is fairly easy to recover from, but when they get stacked together, they become exponentially harder for people to recover from, leading them to problem behavior. e.g. I've mentioned lead poisoning before, which causes brain damage and violent behavior. Think about the two factors above of visible brain trauma and child abuse, which stack to a "times 16" level of violent behavior compared to having only one risk factor, then multiply on on top of that exposure to heavy inner-city lead levels up until the 1970s, and you can understand why violent crime rates were so high. Some people had the lead exposure, some people had brain damage, some people had abusive childhoods, and some people have 2-3 of those things at once.

[Kagus]

I was actually just reading an article relating to that, but from 2012.

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/25/opinion/sunday/california-horror-stories-and-the-3-strikes-law.html

And, technically speaking, "rehabilitation" can include psychiatric diagnosis and treatment, although it's not generally used that way with regards to the prison system. But yeah, mental health needs to play a larger role in the justice system.

[Reelya]

Just to give a sense of the scale of the link: according to the UK article: 60% of inmates in UK prisons have pre-existing brain injuries, yet only 1 per 200 of the general public are ever admitted to hospital for head injuries.

[Starver]

Just to give a sense of the scale of the link: according to the UK article: 60% of inmates in UK prisons have pre-existing brain injuries, yet only 1 per 200 of the general public are ever admitted to hospital for head injuries.

(Haven't read those articles, that I know of, only prior versions that I saw, and in those others there didn't seem to a check to see if anywhere near the same amount of general-population had similar 'problems, regardless of the admission levels. May be addressed in these links, but just want to make sure nobody forgets that if 6 in 10 people walking around being lawful have similarly undiagnosed injuries, then it means nothing.)

[martinuzz]

EU president Tusk commented at a press conference in Sophia, on Trump's trade war and withdrawal from the Iran deal.
Never before in history has a EU leader spoken such harsh words about a US president.
Tusk called Trump's decision making 'unpredictable'. "Looking at the latest decisions of president Trump, one could think that with friends like these, one does not need enemies."
He continued "but to be honest, the EU must be thankful to Trump. Thanks to him we have no more illusions. He makes us realize that we are on our own.
Today we witness a new phenomenon: the completely random assertivity of the US government".

[Hanslanda]

Thanks Trump, you colossal colostomy bag.

[Kagus]

Thanks Trump, you colossal colostomy bag.

Tremendous. The best! Everyone agrees.

[MrRoboto75]

hmmm

What would be the consequence of just leaving the vice/presidential seat vacant for like two or so years?

[Enemy post]

Congress rules the Earth.

[MrRoboto75]

Congress rules the Earth.

dammit not again

[smjjames]

EU president Tusk commented at a press conference in Sophia, on Trump's trade war and withdrawal from the Iran deal.
Never before in history has a EU leader spoken such harsh words about a US president.
Tusk called Trump's decision making 'unpredictable'. "Looking at the latest decisions of president Trump, one could think that with friends like these, one does not need enemies."
He continued "but to be honest, the EU must be thankful to Trump. Thanks to him we have no more illusions. He makes us realize that we are on our own.
Today we witness a new phenomenon: the completely random assertivity of the US government".

Thanks Trump, you colossal colostomy bag.

That could arguably be a good thing since Europe has basically followed whatever the US does for so long that when that crutch got removed, they’ve been kind of flailing about trying to find their way and voice.

Though obviously there is a difference from removing said metaphorical crutch and still being a reliable ally than the almost abandonment Trump is doing. Obama actually tried to get Europe to be more assertive in his own way, Trump is more tough love without the love.

[Descan]

Found this very insightful

I haven't finished reading it but "endless birthday party for people whose chief accomplishment in life was just showing up."

I mean. That's exactly what a birthday party is. "Hooray, you appeared exactly (x) years ago! Congrats!"

[MrRoboto75]

Found this very insightful

I haven't finished reading it but "endless birthday party for people whose chief accomplishment in life was just showing up."

I mean. That's exactly what a birthday party is. "Hooray, you appeared exactly (x) years ago! Congrats!"

You could look at it the opposite way.  You survived (x) years.

[Dunamisdeos]

Found this very insightful

I haven't finished reading it but "endless birthday party for people whose chief accomplishment in life was just showing up."

I mean. That's exactly what a birthday party is. "Hooray, you appeared exactly (x) years ago! Congrats!"

An extremely interesting read, thank you for sharing. Also not finished reading.

[Baffler]

Found this very insightful

I haven't finished reading it but "endless birthday party for people whose chief accomplishment in life was just showing up."

I mean. That's exactly what a birthday party is. "Hooray, you appeared exactly (x) years ago! Congrats!"

An extremely interesting read, thank you for sharing. Also not finished reading.

Just finished. What I think is funny about this is that the article is chock full of the self-superior attitudes that it spends so much time condemning. In one breath he brags that he knows about how the slum's got so much soul, then in the next is sneering at the rural and suburban retards (who are fucking white males by the way) for voting to support their interests instead of his. That paternalistic attitude, that the class he spent the whole article defining and self-identifies as a member of went to all the best universities and therefore knows what's best for the whole country, is incompatible with his exhortation at the end for his peers to look to the interests of others. He even goes so far as to imply that there's a lamppost somewhere with their name on it if they don't, and yet it's clear from the rest of the article that he doesn't even understand the implications of his own revelation.