>So when I passed through the prison gates, I took on the persona of a deadly gangster. I did things that landed me in “the hole” — slang for administrative segregation — over and over.
while I am by no means a supporter of cruel punishment, the tone in a lot of prison inmate's writings mirrors that one in that they do not seem to take ownership of their own crimes. When you go to prison for literal murder, I don't think 'deadly gangster' is a 'persona' any longer. That's just a description of what you are.
At 18, a lot of kids are a very mixed up bag of emotions and needs. Doing one heinous act is different than dawning a whole persona and comitting to it. It's possible to do something you'll regret with uncertainty and insecurity the whole time.
At 18 not a lot of young adults (which are not kids), commit first degree murder. I really hope you're not intending to characterize intentionally killing another human being as "kids being kids ". That one heinous act snuffed out another life irretrievably, that victim doesn't even get to live in a cell or regret anything.
> really hope you're not intending to characterize intentionally killing another human being as "kids being kids ".
Nope. Those are your words not mine. Please don't try yo put them into my mouth. I think there's a lot of evidence from psychiatry and neuroscience that indicate that in fact "young adults" still have a lot in common with kids cognitively. I also think that a lot if not most "young adults" in fact don't fully comprehend other humans on the basis of undetstanding them empathetically. So I think it's very possible for them to kill without really understanding what they have done. If you read the literature of murderers one of the recurring themes is that it took them aging and exploring spiritually to understand that.
As to victims, there's not much which can be done for them is there? Their life is gone. That leaves a vacancy in the livws of those they loved and who loved them. The victim has been robbed of everything which I sincerely believe as someone who doesn't believe in an afterlife.
But is avenging that victim the purpose we should set thw state to doing? I personally don't think so. There is an asymetry there that I inderstand people abhore. The state cannot really do anything on behalf of the victim but it must deal with the perpetrator. Because when people ask, "what about the victim" this is what they are asking the state to do, to resolve to some degree the assymetrical outcome. And that is punishment.
Personally I don't believe the state should punish. I think power and punishment are a toxic mix. Jails IMO must exist to seperate but I don't think they should exist to punish. The idea that we can balance the assymetry of crime is an illusion IMO.
while I am by no means a supporter of cruel punishment, the tone in a lot of prison inmate's writings mirrors that one in that they do not seem to take ownership of their own crimes. When you go to prison for literal murder, I don't think 'deadly gangster' is a 'persona' any longer. That's just a description of what you are.