On Mon, 2006-06-19 at 23:02 -0700, jdow wrote:
> From: "Ric Moore" <wayward4now@xxxxxxxxx>
> > Objectification. A good word for people with a very close affinity for
> > machines to explore thoroughly. You must create yourself as an object
> > (winner) before you can objectify others (losers) and proceed to hurt
> > them, in some fashion, due to an object's inherent lack of rights. Do
> > winners beget losers or do losers beget winners? I am using my talents
> > and the talents of others, to develop a system to reduce recidivism. I
> > could soak the states and the feds for plenty. If it works successfully,
> > the public would demand it and so would you. Probably could wind up
> > making a killing! Instead I have GPL'd it, and shall give it away so it
> > be available to those who can least afford it and really need it; the
> > 2.3 million locked up in the US. I hope half the world jumps in to help
> > develop it...
>
> All I can say is you have a wish for "Good luck" because all the
> years of my life lead me to suspect achieving such a reduction in
> recidivism is going to be a REALLY tough row to hoe barring what
> would amount to perpetual incarceration. {o.o}
Well, there you have it. The popular fear-based view that is being
covertly delivered like a product placement of Pepsi in a sitcom. The TV
shows do -not- depict the norm. There exist programs that are proven
statistically to work. Read on...
That view that would have the Prison Industry Complex in stock dividends
for many years to come, from an ever increasing clientele base. In the
hotel industry, they refer to the bottom line as "Heads in beds". I call
it like it is; "Trafficking in Human Misery."
The prison rapes and gang killings are mostly confined to the
institutions designed to handle the pathological, who will do either
without remorse, and it's highly likely they will never get out. They
are just now getting around to assigning a criminal penalty to a prison
rape. The other 95% is doing their time for far less crimes, and
behaviors against either humanity or statute. You might think that
selling a little pot is no huge offense, but as the crime is in
violation of statute, the offender against the statute goes to jail /
prison for real. The guy that pulled 20 years in California for stealing
some bread and luncheon meat, was guilty by way of the 3 strikes
statute. Just maybe the guy was hungry... even worse maybe he couldn't
cut it within polite society, and life in prison meant three hots and a
cot to him. That's some really sad stuff.
There are many instances of "victim-less" crimes that wind up doing a
lot of time, as it is seen by the populous as being tough on crime, not
ever imagining that their fear has been preyed upon which ought to be a
crime category to itself. Make FUD a felony! <g>
There are several programs which claim a 3% recidivism rate over a
period of 10 years, as opposed to the Feds and States numbers of 70% +
over a period of 3 years. Eventually most will be released. Without
rehab, the old decision making "programs" are not updated, more victims
happen. Same as with computers, they start pretty much blank, except for
a bootup bios, and have to have the hard drive imprinted with
instructions to operate with. No different from a human, mostly. Major
crashes? Upgrade. Reset parameters. Identify and create a Bad Sector
list. The human brain is the most massive computer on earth. Athlon64?
Network computing? Can't begin to compare with the ability and capacity
of the human brain. Sure it can be reprogrammed. In Geek Speek: "The sum
of negatives is a negative. Add a larger array of positives to a smaller
array of negatives the result will be positive." You just have to be
sneaky about it. I'm sneaky as hell. <cackles>
The "criminal mind" is not stupid, not by a long shot. It is just
un-formally-educated and becomes discounted for lack of it. That's the
first abuse against the individual intellectually, as well as
emotionally. For many, intellectual objectification (You sorry stupid
bastard! You little shit!) started very very early. Many that I taught
in reading classes could not physically read, for lack of a pair of $3
reading glasses I discovered and they never knew! DOC didn't know
either, as that part of the eye exam is usually not done. Nor are
reading glasses usually offered! As a result, at an early age, they
never had a chance to read and selling crack, or whatever, became the
way to make a buck in a world that is not friendly to those with little
to no education. They have their reasons, perspectives and logic, which
can be appealed to, same as -anyone- else.
So, the programs exist that are proven to work, it just takes a change
in perspectives, namely the notion that you must be able to read in
order to receive information. I've met one guy who could tell you
exactly how to crack the uncrackable safes, without ever being able to
read the instructions on how to do so. Intelligent? Very. Educated?
Without a doubt. Able to read? Nope. But, he can listen well and recount
a conversation you had with him months ago, verbatim. He learned from
others by listening well and seeing it in his head by replaying what he
remembered. Heckuva talented mind.
My notion is to make the information available through a game medium and
streaming videos. It's an alternative educational medium for those who
just can't read, for whatever reasons, so that they have good
information to use in order to make better decisions instead of
information from the street, where they currently receive their
education. Guess who pays for the lack of this? The Victims, not the
Taxpayers. Once I have a proof of concept rolling, I'll really need the
help. I have one young college student from Denmark working on the game.
We're trying to stay with the parameters of the $100 laptop. We have a
group of people already working on the videos. I believe it all can and
will be done.
My original point is that if something is broken and someone can fix
it... it may help others, in unforeseen ways, to try to improve things a
bit which may come full circle back to you to improve your own life. I
have no problem with the GPL on that basis. For me, it keeps it free and
Bill Gates can't get his hands on it. <evil grin> Ric
