> First, a rant: I always get shocked about how the US justice system works, where punishing (and revenge) is obviously more important than protecting humans.
A simplistic view of how the currently policy such came about will probably do little to help change it, as arguments against it from that point will not sway people who don't believe that's the cause.
Possible other reasons someone might favor longer prison sentences (by no means exhaustive):
* Crime deterrence through harsher penalties.
* The perception that these are inherently bad people, and should be kept away from society for as long as possible.
* Corporate/union entities that benefit from a larger prison system.
Unless you target the actual reason someone holds a view, it's hard to argue against it effectively (but not impossible, you can just provide so many negatives that whatever positives they think they get are overwhelmed).
A simplistic view of how the currently policy such came about will probably do little to help change it, as arguments against it from that point will not sway people who don't believe that's the cause.
Possible other reasons someone might favor longer prison sentences (by no means exhaustive): * Crime deterrence through harsher penalties. * The perception that these are inherently bad people, and should be kept away from society for as long as possible. * Corporate/union entities that benefit from a larger prison system.
Unless you target the actual reason someone holds a view, it's hard to argue against it effectively (but not impossible, you can just provide so many negatives that whatever positives they think they get are overwhelmed).