Obviously we're not. This is a horrific capitalist country that doesn't care about anyone. But all people deserve fundamental human rights, period, and if you don't believe that, you're headed toward eugenics. And again, people aren't born criminals or prisoners. By the way, prisoners are citizens too. Also, "people who break laws" is nearly everyone. If you've ever sped, smoked weed, jaywalked. If you're a mother stealing diapers and formula from a gas station. If you're addicted to drugs and have no way to seek treatment and can't control your behavior. I guess we're all disposable people to you, then?

The same argument is often used for immigrants, asylum seekers, people of various races, people of various classes... in the place of the word "criminals" here. At the end of the day, we're only going to spend money on wars, weapons, for our politicians to receive the sort of funding/healthcare/salaries that everyone should have, and of course, ensuring that the wealthiest people live in comfort while the poverty gap increases and our planet starts to melt and burn.

I'm just saying, philosophically, you're wrong.

You're right, nothing's going to change. Just remember that at the next mass shooting, the next dead preteen girl, the next homeless dead body on Richmond streets, the next unarmed Black person shot dead by a cop.

But hey, I'm sure throwing more and more people into jail will work. We've been trying the same thing since the beginning of the country. "Tough on crime!" but crime never goes anywhere. Racial imbalances in who gets arrested and charged. Overcrowded for-profit prisons. The only developed country that steal has the death penalty. Is America safe yet?