Do We Need Prisons?
with John McWhorter and Vincent Lloyd
We’re trying a little something new here at the Substack. Starting this week, I’m going to send out an extra post or two that highlight some choice selections from the week’s episode. I’ll keep the written introductions short and sweet, so you can get right to the conversation itself. Today, I present a clip featuring me, John, and Vincent Lloyd talking about prisons. John and I agree that some measure of reform is needed in the prison system—many sentences are too long, and we may have too many people in prison at any given time. Still, we both think prisons are a necessary institution. But Vincent argues that prisons are inherently cruel and must therefore be done away with. A lively debate ensues. Enjoy!
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I listened to the entire interview with Professor Lloyd. Truly baffling. To me he seems an intelligent, compassionate person who only exists on planet Ivory Tower. He seems to have very little regard for the victims of crime. He thinks he's being compassion but only for those who are incarcerated not the victims on whom these crimes are perpetrated which in fact may be majority African-American. His responses to Professor McWhorter's gentle challenges stunned me. I could sense both of you also not quite knowing how to respond to him. These people really exist and they really believe that the greatest evil in our world is domination. How reductive and sad that he views God's creation in such a depressingly narrow way. I don't know what to make of people like Professor Lloyd but I sense they are dangerously naive. Dangerous to all of us.
Vincent says that he thinks big mama in the hood should counsel these kids that are getting into trouble. If you want to see how that's going to go just take a look at the states and cities that have done bail reform where kids commit crimes and they're right back out on the street again almost always committing another crime before they even make it to court.