[speaker001:] well do you have any good ideas about this problem
[speaker002:] well I I I live in Fort Lauderdale now which is of course very close to Miami
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] in fact my fiance works in Miami uh downtown quite a bit so crime's a definite concern also before this I was in Boston where the crime rate's also fairly high
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] uh so it it's definitely a concern something that needs to be worked on I know that it affects my everyday life in that uh you know my fiance is very paranoid about making sure everything's locked
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] uh you know it it also concerns me because I have a convertible and uh you know there's certain areas around here where I'd be afraid to drive with my top down
[speaker001:] yeah well I have the same thing and I understand because I live very close to Dallas so we have quite a crime rate too but I'm not real sure what to do recently it's been kind of a topic at work and um I just kind of feel that there's a lot of people in jail for crimes that are not really against a person and I think maybe we need to find another way to punish those people and put the real criminals in jail where they really can't do any harm and not let them out on parole in six months or three years or whatever and put them to work doing something useful where they don't just eat up our tax dollars
[speaker002:] sure
[speaker001:] and that's kind of what we've come up with but I don't know what are your feelings about that
[speaker002:] well I mean yeah except the the problem with that of course is defining what what's a real crime then you know what what's a crime that counts
[speaker001:] right well a dangerous thing you know where you will get hurt if they're out on the streets I mean it I think this deal of Leona Helmsley has just kind of brought this all home and that's what kind of sparked the discussion was that this is a seventy seventy two year old lady gonna go use up tax dollars in jail and I just I just have a real problem with that I think there's another way to deal with that other than put this lady in jail to set an example
[speaker002:] but putting it that way that is kind of ironic that she'd be using up tax dollars but
[speaker001:] that's right
[speaker002:] uh
[speaker001:] you know that really is true
[speaker002:] sure uh however you know some of the crimes that people ought to be locked up for are uh are uh you know not even things that would be major crimes but they'd still be dangerous for example uh drunken driving
[speaker001:] well that's true well that is a potential danger though you're right about that but
[speaker002:] you know but
[speaker001:] um traffic tickets things like that I mean I've known of people just to be picked up because they didn't pay their traffic tickets and
[speaker002:] you know but
[speaker001:] I I say yeah fine them extra do whatever but to go ahead and put them in jail it costs us money when they do that so I don't know I just have a problem with overcrowded jails on crimes that nobody's really gonna get hurt uh financially maybe and and things like that and yes it has to be dealt with but I'm not sure that's the way
[speaker002:] well that that that is true that the uh amount of uh you know it it is true that uh you know jail as a concept at least is not working in some cases
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] you know uh
[speaker001:] yeah and also I think that they can get off on too many technicalities I think that it turns out sometimes that the victims are the ones that have to defend themselves rather than the criminals and I think that's another thing that needs to be addressed too
[speaker002:] I I think a
[speaker001:] I think you have much many rights as a victim
[speaker002:] sure I I I think it's very sad however uh you know I I I can see some of that in that and I still don't necessarily agree with that but I mean that the thing is that uh you know we're talking about affecting someone's you know livelihood sometimes their life even on some of the more heinous crimes
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] and uh uh it's a you know you according to the system we've got they're presumed innocent or get another trial
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] you know so yeah they they do have to do some of that stuff although I do agree with you that it's that's another thing that's not quite right
[speaker001:] yeah I think so and I don't know I I've been through a two year divorce recently and I find that the system sucks to put it bluntly and so you know I just I don't have a lot of respect anymore for what I thought you know would be fair you just figure oh well the judge will be fair well forget it you know it's not it doesn't happen they're in a hurry their docket is full they want you in they want you out
[speaker002:] sure
[speaker001:] and that's the way it is and so
[speaker002:] my my fiance's a lawyer so I definitely understand that
[speaker001:] um-hum um-hum
[speaker002:] uh course in Florida the judges are elected so um not only are they not fair they try to be popular at times
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] you know which is not necessarily right
[speaker001:] yeah so I don't know but I don't know how you and I can solve this that's the problem you know we all have ideas but nothing seems to change and I'm not sure how it can
[speaker002:] well uh I I think you had a part of what we need to do earlier is uh