this is all part and parcel for an editorial board which will eventually direct the conversation towards reparations as is being floated not only by certain members of Congress but more than one candidate with Presidential aspirations.

so in other words, the NYT is simply back to being a trial balloon for the talking points of various Democratic Presidential candidates and wrapping it up in supposedly journalistic endeavors.

Expect HN to be flooded with this for the next year or so, not this particular subject, but if you observe closely the stories will mimic talking points.

this is not to say the problems with prisons aren't something that needs to be addressed but slavery is not something this generation or the previous can make amends for other than spiritually. Yet the subject of money always comes up though no one directly impacted exist and worse it would insult quite a few to be told they are in need of someone's apology in the form of money

We had eight ideal years to discuss this thorny subject but it was not important then because it was not a talking point of any campaign

> Punishment doesn't make sense when everything is cause & effect.

Sure it does. Credible threat of punishment can change behavior. This is demonstrated all the time in the small. There's a lot of reason to be skeptical that that translates well to prison, but that's independent of whether "everything is cause & effect".

Free will may not exist, but punishment changes the risk/reward tradeoff that gets evaluated by the mind.

On the contrary, punishment only makes sense when everything is cause and effect.

Defining “free will” actions to mean “actions that have no causes” isn’t very useful.