About Prison Conditions (long)

[shepgirl]

Oh I LOVE this idea. if they can't FIND paying jobs then they will be giving community service jobs since the community are the ones that are technically paying their way.

Our city loves the idea also. But guess who the loudest protesters are....you got it...the people on welfare. Those of course that have no reason to be on in the first place but know how to play the systwm so well they live better than most working people. Hard to give up a free handout to earn your own living after being supported by other hard working people.
The community is fighting hard to make this work but these people come up with the most awesome threats, like lawsuits because they are being threatened by being asked to do a few menial jobs. Some declare health issues but have no proof, they will sue because they can't sleep at night worrying about this....lol. It just never ends...

[Catty1]

So...people on welfare are the same as those in jail?

I dated someone who went to prison for a short time. He had tasks, and earned $7 an hour to do them. These went towards paying off his fine, which shortened his jail stay. Good incentive to work. Minimum security.

Crime? Forgetting to renew his car insurance the year before, and he was nabbed when coming back from overseas through Canada customs.

Joe's jail would have been totally pointless.

[Lady's Human]

Lack of car insurace isn't a jailable offense in the US, AFAIK, unless there are other issues involved.

Sheriff Joe's jail is a non-issue in that case.

[Catty1]

LH - I just got the impression that if someone goes to jail, most here think it should be Sheriff Joe's kind of jail. I am purporting that it is not appropriate much of the time.

Bearing in mind that there are always exceptions to every rule, I think that humane conditions and helping people to achieve a second chance ought to be the rule in prison.

[Lady's Human]

It should be. There are many crimes that shouldn't be jailable offenses, though.

[Catlady711]

I had a cousin that got nabbed (I can't remember for what but it was serious) in FLA quite some time back. He got put on a chain gang cleaning up along the highways and other such manual labor. After he got out he made a point to never do anything like that again, and never did.

I think what most people think of as above and beyond 'humane' conditions for prisoners are what they are protesting. Prisons like this (found in Austria according to snopes) are just plain ridiculous. It's supposed to be a prison not a freaking resort!

http://www.snopes.com/photos/architecture/prison.asp

[RICHARD]

Let's put this b&w issue into a more relative term.

Economy.

People are really hurting at the moment because they choose to live over their means at the moment.

I don't feel sorry for them. As a matter of fact THEY are the reason we are in this hole.........Poor judgement?

NOPE, the same stupidity that puts people into jail.

What jails or prisons give the inmates more than what we on the outside have?

TV? A gym? Food? Medical care?

They don't have cable and the movie channels. Most of us go to a doc that is covered by the insurance our employers have. We buy a year's worth of 24 Hour Fitness! They are served slop that the city/county buys for them.

We can leave our homes, jump into the car and get a few things off of the dollar menu of the local fast food joint, when we decide to forgo the manicure, hair cut or latte.

It's just the level of stupidity that steers our ship. It's all about dumb choices and paying the piper when they knock on the door.

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And isn't it amazing when we hem and haw about a death penalty case comes up. Someone is put to death for killing another person - but we ignore the fact that this system puts to death an average of one person a month in the four years since 2004 -for nothing more that being a low level criminal?

Don't get me wrong-screw up and pay the price - and people do.

MSNBC runs a series on prisons and inmates.

Having caught a few episodes I can see that the basic needs they get while in the can are nothing that I can get for myself. I don't have to share a closet to live in, I can come and go as I please and I am not looking over my shoulder at all times.

If the arguement is that inmates have it better than people on the outside, the problem rests with the people who can improve their status, but do not.

[shepgirl]

So...people on welfare are the same as those in jail?

I dated someone who went to prison for a short time. He had tasks, and earned $7 an hour to do them. These went towards paying off his fine, which shortened his jail stay. Good incentive to work. Minimum security.

Crime? Forgetting to renew his car insurance the year before, and he was nabbed when coming back from overseas through Canada customs.

Joe's jail would have been totally pointless.

Forgetting to renew your car insurance isn't a crime out here.

Some of the people on welfare here have committed fraud to collect welfare Catty...so yes, they should be doing jail time instead. Fraud is a crime punishable by law.
The reason they are not kicked off is because of some crooked lawyers, doctors who have no moral values, etc. Hard to bring these people to court when you know they have a list of charges they are willing to sue the legal system with if they are bothered.
We do have those that are truly in need of welfare and I am the first one to support this, not all are low lifes, not hard to weed them out and I would never dissalow them help knowing their true conditions.

[jennielynn1970]

Forgetting to renew your car insurance isn't a crime out here.

No, but driving a car and not having insurance is. There's lots of people who do that.

In PA, if I don't renew my auto insurance, my insurance company will let the state know and I'll get a nice letter telling me to turn in my plate and not to drive my car. Same if my registration lapses, they'll let my auto insurance know. My auto insurance lapsed once, accidentally, and the hoops I had to jump through to get everything lined up again with the state was mind blowing. Will never goof on that one again!

[shepgirl]

This is a crime here also but not one to land you in jail unless you keep repeating it. My insurance is one thing I would never dare forget to pay...an accident could be way more costly than the premium....

[Twisterdog]

I believe people who are in prison should have basic human needs met. Healthy food, clean water, clothes, shelter, sanitation. I do not think it is right to subject an inmate to rotten food or lethal temperature extremes.

IMO, if we (as tax payers and voters) cannot treat another human being with basic survival rights, then are we not also commiting the crime of abuse and neglect? Does that not make us no better then the criminals we are in charge of incarcerating?

However, I do not believe prisoners should live in spa-like conditions. If prison offers one more comforts than one had on the outside, does that not remove a lot of the motivation to reform oneself?

Speaking for me personally, I believe in the death penalty. I believe that certain people who commit truly heinous crimes should be put to death. I do not believe that someone who tortured, raped and murdered dozens of people deserves to live.

[jennielynn1970]

Our county jail here in Allentown, Lehigh County Prison, was rebuilt/remodeled a few years back. It's amazing looking from the outside. It also has a reputed gorgeous basketball court and workout area. I knew of guys who were friends of the workers in there who went in there to work out. Gotta love it.