The prison system is BIG Business that reels on the hands of the poor (which get poorer) and the rich (which get comfy). For that reason we the people with moral compasses need to stand up and safe guard those who have no voice.
In the prisons the food has dwindled down to two meals a day of nothing but starches and grease. Society wonders why prisoners lash out in craziness. The craziness is that of a diabetic uneasiness or heart clogged brain fit; as their body is starving for the next meal of the same; yet hope to get real nutrients.
There is NO REASON the system can't put the prisoners to work on a garden of fresh vegetables to augment the system if they want real food. There is no reason they can't put the prisoners to work raising their own meat; except the system has captives. Captives who can be further exploited at the hands of sicko’s who happened to slide through the system. Every care taker of those who depend on their care (for life or death situations) should go through random lie detector tests if they want to work for the government.
The $5.00 a minute phone calls (IF you don’t subscribe to their system and even then $2.00 + a minute if you do) to the families; if they want to stay connected (in more cases than not; to the ONLY bread winner) exploits the poor. This exploits the emotional stability of whatever civility may be left behind to the detriment of society.
Instead of allowing families to use a 5 cent a minute card verses $2.00 a minute; reeks of BIG MONEY and exploitation of an ALREADY BAD situation. Would this be classified as a good MORAL CONSCIENCE? I think NOT!
No wonder so many family members follow suit in a life of crime. They see a system set up to better society and yet it exploits it.
They now have no bread winner and in most cases it is the women who are left behind to raise their children on welfare; if she has no skills. Then to try to stay connect to the children’s father/mother; they are again assault by the system that was set up to help society straighten out people who MIGHT have had a lapse in conscience or judgment.
1. By denying them access to their loved ones via phone (because they can't afford $5.00 a minute)
2. By denying the families access to send clothing and commodities needed for everyday living, i.e.; socks underwear, vitamins, extra food to augment their poor diet; which is causing several diseases and death. And; only allowing families to purchase said items through the systems store; once a year, if that, makes for another bone of contention. (I don’t know about your unders, but I can’t get the cheap stuff to last more than three months, let alone a year. And I don’t use harsh detergents!)
3. Making prisoners buy their health care, if you can afford it is great; but what about the poor. They get an aspirin for blockages in their hearts and corodid arteries and have to live under the duress of the ticking time bomb. Or they go blind from vitamin deficiency and many more preventable diseases.
Do you think this might breed contention?
WHAT IS A PRISON?
Sure prison was never meant to be a pleasure cruise. And yes we have supposedly gotten out of the deviant behaviors of the past as far as lashings, but come on; destroying the mental health and physical health of a person who was sent to prison to be REFORMED and brought back into society, is NOT what I am see.
Contention breeds contention. The prisons are breeding wild animal veracity to keep them in business is what I see. What ever happened to the moral consensus?
1. In God’s realm; a prisoner’s sentence was being caged up to reflect on anti-social behavior and receive counseling!
2. The restraints are the prison term and no high polluting amenities. Food for health, clothing and shelter, and warmth; are a given.
Come on Prisons Let’s get with the program and see if we can limit the spending and the need for your jobs.
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Comments: 75
It has been years that the 2 meal a day diet has been going on, and besides I know law abiding retired and working people who sometimes get less.
Wehen I worked at the hospital a young man came in for sirgery who was denied by the state, he went home and was soon after aressted and got the same surgery paid by the tax payers. So I have a little trouble believing it is all that bad in every prison in America.
Yes I have friends and one great nephew who have been and one now in in the system
Believe me the is more than one voice in the system crying corrupt. Most people who have a problem looking at the system, choose to stay in the cushy bubble; believing all is ok, because they believe prisoners deserve it.
I'm not say that is you Vivian, but that has been the consenses I have run into.
We ARE our brothers’ keepers and if that means we have to DOG a system that is definitely broken; that has some of the most vulnerable people i.e., mentally ill and addicted population caged, than we NEED to get involved.
I have heard too many so called sane people, supposedly moral people, state; it is NOT THEIR PROBLEM, Which totally disgusts me.
I would assume if the prisons knew prison ombudsmen were going to drop by when THEY desired, there might be a different out come.
If we had a volunteer, independent committee; oversee the checks and balances; one would HOPE; the committee would definitely cut down the funnel of money in and out of the prison systems and utilized tax payers' $ correctly.
Let's see 'em say "it's not my problem" when THEY get wrongfully convicted and can't extricate themselves from the legal quagmire. It could happen to ANY of us, ANY time.
We live in a country founded on DEMOCRACY and I was so brain washed, I would NEVER believed something like this could happen.
From arrest to probation, the system is ripe with corruption and misconduct, not to mention systematic failures and we must demand change. I love the idea about the food, but that would cut out deals made to local food distributors and as noted, would probably be exploited by unsavory and greedy administrators. After all, prisons are a business and operate as such.
I find it odd that politicians often refer to the price of a prisoner per year, but never seem to account for all the profit being made (of course, most of it is under the table, but why is it so hard to reform?).
I don't like the idea of private, for-profit prisons. Government prisons may not have the greatest track record, especially in some states, but at least they have a chance of avoiding exploitation of prisoners if the right people and controls are in place. Private prisons have the express purpose of exploiting prisoners for a profit.
As others have said, we definitely need creative outlets for prisoners (like the Prison Performing Arts program that exists in some states). This helps recapture lost self esteem and humanity, and can help prepare people for working with others in a regular job.
For a picture of the prison-parole-freedom-prison cycle, George Pelecanos writes some fictional but, from what I can tell, pretty realistic accounts of the prison cycle that takes place in the Washington, DC area. See "Drama City."
In Atlanta, I see plenty of young men and women who enter the system and remain locked into it because upon release and because they have no skills, training or opportunity to find the required employment, revert right back to the life they are supposed to avoid to make probation payments. Eventually, they end up getting caught up on new chages and the cyce just continues.
"Because they are paid per diem for each prisoner, it is in private jails’ interests to lobby for and make campaign contributions to promote policies like mandatory minimum sentencing that protract the time prisoners spend incarcerated.”
“Private prisons also save money by denying proper health care to inmates. According to a 2005 article in The Times, private prisons are consistently marred by “medical staffs trimmed to the bone, doctors under qualified or out of reach, [and] nurses doing tasks beyond their training.” The results can be fatal."
Kinda like the Fox watching the hen house, ya thick?
Both of your articles are full of great info, as to where most of the prisons stand.
It is sad to say that prisons are now the new holding tanks for the mentally ill and drug abusers; who will eventually be just that, mentally ill.
Some prison terms are too long and fall into play as contributing to both.
Then the released prisoners butt heads with the crime they already paid for, denying them of future earnings. Past should be past and laws or mandatory prohibition of hiring people who have been convicted; only serves to amplify the problems.
We as a society; need to recognize, that when someone has paid the price for their crime, they have paid the price. It shouldn't have to follow them the rest of their lives. Whatever happened to the forgiveness?
Sure, certain crimes such as rap and molestation NEED to be followed, as it is usually an innate compulsion.
But, knowing one will NEVER have the crime wiped away, even after doing the time, is cruel. Those files should be the governments after the term is served and none of the future employers business; unless it is a high security job.
The legal system all over the world has become haphazard and much though we may attempt to rectify the loopholes, we would find problems multiplying in hundreds. Does this not sound strange? But the system has come to such sorry state of affairs, thanks to our own haste to juggle up solutions (laws), our own divide that made boundaries possible and our own (human) compulsion to achieve the zenith of glory – the outcome is an empire of miscalculations and mismanagement.
For a moment I would have to and reluctantly blame the very system of democratic process. Through democracy (not to blame Abraham Lincoln or any particular individual) we gave voice to the people that made a government that is vested with the responsibility to govern, appear numerically weaker in the face of peoples’ thrust. A government with lesser power succumbed to pressure from people resulting in hasty laws and hurdles which are not conducive to good governance. The mob got the edge to wield more power than government itself. They decided to bang their fists on the government’s desk, allowing diversion or confusion to programs and policies initiated by the government. They the government had to show a result of good governance but the democratic mob made it all cumbersome. And the world of today is faced with a system of corruption and criminality. There are loose ends and loopholes everywhere. One such area happens to be the prison management.
Prisoners need to be categorized under different categories, depending on the notoriety of crime committed. Segregation of humans from the hard-core criminals is one and primary solution to paving the way for reform among the convicts.
It is true that we look down upon prisoners as individuals with greater evil whereas many such prisoners are victims of circumstances. Whatever that be a humane approach in our dealings with prisoners is needed because they also deserve love and care, irrespective of the circumstances or situation they are in. How many innocent ones get embroiled in concocted or fabricated cases or are made to suffer humiliation and torture for no fault of theirs. Yes, you have rightly pointed out in this post the amount of deprivation they are made to endure, by way of inadequacy of food, unhygienic conditions and inhuman treatment meted out to them within the four walls of a dungeon? Where do we then start a reform – of course with the law?
Much remains to be said but solution must come with scrupulous observance of law and legalities which has gone beyond the reach of humanity
He makes a living, and a very good one now as an owner of a meat shop. I'd say they got it right by training these young kids to make a honest living. This was many moons ago! How did we get off course? $$$
You are right. Money got us off course. Changing money can get us on course.
We also lock animals up in zoos, but it would seem they get better treatment than the prisoners of the human variety do!
The zoos are there to entertain and from what I have found, many prisons have the same attitude. The more they degrade the human spirit; the more the sick spirited people in the system get their jollies. We NEED a better screening system to weed these sickos out!
So where does that money go?
Yep! Here is the feed:
"California Lottery Funds"
I guess the Lottery isn't feeding Calif. as much as it needs!
Arnold has run this state into the ground by not allowing a tax increase!
I can't say I have seen the great improvements. I have seen a lot of dreams dashed by the poor though, in hopes of the grand prize.
The odds against have taken away any thoughts of winning for me! I forget to buy tickets anyway
One was in a few different times - in a few different prisons. He told quite a different story.
I also had a pastor once whose daughter's boyfriend was spending time in prison. They had only good things to say about the prison system and the way it worked - and they did visit weekly.
In Texas, the prison system used to have "rehabilitation" in the name. Not any more. They've stopped trying to rehabilitate people because it was a waste of taxpayer money.
Frankly, I don't see making prisons more comfy. I think more counseling should be given. More attempts to help people ease back into society if their term and offense allows that. But more amenities? Not so much. Not unless they can pay their own way.
As far as making it cushy?; I am talking about basic civil rights. I certainly believe if we choose to cage someone up for years, we ARE responsible for their health and wellbeing.
Even if their term or offense doesn't allow them back into society, the society they live in for life; dictates what we engender; animal behaviors or humane behaviors.
No different than the Atrocities in the past with the mentally ill. A captive society unto themselves without a VOICE!
Thx for dropping by to comment my friend!
I also remember convicts chopping cotton and raising crops. Yes the crops kept the convicts busy and back then helped to give an education on how to run a farm, but today convicts get vocational education or even a college degree while in prison. While I was taking college courses at Troy State University in Montgomery Alabama ¼ of my class was in prison. During the day they would pick up trash and do little jobs in the Federal Prison there. One convict made the statement in class he would have his PH.D before he left the prison.
As far as the Phones in the Jails program. I happen to have known the man that came up with this and how it got started. Yes he made a ton of money but how do you think he got the phones in the jails? The county and state officials saw a way not to have to go to the county residents for more taxes to support the corrections system. With every call the jail populations is paying for the system. So here you may want to say it is the greed of the taxpayers.
Now as far as sending thing to convicts in the jails. The penitentiary that my mother worked in had over 400 people and if you watch TV you see that most of the time there are 2 to 4 inmates in each cell. Well this is not a true picture. The penitentiary that mother worked at was low security, and there were 100 convicts per cell. Now with the mass of convicts that are in this place there are more like 250 per cell. Now where are people to keep their personal things and if they do what happens to them when the convict go out of the cell.
Now if you want to point a finger of guilt at the greedy you should point the finger at all the taxpayer out there that do not want to pay for the right of those that have misbehaved and gotten put in a place like this. We as electorate of the people we elect to represent us have told them over and over “we want jobs, and we do not want to pay taxes.”
Back in the day there were far less inmates than there are now. There is no reason these inmates can't help take the tax burden off the tax payer; by working for their keep. But, let us put them to work doing a skill they can use in the real world such as raising their own food. Learning how to install solar panels, piping, electrical; things that just might get them a job and be able to lift the tax burden of the families they may have left behind on the welfare roles.
As for the schooling, what does knowledge cost to society? There are many people who have degrees that aren't worth much. It is training in a useful skill that counts as a survival ticket in the real world.
"Innocence Project"
"Prison Fellowship" Thank you for dropping by to comment!