"Heigh ho, heigh ho-it's off to jail we go. Seven to a cell?"
How many times have you read or heard about criminals being let out of prison early because of "prison overcrowding"? How many times have you heard about murders and rapes being committed by violators with long records who were let out of jail because of "overcrowding"? Getting a little sick of it?
First of all, we as Americans must admit that our society has a problem with violent crime that is a disgrace to any civilized nation. Consequently, we have a prison population that is embarrassingly high. Of course, to liberals, that is a problem in itself because they don't like to see people go to prison in the first place (I realize that is a bit of an over-generalization, but you get the point.) Add to that all the liberal judges who hate to send anyone to prison. Bill O'Reilly has pointed out the on-going problem of liberal judges who routinely give slap-on-the-wrist sentences to convicted child rapists-who go out and repeat their crimes. The states of Vermont and Massachusetts are the most notorious in this regard.
Many of the early releases "due to overcrowding" are the result of mandates by judges that order prisons to keep their populations below a certain level.
Certainly, prison guards and officials would benefit from lower inmate populations as a way to diffuse tensions. Nevertheless, the cost of sending dangerous criminals back onto the streets before their sentences are up is unacceptable.
So what is to be done? Considering our crime problem, it seems obvious that more prisons must be built. That is certainly a responsibility of government-either at the federal or state level, and I would support the spending for that purpose.
In some cases, it can even be done on the cheap. Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona (a retired DEA agent-I might add), has set up enclosed tent camps for certain inmates. What's wrong with that?
But in the interest of full disclosure, I am just a simple right-wing hardliner, especially on law and order. I am retired from law enforcement, don't have a PHD, but do I have a rather simple philosophy: Lock em' up and throw the key away. I would rather see overcrowded prisons than streets overcrowded with dangerous criminals.
Of course, if my desires came to pass-with stronger judges and longer sentences, then the prisons would become more crowded. Then we must make hard choices on building more facilities and hiring more guards.
If not-let them sleep on top of each other. (They do anyway.)
5 comments:
If we invested more in education, we wouldn't have to invest so much in prisons.
Lance,
With all due respect, that strikes me more as a slogan than anything else. We invest tons in education with little to show for it. Places like NY, LA and Washington DC spend 12-15,000 per pupil and look at the results.
I don't have the solution either, but throwing money at a failed system isn't working.
PS "Investing" is just a code word fro raising taxes and spending more.
Well, by "investing" I didn't necessarily mean throw more money at it. I don't feel that enough people in this country value an education - so I'm talking about more of a philosophical, "investment." Does that mean more money? Well, I'd rather see the money spent BETTER. I don't know if more is necessarily the answer. If we start spending it smarter then we can see if we need more.
Maybe I'm just being bitter right now because I have a principal who thinks that it's not worthwhile to teach Shakespeare to students and that Animal Farm is "just about animals."
Still, there is a relation between education level and likelihood of committing crimes. These aren't exactly people with Masters Degress who are filling up our prisons.
So, no, I don't mean taxes or throwing more money at it. Perhaps I should say "make education a priority". I can't imagine that you'd disagree with that.
No, I sure don't, but while I also believe in education, I don't subscribe to the indoctrination that I see going on in our schools and colleges.
Not that it's all the fault of the schools. They have to deal with what walks thru the doors, gangs, drugs, uninterested parents, attitudes that education and standard English are for whites.
Let's face it-neither of us has the solution. No one does.
Overcrowding tells me that coddling you prisoners does NOT keep you from prison. Yes CODDLING! The picture of overcrowding posted on some blogs, looks more like the local rescue mission, except YOU get clean sheets and clean clothing! You have a TV set, books to read, a toilet, clean showers, weight lifting equipment, good food etc. That’s more then I have. So WHERE IS THE PUNISHMENT?
Alternatives to coddling: sleep on the ground (like I have to); no TV, radio, books, cigarettes, or wholesome food (I don't have those things, so why should YOU?); HARD WORK for everyone, every day, for at least 8 hours, even if it means breaking up rocks, or digging one hole to fill up another… just like every NORMAL person has to do on the outside (except you don’t deserve a paycheck). And you should be scrubbing the ceilings/walls/floors, bathrooms/showers, and washing your own clothes/dishes/towels/sheets too.
As a prisoner you have NO rights. You gave them up when you chose to do the crime. If prisons DID what they were set up to do, you would do everything possible to keep from having to go back! The prisons would NEVER be overcrowded. Instead, people clamor just to get IN, so they can have a warm bed, fresh hot food, clean clothes, a toilet/showers, and a TV!
As an alternative to MY alternative: you may like the idea Grace has for a prison town.
See www.gracetowne.blogspot.com
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