Prison Reform Now

[Ban Hammer 13,355]

solve prison overcrowding, start executions now!

[*Robert* 2]

So no discussion on prison reform huh?

Getting really bored of all the gun reform. There is nothing left of that dead horse!

[GaryC 7]

Yes, I absolutely think that the American penal system should be thoroughly reformed. However, how that can be achieved when each state is allowed to set such different standards is totally beyond me.

I am not trying to be snarky here but to answer your question, our government is set up as a union of states. Each state has the right as spelled out under the constitution to make its own laws as determined by the residents of that state. The federal government is not allowed to impose laws on a state unless that subject is expressly allowed under the constitution. In theory each state is its own government with the federal government only stepping in when the constitution allows it.

[웃 910]

Prison Reform:

1) Execute all murderers.

2) Castrate all rapists and child molesters/predators on their second offense, no exceptions.

3) Each prison has 3 categories for their inmates: Separate a) the rapists & child predators from the violent offenders from c) the non-violent offenders.

4) Every prison gets a decent library (internet for all prisons but restricted access).

5) Federal government runs 1 on-line university that each inmate can enroll in for free and receive degrees up to the P.h.D. level.

6) If an inmate is a "model inmate" he/she gains new privileges including more visiting time, conjugal visits (if married), ability to leave the prison to lecture at high schools, slightly better food once or twice a week, etcetera.

7) Non-violent offenders get to work for the big 3 for $12 a week

Edited March 28, 2009 by Confucian

[SuperDuper! 230]

Prison Reform:

1) Execute all murderers.

2) Castrate all rapists and child molesters/predators on their second offense, no exceptions.

3) Each prison has 3 categories for their inmates: Separate a) the rapists & child predators from the violent offenders from c) the non-violent offenders.

4) Every prison gets a decent library (internet for all prisons but restricted access).

5) Federal government runs 1 on-line university that each inmate can enroll in for free and receive degrees up to the P.h.D. level.

6) If an inmate is a "model inmate" he/she gains new privileges including more visiting time, conjugal visits (if married), ability to leave the prison to lecture at high schools, slightly better food once or twice a week, etcetera.

7) Non-violent offenders get to work for the big 3 for $12 a week

You forgot Flat screen color tv and cable in every cell.

[Ban Hammer 13,355]

Prison Reform:

1) Execute all murderers.

2) Castrate all rapists and child molesters/predators on their second offense, no exceptions.

3) Each prison has 3 categories for their inmates: Separate a) the rapists & child predators from the violent offenders from c) the non-violent offenders.

4) Every prison gets a decent library (internet for all prisons but restricted access).

5) Federal government runs 1 on-line university that each inmate can enroll in for free and receive degrees up to the P.h.D. level.

6) If an inmate is a "model inmate" he/she gains new privileges including more visiting time, conjugal visits (if married), ability to leave the prison to lecture at high schools, slightly better food once or twice a week, etcetera.

7) Non-violent offenders get to work for the big 3 for $12 a week

You forgot Flat screen color tv and cable in every cell.

and what happened to bringing back chain gangs?

[SuperDuper! 230]

Sheriff Joe in Arizona has been doing the chain gang there for a long time. IN fact, he insists on having the prisoners be able to watch the weather channel so they will know how hot it will be on the chain gang tomorrow.

[웃 910]

Prison Reform:

1) Execute all murderers.

2) Castrate all rapists and child molesters/predators on their second offense, no exceptions.

3) Each prison has 3 categories for their inmates: Separate a) the rapists & child predators from the violent offenders from c) the non-violent offenders.

4) Every prison gets a decent library (internet for all prisons but restricted access).

5) Federal government runs 1 on-line university that each inmate can enroll in for free and receive degrees up to the P.h.D. level.

6) If an inmate is a "model inmate" he/she gains new privileges including more visiting time, conjugal visits (if married), ability to leave the prison to lecture at high schools, slightly better food once or twice a week, etcetera.

7) Non-violent offenders get to work for the big 3 for $12 a week

You forgot Flat screen color tv and cable in every cell.

I'm sure you would just love to stay in the prison I described. Nothing changed in this "new" prison except that it has a decent collection of books, a couple of old beat up computers, and the ability for inmates to get their college degree (mind you it is a prison diploma and even if an inmate got his P.h.D., I doubt anyone would hire him).

Doesn't it sound lovely? I'm canceling my dream vacation to a 5 star resort in Hawaii this Christmas and going to see if I could book a week at this imaginary prison I spelled out above, I hope they let me stay. It would be a dream come true.

Edited March 28, 2009 by Confucian

[dalegg 143]

Prison Reform:

1) Execute all murderers.

2) Castrate all rapists and child molesters/predators on their second offense, no exceptions.

3) Each prison has 3 categories for their inmates: Separate a) the rapists & child predators from the violent offenders from c) the non-violent offenders.

4) Every prison gets a decent library (internet for all prisons but restricted access).

5) Federal government runs 1 on-line university that each inmate can enroll in for free and receive degrees up to the P.h.D. level.

6) If an inmate is a "model inmate" he/she gains new privileges including more visiting time, conjugal visits (if married), ability to leave the prison to lecture at high schools, slightly better food once or twice a week, etcetera.

7) Non-violent offenders get to work for the big 3 for $12 a week

Legalize Marijuana! There will be many more open beds available for real criminals- like all loan officers, then they will be full again.

[SuperDuper! 230]

Prison Reform:

1) Execute all murderers.

2) Castrate all rapists and child molesters/predators on their second offense, no exceptions.

3) Each prison has 3 categories for their inmates: Separate a) the rapists & child predators from the violent offenders from c) the non-violent offenders.

4) Every prison gets a decent library (internet for all prisons but restricted access).

5) Federal government runs 1 on-line university that each inmate can enroll in for free and receive degrees up to the P.h.D. level.

6) If an inmate is a "model inmate" he/she gains new privileges including more visiting time, conjugal visits (if married), ability to leave the prison to lecture at high schools, slightly better food once or twice a week, etcetera.

7) Non-violent offenders get to work for the big 3 for $12 a week

You forgot Flat screen color tv and cable in every cell.

I'm sure you would just love to stay in the prison I described. Nothing changed in this "new" prison except that it has a decent collection of books, a couple of old beat up computers, and the ability for inmates to get their college degree (mind you it is a prison diploma and even if an inmate got his P.h.D., I doubt anyone would hire him).

Doesn't it sound lovely? I'm canceling my dream vacation to a 5 star resort in Hawaii this Christmas and going to see if I could book a week at this imaginary prison I spelled out above, I hope they let me stay. It would be a dream come true.

Just think, in addition to all the fine amenities so aptly described above: They will always leave the light on for you. THey have a gated community with good security. Open 24/7/365, 3 hot meals a day (actually 2 hot and one sack lunch), free health and dental care, friendly neighbors and roommates, and there is always room for one more guest. YOU WILL LOVE THE PLACE.

[dalegg 143]

Take all of the criminals, put them on an island with a big prison and a race track, make them race to the death while streamig it live on the internet for a subscription fee.

Make sure you only imprison hot chicks too because everyone knows they make good co-drivers.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I think this bears repeating....

Let's start with a premise that I don't think a lot of Americans are aware of.

We have 5% of the world's population; we have 25% of the world's known prison population. We have an incarceration rate in the United States, the world's greatest democracy, that is five times as high as the average incarceration rate of the rest of the world.

There are only two possibilities here: either we have the most evil people on earth living in the United States; or we are doing something dramatically wrong in terms of how we approach the issue of criminal justice. . . .

The elephant in the bedroom in many discussions on the criminal justice system is the sharp increase in drug incarceration over the past three decades. In 1980, we had 41,000 drug offenders in prison; today we have more than 500,000, an increase of 1,200%. The blue disks represent the numbers in 1980; the red disks represent the numbers in 2007 and

a significant percentage of those incarcerated are for possession or nonviolent offenses

stemming from drug addiction and those sorts of related behavioral issues. . . .

In many cases these issues involve people's ability to have proper counsel and other issues, but there are stunning statistics with respect to drugs that we all must come to terms with. African-Americans are about 12% of our population; contrary to a lot of thought and rhetoric,

their drug use rate in terms of frequent drug use rate is about the same as all other elements of our society, about 14%. But they end up being 37% of those arrested on drug charges, 59% of those convicted, and 74% of those sentenced to prison

by the numbers that have been provided by us. . . .

Another piece of this issue that I hope we will address with this National Criminal Justice Commission is

what happens inside our prisons

. . . . We also have a situation in this country with respect to prison violence and sexual victimization that is off the charts and we must get our arms around this problem. We also have many people in our prisons who are among what are called the criminally ill, many suffering from hepatitis and HIV who are not getting the sorts of treatment they deserve.

Importantly,

what are we going to do about drug policy

- the whole area of drug policy in this country?

And how does that affect sentencing procedures and other alternatives that we might look at?

Webb added that "America's criminal justice system has deteriorated to the point that it is a national disgrace" and "we are locking up too many people who do not belong in jail."

[웃 910]

Take all of the criminals, put them on an island with a big prison and a race track, make them race to the death while streamig it live on the internet for a subscription fee.

Make sure you only imprison hot chicks too because everyone knows they make good co-drivers.

I got a better idea:

Take the tens of thousands of sickos, maniacs, psychos, lunatics, and monsters in each state prison and place them in one location. Allow the over 18 years old public to pay a $5 fee to visit the "zoo". On each cage their will be a history of the "animals" prior criminal history. The "zookeepers" will provide tours of all the animals to the general public. I'd go once or twice a year.

[dalegg 143]

I think this bears repeating....

Let's start with a premise that I don't think a lot of Americans are aware of.

We have 5% of the world's population; we have 25% of the world's known prison population. We have an incarceration rate in the United States, the world's greatest democracy, that is five times as high as the average incarceration rate of the rest of the world.

There are only two possibilities here: either we have the most evil people on earth living in the United States; or we are doing something dramatically wrong in terms of how we approach the issue of criminal justice. . . .

The elephant in the bedroom in many discussions on the criminal justice system is the sharp increase in drug incarceration over the past three decades. In 1980, we had 41,000 drug offenders in prison; today we have more than 500,000, an increase of 1,200%. The blue disks represent the numbers in 1980; the red disks represent the numbers in 2007 and

a significant percentage of those incarcerated are for possession or nonviolent offenses

stemming from drug addiction and those sorts of related behavioral issues. . . .

In many cases these issues involve people's ability to have proper counsel and other issues, but there are stunning statistics with respect to drugs that we all must come to terms with. African-Americans are about 12% of our population; contrary to a lot of thought and rhetoric,

their drug use rate in terms of frequent drug use rate is about the same as all other elements of our society, about 14%. But they end up being 37% of those arrested on drug charges, 59% of those convicted, and 74% of those sentenced to prison

by the numbers that have been provided by us. . . .

Another piece of this issue that I hope we will address with this National Criminal Justice Commission is

what happens inside our prisons

. . . . We also have a situation in this country with respect to prison violence and sexual victimization that is off the charts and we must get our arms around this problem. We also have many people in our prisons who are among what are called the criminally ill, many suffering from hepatitis and HIV who are not getting the sorts of treatment they deserve.

Importantly,

what are we going to do about drug policy

- the whole area of drug policy in this country?

And how does that affect sentencing procedures and other alternatives that we might look at?

Webb added that "America's criminal justice system has deteriorated to the point that it is a national disgrace" and "we are locking up too many people who do not belong in jail."

My prediction is that if the state of Federal and State economies doesn't improve dramatically, we will be forced into prison reform whether we like it or not, simply because we cannot afford to run them anymore the way we do. So don't worry about.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

My prediction is that if the state of Federal and State economies doesn't improve dramatically, we will be forced into prison reform whether we like it or not, simply because we cannot afford to run them anymore the way we do. So don't worry about.

Yep...in fact it is happening in my homes state of Arizona...they are going to be forced to let out prisoners early. There's a bit of duality among the 'tough on crime' crowd - what they want, they don't want to pay for in taxes.