Tell me if I am wrong here. Why is it, that here in America, in our Jails, convicts are given 3 meals a day?

Question

a bed to sleep on, and FREE health care? When there are a lot of law abiding citizens who work hard for what they get, some working more than one job..And they still are struggling to have what these killers, rapists..etc....have for nothing! Some of us working people can't afford health insurance, yet when we try to get state assistance, we are told we make "too much"..Go figure. How does this seam fair? And I don't wanna hear that these convicts have rights too. Because as far as I am concerned, they gave up all rights and freedoms the day the commited thier crime.

Answer 1

I agree...it is infuriating. They should have NOTHING. Sleep on floor, no TV, no medical care, no visitors, no porn, no exercise equipment...they're criminals, maybe if prison were more unbearable the recidivism rate would drop!

Answer 2

How many convicts do you know? Have you ever been in a jail or state prison facility? I've been doing jail/prison ministry for about 5 years and can say that most every one of them would trade places with someone on the outside that doesn't have health care or most of the other so called comforts they enjoy. The reason is freedom is more important than creature comforts. As a humane society, we treat even the worst of society's perpetrators in a humane way. While prison conditions vary from state to state, most of them are not fun or enjoyable and the food is generally not all that great. (I've eaten many meals with convicts. Just this last weekend I shared the meal they were served. It was something like what you might have on a day you were trying to clean out the fridge.) Keep in mind that in the county jails, many of the inmates have not even been convicted yet. They may be waiting trial or a hearing to determine whether they will be charged with a crime. Should we treat them as if they were guilty before they have had their day in court? I suggest you find a ministry that goes into jails and prisons and meet some of the folks you feel are undeserving of the basic needs of food and medical care. By the way, many prisons have gone to 2 meals per day. The facility I was just in has recently eliminated coffee and milk except for breakfast. Many county jails are now billing the inmates for part of the cost of housing them, so it may not be as rosy as your question indicates you believe.

Answer 3

Well, for one there's a nice little Federal law that states "no cruel and unusual punishment" and that whole human rights thing is a real drag I know. But when it comes down to it...less then... I'll go with a wide figure here...maybe 30 0/0 of the prison population is for murders, rapes and other violent crimes? But those poor dudes who stole from their plushy fortune 500 company like Enron...well they certainly shouldn't get a bed to sleep on or food because they are just the most horrible degenerate members of society. In the end, even though we have some really bad people in our society and in our prisons should they guy who stole food to feed his family get the same treatment as the Timothy McVeighs out there? I think not. We're all human..and thanks to that nice little thing called the bill of rights we all get the basic needs. And BTW.... Just beacuse I am a Libral dosen't mean I am spinless or stupid. This is a debate not a place to sling mud and be reduced to name calling and other such pathetic things

Answer 4

Sooooooo....you think we should toture them by not giving them food and beds and healthcare when they're sick...SELFISH!!!

Some of the people in jail are actually innocent, some have done misdemenanor crimes, some are being totured enough everyday by not seeing thier children, mothers, fathers...so starve them, make them sleep on floors and let them all get sick, so when they are released they can be desperate and angry all over again. Yeah just let them be so hungry when they get out they will turn to crime to feed their hungers, let them sleep on floors in filthy conditions so they will be use to it and never feel the need to work, let the be sick and half dying so they can infect everyone. Yeah great idea. Regardless of what you THINK, these are still people and treating them like animals will only feed an animalistic hunger and attitude. Some of these people actually DO petty crimes so they can get sent somewhere so they have a meal or a place to sleep. Do you even know any ex-cons. Well I do and most aren't bad people, some are, but MOST aren't. They are just people who have had hard lives and no way of getting out of it. Most of the serious criminals dont even get caught, so think about that.

Answer 5

I sooooooooooooooooooooooo agree with you!

Contact your congressman/woman and aire your complaint. Our laws have changed from pro-citizen to pro-suspect (always assume that they're not guilty! haha).

Back in the 1930's convicts were treated horribly - inhumanly. But the tide changed and now the convicts have more rights than the outside, law-abiding folk. A little bit of overkill, I agree. But we still run across men being exhonerated after 20 or so years because DNA evidence cleared them, so what can you do?

So, that's where it comes down to your own degree of character; how well you maintain your life and attitude to deal with the injustices in life. Life is still better in America than in other countries, so I can't really gripe too much.

My achilles heel is the lack of handicapped facilities and poor designs of the ones in place. If I'd champion anything, it would be to improve in those areas.

Choose your area to focus on improving life here in America. Don't let the rats get you down and depressed. Find an area you can work on and improve upon for others. Run for a local office; campaign for someone who holds your ideals; write your congressman/woman, write a letter to the editor, put in ads in the local paper, hold meetings at your Church. There are lots of avenues to choose to make that stand on your own, a personal soapbox.

Things have changed because SOMEONE stepped up to the plate. Don't waite for someone else to do it for you. Complacency, ignorance, and disinterest is what allows destructive changes to take hold.

Hitler would not have moved up in government and become Germany's leader if the leadership, Churches and citizenship of the 1920's forward would have stopped him early on. He showed signs of distortion and hate, but people looked aside because they were all pre-occupied with the incredible debt they inherited from World War I.

So, I would suggest you find some way to network with people who feel the same way you do, and contribute to their cause. It will give you some sense of power and comfort to be somewhat in control and able to make some change in your own part of the world.

My best to you!

Answer 6

Why? thats so simple same reason it also happens in England and in most "civilised" countries of the world..because politicians are all stupid and the people that vote for them are stupid too, jail should be a punishment...bread and water and hard labour and yes beatings for the prisoners would be a good thing..let them really suffer like they made their victims suffer..an eye for an eye, encourage executions for more crimes but carry out the sentance within 24 hours of it being passed,,,no appeals!! naturally lily livered libetrals will complain,..tough if they dont like it hang them too

Answer 7

Well as far as you're "concerned" and the state of what is reality are two different things. Prisoners get 3 hots and a cot along with healthcare because sincwe our country sees the denial of one's liberty as one of the worst punishments the state steps in to become a guardian of the incarcerated person, since they have little ability to take care of themselves (for instance, even a rich inmate can't just go to an outside doctor anytime he wants while in prison).

Answer 8

Convicts have rights too. Some of them do work, don't they still make those car license plates? I mean how many jobs can you do when your in a jail cell? If there are no jobs that they can do in prison, should they starve? I don't get what your trying to say...

Oh and your wrong..that would be very in-human if we'd let them sleep on the floor, die of diseases, and starve to death.

I can't believe you even asked this question.

Answer 9

Absolutely right. Put them to work. Like Russians did. The convicts rebuilt the whole Soviet Union after the war and were building rail roads in Siberia after that. Hard work will cure their crime filled souls.

Answer 10

Slow down there, Little One. Before you get too hard on U.S. prisoners, you might want to shift your paradigm a little bit. Think about it, the U.S. justice systems sucks, and it's very possible one (you even?) could end up imprisoned because some rich b1itch has you framed to keep her dainty derrier out of jail. Unless you have enough money to buy your freedom back, you'll be pretty darn grateful for those prison conditions you're so quick to condemn!

Answer 11

I agree with you! They should have to pay for the health care they get while they are in there! Yes they should give up some rights because they were dumb enough to get put in jail. Foreigners shouldn't get more help than our own citizens either, but they do!