What do you think of the jail system?

Question

I just read an article saying that a prison has been slammed due to be overcrowded and vermin infested. Personally I feel that this is the way jail should be. Why do we make it so cushy for people who commit crime?

Check me out if you want God save America. I haven't commited a crime as far as I'm aware (unless it's an obscure one I don't know of). I have no idea why you think that everyone commits crime.

No, I can't vote because I have emigrated. I'm not sure that I would if I still lived in England though as I don't agree with the policies of any political party.

Answer 1

You are right. It's shouldn't be cushy! They broke the law and there is no reason for them to have a better life in prison than other ppl who struggle to make it do. That's why they get institutionalized and want to keep going back.

Answer 2

The prison system is incredibly over crowded in most states at this time. Most of this is because of the "War on Drugs" and the more strict sentencing being handed down for drug offenses. The 8th ammendment protects prisoners' rights against cruel and unusual punishment, so the prisons are held to a reasonable standard of cleanliness and care. Fortunately I have never had the chance to be an inmate at a prison, but from what I understand, it isn't exacly a cake walk even with good living conditions. In my humble opinion, prison could be as "cushy" as could be as long as when the inmates are released, they don't commit another crime. At least part of the prison process is supposed to be "rehabilitation" and it doesn't do anyone any good (that includes society, the offender, and possible future victims) if prisoners are getting let out of prison and coming back in just a quickly as they left. If you call that being soft on crime, then so be it, but continuing to lock up the same people over and over again is wasteful and pointless.

For many offenders the primary cause of their criminality is drug addiction. For example, an addict needs drugs, but can't afford it so they commit a burglary to get money to buy dope and get caught. Boom, they are in prison and little if any drug rehabilitation is offered and the education programs are shrinking so the offender is going to struggle to find job once back on the outside. Thus, the cycle repeats itself. It just costs the state more and more money to keep these people incarcerated, when if given the right opportunity, could succeed and become at least semi-productive members of our society.

Answer 3

Get some facts straight:
Prison conducted as place of punishment has never made anybody a better person. As long as people's thirst for revenge is blinding them to the facts, nothing will change. Prisons should be used to help people come out with a better ability to lead a decent live, not as brutalized, more vicious sociopaths.

Look at statistics of different countries, the ones with the fewest people in prison also have the lowest crime rate, and that is not because they have better people living there.
Prison sentences should be restricted to people who committed violent crimes, there are much better ways to deal with everybody else.

Drugs should be decriminalized and controlled, drug crimes clog up the judicial system, and prohibition is only good for the mafia.
In any other walk of life people would easily agree that prevention is better than cure, but their lust for vengeance, which really has nothing to do with justice, is in the way of common sense.

Answer 4

The jail system is very ineffective. The main problems with the jail system are:
1. The jail system is overcrowded
2. The jail system doesn't prevent crime, it intensifies it.
3. The jail system isn't a solution (neither permanent nor temporary) to rising crime levels
Crime should be prevented, not handled. The problem is that there are so many effective ways to prevent crime, that the government is unwilling to impose.
There are 3 possible solutions to rising crime levels:
1. Make sure that people are not forced to commit a crime.
2. Create the infrastructure and incentives for people to lead a normal life
3. Get rid of death row, as it promotes violence and crime.

Answer 5

DUI? Domestics? Someone knows his terms...

Why is it that questions like this usually verge on the Daily Mail madhouse? Actually - apart from the vermin in the kitchens and overcrowding, you forgot to mention physical abuse by warders - now if I do come across as a sandal-wearing Grauniad reader, that is a no-no. The fact that people have been removed by 'society' is punishment itself is it not...we also come across meaty and 'sexy' stories about well known cons living it up in jails here and there - and more often than not, sex offenders being sneered by the same media who have been picked to go to psychiatric prisons - would you rather have a first-timer 16 year old boy treated the same way as the old lag, be he in for DUI, TDA, shoplifting...or having sex with girlfriend (who was a mere year younger than him). If warders feel the need to act like school bullies, then perhaps we shouldn't get too comfortable in our high-chair when the same cons either riot inside, or kick off outside?

Nice one thenickis...

Answer 6

I think prisons are too cushty (never been or intend to either) but do hear they are. I think prison is BS it's proven not to work. Give hard crinimals a uniform & send them to the front line with a gun (they're prob enjoy it) the enemy wouldn't mess with 'em why do you think they're locked up? Shoot 'em if they don't go over the top. Bring back the beleifs in the 1st World War be far less criminals. While for minor crimes don't think people should go to prison at all.

Answer 7

The prison system is at 130% we don't need to build more like others say. But we need to do it like in singapore. Cane the convicts that are in jail or prison do it once a month on National T.V. Give anyone in jail/prison 2 wacks for each month that they are sentenced. Then let every new convict get the same treatment. Don't send people to prison or jail for petty crimes just cane there *** and let them go. Sure they might repeat the crime, but it probably only takes twice before you realize that you don't want you *** turned into ground beef.

Answer 8

i believe it all depends on the crime, i have been to visit people in prison and it ain't like they make it out to be on the t.v, yes they do have t.v and pool tables, but in most prisons it's a 20 hour lock up, so lets say out of a thousand inmates how many of them would get to play pool in 4 hours... many of the mates get job's or study which is good for they come out better prepared for the outside world. you also have the nutter's screaming at night and no say in when you have a shower, the food is crap, and yes there is damp and cockroaches... that does not sound like a cushy life to me.... but like i said it all depends on the crime committed.. if you haven't paid your council tax this seems a little drastic..but if you killed this seems just.... it is hard inside but after some time inside the inmates just get use to it, which makes it seem like a normal everyday life when it's not.....

Answer 9

You could not be more wrong..
Sure it's easy to think that those who break the law should be kept apart from the "good" people, and essentially tortured. But 98% of those in jail, are released, and I ask you what happens when you torture an animal and then set it free? It is all the more terrible, and it causes ten times more problems.... It's the same for those released from these torture chambers you applaud, and call prisons.. Those people will be out, are getting out every day, and they will be looking to find you and your loved ones for payback.
So beware of wishing cruelty upon those you may not understand.

Answer 10

The problem that most Criminals face is a Socio-Economic one. So without Education and Employment what can you do. But City/County and all the way up to State or Federal Prison, should be Nasty and Hard-Core, to try to keep the Re-offenders numbers down. Then you get these Criminals that will Kill and commit Suicide so they don't have to go back. So there is no clear cut answer for this one. But in short yeah Prison should be NASTY.