How could we put our prisoners to better use?

Question

Prisons overflow and we foot the bill for their upkeep. Personally - I think they should be packed off into labour camps or thrown into the armed forces where they can at least pay back some of what they've already 'unlawfully' taken. What 'career' should reflect what type of crime?

Answer 1

Depends. Not all prisoners are the same. Some can be reformed. Some are people who have made 1 bad mistake, want to pay their debt to society and move on with a productive life. Then others - too many are repeat offenders who end up getting into trouble time and time again. The kinda guys who should have a revolving door on their prison cell because they are in and out of jail so much.
We need a better way of sorting out these prisoners. The ones who want help and want to change their lives and can be trusted we put to work in and out of the prison. Take them out to clean the streets and such. We give them training. Training so when they get out they can find a better job. When they do get out we help them help themselves. Help them find a job so they dont have to result back to a life of crime.
The others, the ones who have shown no morals and no intrest in ever changing...just lock them away and let them rot.
It does not help society any by locking away some guy for tax evasion with a murderer and considering them the same.

Answer 2

The armed forces are very choosy about the age and capabilities of new recruits, which rules out most of the prisoner population. I do agree that they need useful training and employment opportunities while in prison. Labour camps are only a feature of extreme governments such as Burma and the Gulags of the old Soviet regimes.

Answer 3

Chain gangs for 4 hours a day picking up litter around industrial estates and road verges in big orange jumper suits would be great!!!! but will never happen due to human rights of prisoners and not victims!!! No great left in britain

Answer 4

Prisoners that are not serving sentences for violent reasons should just lose their liberty and work in ordinary jobs and pay to support their families and the cost of their keep when they return to the prison at night and weekends (subject to their shifts) and that burden will not fall onto the taxpayer. If they are unemployed when arrested then any job that gets assigned to them.

Answer 5

I've got a few prisoners of my own and I get them to mow my lawn and collect salad veg. I keep getting mail from amnesty international but I don't open the letters.
All prisoners to be forced to be green grocerers (no hydroponics)

Answer 6

What about a "Big Prison Brother" house. All the crims are kept and have to perform tasks for our amusement and are rewarded with sex and drugs. When they are bad we punish them with starvation and beatings.
All the profits go to the producers but the crims have to raise enough to pay for their keep. ;0)

xxB

Answer 7

plenty of work, clearing up motorway verges, removing graffiti. Some of the worst prisoners should be used for experimentation ..... would save all those fluffy little bunnies being used in cigarette tests and, anyway, lots of prisoners smoke.

Answer 8

Labour camps yes,work the bastards 'til they drop,armed forces,no,the proffesional forces don't want or deserve s***e like this along side of them

Answer 9

I like the idea from the film "Soylent Green". Recycle them!
That way they at least would be self-supporting and self-sustaining for a little while until they self-exterminated!

Answer 10

Build roads