do you thinkg that inmates have too many rights?

Answer 1

Is it a college student who was caught for possession of a dime bag of pot who is trying to use the internet for schoolwork while on the 'inside'?

Is it a hardened criminal with a ten page violent crime rape sheet caught for murder in the first degree who wants to use the internet to communicate with his/her criminal organization?

Is it a CEO or CFO who was caught for cooking the books where millions of people lost their life savings while he/she still has all the money they just robbed in a swiss bank account waiting for them when they get out that wants to use the internet for more stock trading?

I think its hard to classify 'inmates' in a huge group like that and have a single standard. There seems to be an assumption that inmate implies violent crime or the violation of someone else's rights or for that matter guilt in the first place. That's hardly always the case.

Answer 2

You may be surprised on the reasons WHY people are in prison.
There are people in prison who violated probation because they fought back from someone in self defense, or got pulled over by the police for a taillight being out. These are probation violations...not even lawbreaking rules. In NH there are 48% of inmates in prison for probation violations.

Some people are in prison because they beat up a guy who molested a child or drove without a license. These people are sentenced for 2 years or more sometimes. Some people are in prison because they cannot afford health insurance or drug rehabilitation and are sentence to prison because of 1st time drug offense. Instead of locking people up, how about if we look to identify the problem and work for a solution to fix the issue.

There is always the misconception of "freebies". Not everything is free. A person has their minimal basic needs met. 2 or 3 meals a day, a bed (in most cases), toilet and medical and dental care are fairly hard to obtain, but should be taken care of.

Each inmate is allowed a certain amount of money to have family and friends send to them and they can order soap, shampoo, Tylenol, deodorant, paper, pens, envelope, stamps, etc.

Inmates are also given privileges of going outside, using the gym to work out and watch TV, have visits and make phone calls.

However these privileges are taken away as forms of punishments as well. These things are not to be taken for granted.

Basically you sit, read, write, use the bathroom and eat. You are told when to do these things. It’s very basic and boring. It’s not supposed to be fun. I cannot imagine doing these things day in and day out for years at a time.

Many people in prison want to get out and straighten out their lives and be law abiding productive members of society again, and many are good people who made bad mistakes. One of the areas people over-look is prison's transitional and vocational programs.

But we do need laws and consequences if people break the laws. However, I feel they should try to match the punishment to fit the crime.

Answer 3

It depends on the prison and your perspective, but in general, I do not believe that is the case.

Health care is required under the Constitution (you have taken away their ability to obtain health care on their own, so it would be cruel and unusual to fail to provide a minimal level of care), so I won't address it here, but I will note that it is unfortunate that so much of the general population of this nation does not have health coverage.

What is oftentimes overlooked is that the priviledges that inmates obtain are useful for promoting the safety of prison workers, and reducing the costs of the prisons. For example, if inmates are allowed to purchase a small radio or television, they have an incentive to behave. Once they have a priveledge, it also gives them an incentive to behave, so they can keep it. This keeps guards safer.

Prisons have cable television because broadcast television generally does not reach the remote areas in which prisons are built. If there is going to be TV, it will be cable television, but none of the inmates will be watching pay-per-view or the Playboy channel.

Television has a pacifying effect. Inmates cooperating to watch television in a common room are less likely to riot, and require less guard supervision.

Access to education has a benefit to society. An inmate that is allowed to get a high school diploma (or able to pay for college courses) is more likely to be able to enter back into society when he or she is released. Most inmates are in for crimes that will eventually lead them to be released back into society. It is in society's interest to make sure that they are better able to earn a legitimate living.

Access to exercise equipment is also pacifying. Inmates that exercise and release their agression during exercise are less likely to take their agression out on guards or other inmates. This leads to safer prisons, an ability to reduce staff, and less cost.

Unless you want inmates to exit into society to be more dangerous when they went into prison, it is necessary to treat them with a degree of humanity, and to give them opportunities to better themselves.

Answer 4

Well, yes and no.
I'll all for providing ways to rehabilitate those who are good candidates for it, because it's cheaper than re-imprisoning...
However, yeah, some triple mudering rapist doesn't need Tivo.

And if they riot and kill each other over losses of their rights? Welll, mission accomplished, as the Chimp in Charge would say.....a couple dozen thousand less killers to feed 3 squares to a day...

Answer 5

Yes!!! Too many bleeding-heart-liberals think criminals should have access to most of the amenities we have on the outside. These inmates have infringed on the rights of another in the process of committing their crimes, so why should inmates have the right use a telephone (especially without strict supervision), watch the Super Bowl, etc. They are in prison for punishment; they violated someones rights and therefore should be required to forgo their own rights... PRISON IS FOR PUNISHMENT.

Answer 6

No. many times the punishment doesnt fit the crime. like getting a year in jail and being sexually assulted during your stay because you have a serious drug addiction you cant seem to curve. "i know someone who this happened to" not counting people who are wrongly accused, and ps, just because you break the law doesnt mean you are a bad person, many times it just means you were in a bad spot. Inmates need the same rights we do, and basically more because of their situation.

Answer 7

can you elaborate?
What rights? so far they have the rifght to get into prison fights, get murdered, and eat and sleep.

Yeah I think they deserve that.
But upon release, it is very hard for some one who has done time to find a respectable job. Not evryone in prison are cold blooded murderers.
What if you got raped and murdered, and your dad went out to find that guy, and brutally murdered him?

What right should your father have?


Or that beaten housewife that killed her abusive husband.
Yes they were in the wrong, they got punished, now the punishment is over, what right do these people, that were trying to defend themselves, or avenge their child, have?

Answer 8

Only at Gitmo and the Dems want to extend that.

Answer 9

Without a doubt.
Medical and Dental...well, ok...we have to take care of them. But seriously...cable tv, internet, extensive recreation rooms?
What kind of rights did they allow their victims to have?

Answer 10

yes i do. i think that they should be sent to Iraq and Afghanistan to fight.