do u think prisoners should be paid a wage while in prison?

Answer 1

ARE YOU HAVING A LAFF????

they are there to be punished not to be paid.


Do you think prisoners should not have burgled your house?

do you think they should have not murdered someones daughter?


do you think prisoners should not have sold drugs to the school kids?

do you think prisoners should have got a job like everyone else and earned a decent living?


Give me all the thumbs down you want, The prisoners that are IN THERE are there for a reason its because they are criminals and all you do gooders should focus your attention elsewhere. ITS a pile of CROC, HOW the hell can you teach a lesson if they are getting paid to work, a BRILLIANT university education and TV's.

Forgive me but I really thought prison was for punishment.

Answer 2

nice to see your all so decent and moral and have absolutely no understanding of Prison or the percentage of people incarcerated who shouldn't be or the families who are left struggling to send money to incarcerates.
No one person should work for below minimum wage - that is why a minimum wage level was set. There cannot be one rule for one and another rule for another.
And how about the rehabilitation factor? give incarcerates some self respect [ some don't understand that word] give them a goal to work towards - maybe the re offending rate would go down then. As it is, the Judge gives them a sentence and then the Prison service takes over with abuse and degradation. Think before you answer an important question.
You wouldn't go to work all day for a pittance why should they, its called double jeopardy

Answer 3

Absolutely. The income that prisoners can make is extremely low and is generally anywhere frum 7 dollars to 21 dollars every 2 weeks. It can get a bit higher depending upon the task but its rare. These 'jobs' are usually very labor oriented and eliminate the need for the state to hire a civilian or officer to perform the required task, thereby keeping operational costs much lower for the taxpayer. It is also a privelege and requires that the inmate be enrolled in school AND the rehabilitation classes/therapy that the courts and prison have deemed appropriate for the individual. Jobs are only made available to an inmate depending upon the severity of the crime that has put him there. For example a killer or a rapist will not be elligible to go out on the city/highway clean-up crew. Misbehavior or failure to complete rehabilitave programs can result in the loss of the 'job'. And the money 'earned' is also divided up. that 21 dollars every 2 weeks is not paid in full until court fines/surcharges and victim restitution (if any) are made. A percentage is removed each week and an inmate might actually only see 8 of that 21 dollars every 2 weeks until those fines are paid off. A percentage is also taken from ANY money the inmate might receive from family and friends as well. If those fines are still not paid at the time of release it becomes a condition of parole that the parolee work full time or enroll in school Full Time and make regular payments in addition to paying a monthly fee while on parole. (in NY anyway). Even the most severe inmates can get up to 7 cents a day doin nuthing and this is to encourage proper hygiene and for with which to buy postage stamps etc. which is also in place to help alleviate the financial burden that the families of the inmate are put in. If the inmate can somewhat support himself, he will be less inclined to put pressure for help on an already strapped for cash family due to his idiotic behavior that resulted in his incarceration. The pros and cons to the answers of this question are highly debatable, but it IS the prison sytem itself that has these jobs in place. I believe and trust that they know what works and what doesn't when the safety of the facility staff and surrounding community is their responsibility. Many inmates get out and go right back in, but if even one a day can get out and lead a productive life as a result of the punishment for his/her crime then its a success.

Answer 4

A period in prison should be similarly divided. Firstly, the punishment element should be prioritised. Restrictions on tobacco, association, easy entertainment (TV, computers, radio) - books should be allowed however.

Following the first phase, the convict should be made to come to terms with his crime, and the consequences of the crime on others. He should be shown films and videos of people who have been victims of similar crimes to his own. His nose should be rubbed in the dirt that he has created. He should be made to harrow Hell.

When he has emerged from this process, and has shown genuine contrition, then paid work could be useful. If nothing else, it will condition the inmate to the advantages of work - for ex

Answer 5

They are in prison to have their freedom removed, not to be treated as slaves. Also, if we want them to adhere to our social structures - including that you have to work and earn things rather than stealing them, then we have to expose them to such structures in a controlled environment.

Prisoners are only paid £10 a week and only those who have earned themselves the right to a job inside the prison by adhering to rules can have a job. The money doesn't come from the tax payer, it comes from the companies paying for the work to be carried out. Punishment only works when it is balanced with positive incentives and reinforcement.

Answer 6

Are you $hitting me! They're in there for a reason. Why would you pay them for serving time for a crime they committed? They already take up our tax dollars feeding and clothing them and providing them room and a bed to sleep on. They already are a drain on our economy. I say use the death penalty more frequently and free up some space so our streets aren't running over with criminals. Who are all of these idiots giving thumbs down to the people that say no? Do you like paying out the a ss in taxes so these dirtbag criminals can eat better than 80% of the worlds population? Why are people so ignorant? They're in prison for a reason. I don't care if they're first timers, repeat offenders, or career criminals. They DO NOT deserve to be payed, AT ALL! Does some guy that raped a 5 yr. old girl and f ucked her up for life deserve to be paid? Does some crack head that steals from hard working, law abiding citizens deserve to be paid, so when he gets out of prison he can go buy a bag of dope? What is wrong with todays society and morals? All you people that are giving thumbs down for us saying no, you need to pull your heads out.

Answer 7

If they are working then yes. They are in prison to have their freedom removed, not to be treated as slaves. Also, if we want them to adhere to our social structures - including that you have to work and earn things rather than stealing them, then we have to expose them to such structures in a controlled environment.

Prisoners are only paid £10 a week and only those who have earned themselves the right to a job inside the prison by adhering to rules can have a job. The money doesn't come from the tax payer, it comes from the companies paying for the work to be carried out. Punishment only works when it is balanced with positive incentives and reinforcement.

Crime and punishment is way too complex a subject to take such a black and white view of it. For an individual to have any chance of rehabilitation they need to learn how contribution to and return from everyday society operates.

It's all very well and good sitting in an ivory tower and demanding that prisoners be treated like cattle but without knowing the background story it's unwise to make such sweeping statements. Not all prisoners are murderers and rapists. Some have more complex stories than that.

It's a well known fact that many trials that get put in front of a jury are totally unpredictable and if an innocent person is convicted by a jury, there is little scope for them to appeal. The subject of perverse verdicts is a widely debated one - an example of this here. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/libertywatch/story/0,,578010,00.html

I think in life it's all too easy and unwise to point the finger and pass judgement from a safe distance in our glass houses but you shouldn't do that unless you have direct experience or have seen first hand how the system works.

Ok so you're pretty certain you'll never end up in prison but you couldn't be so sure that a friend, brother, sister, or other family member might not be so cautious with their actions. Would you take the same view still? If you're honest with yourself probably not.

Answer 8

at folsom prison model prisoners can get a job making 35 maybe 45 cents per hour. hardly a wage but it is an incentive to be a better person and with the money they make they can buy things they would not other wise get. not all prisoners are allowed this opportunity. just model prisoners (seems an oxymoron huh!) the prisoners will be on the streets soon and wouldn't it be nice if they were reformed? yup. and giving them opportunities is one small way to help them become so. they can leave with money in their pockets and the need to rob the first store they see for bus fair has been reduced. so they are not really geting a wage. just an incentive.

Answer 9

Imprisonment should fulfil three roles.

1. Punishment
2. Keeping the criminal out of society, so society can sleep in peace.
3. Education and rehabilitation.

A period in prison should be similarly divided. Firstly, the punishment element should be prioritised. Restrictions on tobacco, association, easy entertainment (TV, computers, radio) - books should be allowed however.

Following the first phase, the convict should be made to come to terms with his crime, and the consequences of the crime on others. He should be shown films and videos of people who have been victims of similar crimes to his own. His nose should be rubbed in the dirt that he has created. He should be made to harrow Hell.

When he has emerged from this process, and has shown genuine contrition, then paid work could be useful. If nothing else, it will condition the inmate to the advantages of work - for example, he should be able to spend some of his earnings on a few benefits for himself - tobacco additional to the prison ration, for example. The rest of the earnings should be saved up for him, so that when he is released, he will have some money to secure accommodation and feed himself until he gets a job.

No prisoner, on release, should be allowed to go on to benefits.The money they have earned in prison employment must be sufficient to keep them until they find employment. If, for any reason, they fail to secure a job, then the reasons for this failure should be strictly investigated. Bearing in mind that a lot of them will be released on conditional, failure to get a job should be a reason to return them to custody until the end of their sentence.

In the final analysis, once the crim has bust his chances by habitual recidivism, then a permanent billet needs to be found for this vagabond, in an iron coffin, with spikes on the inside.

Answer 10

Some prisoners are paid, some companys provide a prision and in return for the the building that they are cheap labor, which is horrible because that is taking away more jobs for honest workers.

It's actually kind of creepy of what companies do this, like Victorias Secret, wash that underwear first ladies!

Answer 11

prison is suppose to reeducate not punish criminals.

They are paid much much less then the minimum wage and need the money for when they get out of prison, or they are more likely to relapse into what they did before incarceration