We have more people(as a percentage of population) imprisoned than any other advanced nation in the world. Now that they hire private companies to man and operate the prisons the incentive is to hold prisoners longer and lock up more. Why don't we dress them in work clothes every morning, take them to places where mowing, maintenance and dirty labor are required and when they're released not expect them back. Oh...that would make too much sense and big corporations would lose one of their favorites. I might mention that the prisoners would get behind on their favorite TV news channels and soap operas too.
That would be beneath their dignity. You would be surprised at the amount of people that would be screaming cruel and unusual punishment. Others would equate it to slave labor. When I grew up, where I am from prisoners did do a lot of work. But the soft hearts have won the day.
For one, the Unions would scream to high heaven about it taking Union jobs. And two, Prisons are big business with their own lobbying efforts which is a primary reason we have such high prison populations. Always follow the money.
We should end the war on drugs and reestablish the Works Progress Administration. The remaining prisoners should be forced into the WPA and should be given the choice of whether or not to continue working after their release. This would shrink our prison population, fix our infrastructure and help reduce recidivism rates.
You know, a little Gold Bond power might help you feel better. I think the commercials for it even mentions that it soothes and comforts extreme cases of Red-A$$ - - - Updated - - - Exactly, the people who knew him best, wanted him the least. At least Bush won Texas.
Prisons like the war on drugs is a corporate institution created by the corporate sock puppets known as government. IOW as long as people can be bamboozled into believing prisons are for their own good and it can be done on their (billions) dime, prisons will be exactly what they are today. Corporate welfare.
How about we at least make a token effort to stay on topic for a few pages? The american prison system actually promotes higher recidivism rates, because that's return customers for the prisons. This is insane. How can you leave prisons up to greedy corporations? You have people in charge of prisons who actively want the inmates to be as maladjusted as possible so that they'll be in prison for as long as possible, and all this is on the government dime.
You know what I find even more ridiculous? The fact that your country's maximum security prisons are more luxurious than some hotel rooms I've seen.
There you go. If the people of your home state who know you best reject you, you shouldn't be president. If you win, you are relying on strangers whom one can easily pull the wool over their eyes. I never trusted Romney and I never trusted Gore either. Perhaps that is why I didn't vote for either.
Too bad the thesis of your post isn't true. The privatized prison population has been going down. http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cpus13.pdf The corporate world is realizing it's not a good profit center. In addition, the overall new prison admissions is going down--we aren't imprisoning as many new criminals as we used to (see table 1, document below). In fact, our prison population is at the lowest level it has been since 2003 (See Figure 1, document above) http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p12tar9112.pdf - - - Updated - - - Prison population has been decreasing since 2008 or so. We are at the lowest prison population since 2003.
I hope because prison population is going down that does mean I need to "arm" myself better? ...actually to play it safe I think I'll go shopping this weekend. Getting low on ammo as well!
California's prison population has been decreasing for one reason, a federal court ordered the state to reduce over crowding. http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Court-gives-California-2-years-to-lower-prison-5221828.php http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/...-s-prison-population-reduction-is-6052893.php
Not going to stick to the topic for anything in the world, are you? Your attempt at derailing the topic is duly noted and duly ignored.
I'm a life long fan of Franklin Roosevelt even though I voted Republican from Eisenhower to Reagan's first term. I think the Republican's fight against spending anything except for wars 10,000 miles away which they declare and send other people's kids to fight will ultimately do one of two things 1) Bankrupt the nation 2) Bring about full scale revolution.
I'm not a big fan of Roosevelt (he was an above average president), but the Works Progress Administration was a good idea. The only problem is that today's federal government could never manage it efficiently.
The reason.....corporations and the wealthy control everything. The biggest mistake this country has ever made is when the supreme court ruled that a corporation is the same thing as a man. HORSE(*)(*)(*)(*)!!!
Perhaps because the justice system isn't a jobs program. I don't think you're really being serious here. There are plenty of problems with the justice system, but giving criminals work clothes and dropping them off at construction sites seems to be a bit lacking in details as to why this might result in those convicts saying what the hell, and asking the foreman if there are any jobs available.
