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July 20, 2007
A PRISON IS FOR HARD TIME!
by Jack Lee
I'm not saying prison is a cushy place to hang out, but things like weight training, law libraries, ethnic meals, observance of Wicken holidays, love letters to serial killers, prison marriages, smoke breaks, prisoners filing their own writs, tattoo artists, prisoner advocate groups gaining access to prisons for more prisoner rights, etc., they have just gone too far and the totality of it all is one big mess.
IMHO this contributes to high recidivism (return to prison), higher budget costs, higher risk for officers and ultimately it has to contribute to an overall loss of control. Over decades the convicts have created their own culture with their own rules and laws and that adds to crime inside and outside prison and makes rehab all but impossible. Imitating certain aspects of prison culture, like tattooing, gang association, slang, even body language, is considered very hip by inner city youth to kids in the burbs.
A prison's first priority is to isolate an offender in order to protect society. It's also a place of punishment where all Constitutional rights are surrendered, save for the right to humane treatment.
Prison is also a place for rehabilitation through improved job skills and education. Anything that conflicts or restricts these basic objectives doesn't belong in prison...period. Yet, here we have all sorts of "prisoner rights" and "prisoner privileges" that do just that! For example, we have weight lifting benches in all the prison yards. The weights and other gym items buff up these cons until they look like hulking monsters. A prison guard or police officer is going to get seriously hurt taking on one of these beefed up cons and it happens all the time, I know, I've been there and seen it. A strength training program for cons doesn't belong in prison anymore than lessons on knife fighting or karate training. Weights were a stupid idea from the start - better the cons come out looking like whimps than weightlifters.
A strength training program doesn't belong in prison anymore than lessons in knife fighting.
The court system is flooded with these legal writs from cons (aka jail house lawyers). In another example there have been hundreds of writs authored by just one con. I happened to read about him recently. He is doing life and he apparently has nothing better to do, so he trained himself with the prison law library to produce writ upon writs. This guy writes up a writ over mashed potato’s not served hot enough, writs for paint color not to his liking! It could be anything and everything and it's just to annoy the courts and pass the time at our expense. And according to law, each writ has to be addressed in Superior Court and that takes time, money and resources. It's bull too! If that's what the law says, then the law needs to be changed. This is absurd and too many prisoners are abusing this legal loophole !
What possible good purpose for society does a prison law library serve and at what cost?
Here's another suggestion worth considering. I think the prison blue clothing and those black watch caps are too macho and it sends the wrong message. The watch cap is almost a prison trademark or prison cultural statement. It helps hide an inmates identity should a problem breakout like a stabbing or fight and you have seen them being worn on the outside by just like cons do on the inside. From now on we should issue khaki clothing for low risk inmates and pink clothing for high risk or problem inmates and do away with all forms of head covers. They want to be bad...let them wear pink! Along this line of thinking are the prison tattoos. They are often gang identification or badges to show they have killed or knifed someone...who needs that kind of advertisement? It's counterproductive to good conduct. Its branding cons in way that they see themselves as violent men. Tattoos should be forbidden and all joint type tats removed. If they get new tats its extra time added to their sentence.
California has an average 51% return to prison within one to two years and that is just unacceptable. It means our system is not working.
No more catered ethnic meals and special treatment to facilitate some oddball religious practice or wacko holiday. There is only one historically recognized religion in prison and its Christian based. It's been that way ever since the first prisons were built on American soil and if that CHRISTIAN based religion isn't good enough, then they can do without. We shouldn't be so stupid as to allow the recruiting of future terrorists from our own prisons. A prison is not where you go to learn Jihad, Caribbean Voodoo or Wicken Witchcraft, but if prisoners want to read the Bible or attend a Christian based church that advocates peace and love, then I'm all for it. A religion that advocates Jihad against infidels is not welcome. However, we have seen that Christian ministry helps lower the violence and it can really help with the rehab part too. Many a bad guy was saved through Christ. This is very beneficial to him and society, but anything else that obstructs this effort is not needed nor wanted.
"Our nation has set a new record: The highest rate of incarceration in the world. According to the Department of Justice, the U.S. prison and jail population grew by 2.7 percent last year, placing a record number of Americans (2,193,798) behind bars. An unprecedented 7 million people—one in every 32 Americans—were either "behind bars, on probation, or on parole by the end of last year."
Whenever possible, a prison should have ample acreage to raise vegetables and fruit to significantly offset the cost of prisoner feeding. It's healthy for the prisoners to work on a farm and it would save taxpayers a ton of money. Same goes for prison clothing; they can make their own clothes and again save taxpayers money.
If you think I am being mean for the sake of mere punishment, better think again. Shorter, harsher sentences can result in lower recidivism and that's where we need to focus. We need the prison room and we don't need the crime. If we can get compliance by shorter, tougher sentences I am willing to try it! Look around the world and see what works and what doesn't, don't rely on some Ivory Tower study done by academics basing it all on theory! Look at what works and what doesn't, let’s learn from those examples!
The bottom line here is, we need to run a no nonsense prison system like a boot camp, where people are taught the discipline they lacked that got them busted in the first place. Prisons are becoming too soft and some are more like a resort than prison. No, I'm not exaggerating. Do you not know that some prisons in California have tennis courts? Look, if that was working for us, I would be the first to say lets start building tennis courts for every prison, but it's not working, it's ridiculous. Recidivism is too high and all the associated crime that goes with it is getting worse! Like I said, one of the main priorities of a prison is for punishment that acts as deterrence. Hold that thought...prison and punishment, is for DETERRENCE!
"WASHINGTON — The number of inmates in U.S. prisons likely will rise nearly 13% during the next five years, costing states up to $27.5 billion in new operating and construction expenses, according to a new analysis by the Pew Charitable Trusts."
A prison is not a place to kick back or learn how to be a better criminal. Nor is it a place to practice hip-hop prison culture where cons swagger around acting like rappers and bad asses just like they did on the outside. Prison is not a place to get reunited with their old gang pals or become new gang members as they continue their old bad habits in the joint. No, all that should end! And it will end if and when we decide to regain control of our prisons.
Prisoner identity or affiliation is tied closely to race and gangs and that has contributed to violence inside and outside the prison system. Did you know that California is considered to be the birthplace of many of the country's most powerful gangs, such as Nuestra LaFamilia, Black Gorilla Family (the BGF's), Vickiestown, FOB's, the Aryan Brotherhood (AB's) and Mexican Mafia? How could we let this get so far out of control? And now we are really paying for it, aren't we?
This proposed reform is just a start in the right direction as far as I am concerned. It barely begins to do what is needed, but you can bet that prisoners and the ACLU won't like it and we'll have a fight on our hands to take back control. So I say... tough, let em, we can handle it. We have to, or we can watch this situation spiral out of control -and time is not on our side here folks! We're already 200% overcrowded in prisons and outside prison we have a cultural movement fostered by the hip-hop, rap, gang banger wannabees who think the joint is kinda cool. It's not the deterrence it should be because it's not that bad on the inside, you got your homies, your gangs, drugs, sex and whatever else your perverted heart desires. And that is because what we are doing is NOT working and that ought to be obvious to anyone.
However, before I close please remember this one thing, nothing in this article is advocating any unreasonably harsh or cruel treatment. This is about being strict for sure, but not about being inhumane. Quite the opposite. I'm only suggesting a level of discipline that will insure safety for both the inmates and those that supervise them. That's called order. It is the kind of order that is known to every American that has served in our military. If it was good enough for them, it ought to be good enough for our convicts. What do you think?
Posted by Post Scripts at July 20, 2007 07:39 AM
Comments
Jack,
I agree with you and have always felt prison time should be hard time. I loved it when Tim Leslie introduced the bill to ban smoking in prisons. It stuck democrats in a tough spot between their hatred of tobacco and their love of convicts.
My one caveat about hard time in prison is this: Prisoners should be treated, and should be forced to behave, like civilized men and women. Too often we send animals into these pens where they spend their time and come out behaving even worse. Currently if we send one in who's mellow the mean ones brutalize them and turn them into equally violent monsters. It needs to stop.
We should force order and civility into their brains until they come looking like crosses between a butler and a marine officer. Every last word out of their mouths should be sir or ma'am. Ghetto language should be banned in prisons.
Granted, if we force manners on them and they come out speaking clear English, they'll suddenly have an advantage in the job market over most of the kids coming out of the public school system. If people object to this, fine, I say we outsource our prisons to Afghanistan, as those people really need to work and the time spent there would definitely be hard time.
Posted by: Dane Langston at July 20, 2007 03:58 PM
Thank you Dane. I'm really glad you understood what I was saying here.
I'm not trying to be sadistic and create more evil, I'm trying to bring order to disordered lives.
I would use any method I could, short of torture, to turn lives around and create productive citizens that can live and work in society safely. However, the only tool that I have seen consistently work is military-like discipline.
To achieve a feeling of respect one must act respectfully. It's conditioning for being civilized. Rules, order, understanding, education, cooperation and mutual respect is the begining to a whole new attitude and lifestyle change. If they want to come out good Christians too, then that's a real bonus!
Posted by: Jack at July 20, 2007 05:23 PM
The bottom line here is, we need to run a no nonsense prison system like a boot camp, where people are taught the discipline they lacked that got them busted in the first place.
Absolutely!!!
I like the boot camp idea...especially for young and for first time non-violent criminals. These represent the best shot at rehab toward a productive life. Once again though, it should be structured and difficult and represent an opportunity that remains available only for those who continue to move in a positive direction. The hard core guys (and girls) don't deserve more than a cell, a cot, a toilet and sink, meals and an hour of sunshine. I'd give them piped in educational radio or tapes...no TV. Music would be classical if anything. If this simple life is good enough for certain religiopus guys without being considered inhumane it's gotta be good enough for criminals.
The pink works for me...something that is earned through stupid behavior and choices.
Coddling just inspires natural scorn in people. Why would a criminal respect or honor those who reward their bad behavior? And why would they bother to change anything about how they live?
I like the word consequence even more than punishment. Some will feel like they are being punished but most won't...I think they can get the concept of consequence...it's not emotional. When you hammer your finger it will hurt. If I take a loaded gun, hold it to my temple and pull the trigger I will absolutely do great damage to myself...the terrible consequence of my choice and my action.
This is how life is designed to work...for every decision we make. When we interfere in this natural system of justice by making consequences a walk in the park in our prisons we interfere with important life lessons...a stupid thing to do and something that is a diservice to the person who should be learning his lesson.
Prison should be hard...a place where you never want be and if you are, you certainly never want to go back. Our prisons are like little cities with lots of fun, entertaining and helpful amenities..."free" school, medical, dental etc. It's nuts and it's not my idea of adequate consequences, especially for such things as murder, robbery, rape and kidnapping/child molestation.
It's not the deterence it should be because it's not that bad on the inside, you got your homies, your gangs, drugs, sex and whatever else your perverted heart desires.
Yep, Convict City...the criminal's paradise!
Prisoners should be treated, and should be forced to behave, like civilized men and women.
Dane, This is nearly an impossible task with some...but you are absolutely right. I like the image of a butler/marine!
Posted by: Tina at July 20, 2007 11:31 PM
Prisons are a industry. They make money for investors and the building and food service industries.No more no less.
Posted by: marc devaraux at July 21, 2007 09:45 AM
I would love to see the people who think prisons are too soft, incarcerated for a week or two. I think they would change their minds. The prisons are money makers for the powerfull prison guard group, anyone in the construction industry and the hugely profiable prison service industry.These are money generators for investors, wonder why we lock up so many people? Profit, not punishment.
Posted by: marc deveraux at July 21, 2007 09:50 AM
Marc I won't argue that the cost of building a prison, it's is way too high and we can thank unions and democrats pushing this so-called fair wage law on us. Nor will I defend the Prison Guard Union, it's incredibly powerful and again the Democrats love their unions. But, I can't bring myself to even think we are putting people in prison because prison's are money makers for a few special interests and I don't think you really believe this either...you're probably just mad at this system just like I am.
Most folks would agree that we put people in prison because they have done a very bad thing. And some of us recognize that these same people had to do bad things fairly often to make it there. I'm basing that claim on the statistical facts anyone can dig up and on my former up close and personal experience as a police officer and a police detective.
Research shows that the average con in prison has committed about 40 felonies before he finally got himself into the big house. That's a lot of crime from one guy!
This fact would come as a big shock to most people because a Felon's REAL history is often hidden from view.
Across the USA 90% of criminal dispositions within the system don't show up without a conviction. Instead, we have this hazy view of an offender only after he is finally arrested (almost never on his first offense) to his final disposition through plea bargaining and successful trial and that doesn't provide us with the whole story.
To get into prison it generally takes some real personal effort on the part of the criminal and that's a fact. Now that doesn't mean that there is not a lot of room for improvement on who we send to the prisons and how we handled them once they are there!
Posted by: Jack at July 21, 2007 12:54 PM
Gee guys, why does the fact that many people are there for drugs, mostly non-violent people. Many of these are serving more time for possesion than people who have killed someone. Treatment and legalization of personal use amounts is the only answer.And the prison system is a money maker. Look at the profits of just the food service industry, 50% a year increase, better than Haliburton.Open the doors, keep only violent felons in jail for as long as needed.The boot camp idea is a proven failure, forget it.
Posted by: marcdeveraux at July 21, 2007 01:49 PM
Marc, try some of these facts on and see how they feel:
53% of the growth in our prison population is due to violent crimes and 51% of the current population is for violent crime. Which is not to say that non-violent crime is just petty crime. Not at all and these crimes are often associated with violent crime. Many a violent criminal has been taken off the streets using a non-violent law, look at Al Capone..tax evasion!
About 1/5th of the California prison population is in for a drug offense. However, most of those were drug trafficking, not merely drug taking...big difference. In some countries like Singapore, Malaysia, China, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Indonesia, etc., drug dealers are executed!
And Marc...you might want to re-think what A STRICT PRISON concept means. Don't just grab a label like "boot camp" and assume the rest, know what you are talking about, because it goes far beyond boot camp and it requires some real indepth research to appreciate the results.
For one example, here's what Sheriff Joe Arpaio has done under the "boot camp" theory:
'...Sheriff’s get tough policies. For example, he banned smoking, coffee, movies, pornographic magazines, and unrestricted TV in all jails. He has the cheapest meals in the U.S. too.
The average meal costs about 15 cents, and inmates are fed only twice daily, to cut the labor costs of meal delivery. He even stopped serving them salt and pepper to save tax payers $20,000 a year.
Another program Arpaio is very wellknown for is the pink under shorts he makes all inmates wear. Years ago, when the Sheriff learned that inmates were stealing jailhouse white boxers, Arpaio had all inmate underwear dyed pink for better inventory control.
The same is true for the Sheriff’s handcuffs. When they started disappearing, he ordered pink handcuffs as a replacement. And later, when the Sheriff learned the calming, psychological effects of the color pink—sheets, towels, socks— everything inmates wear, except for the old-fashioned black and white striped uniform, were dyed pink.
Arpaio has started another controversial program, the website WWW.MCSO.org, so that all those arrested (about 300 per day) are recorded on the Sheriff’s website as they are booked and processed into jail. Just under a million hits daily come into the website, making it one of the most visible law enforcement sites on the World Wide Web.
In addition to these tough measures, the Sheriff has launched rehabilitative programs like “Hard Knocks High,” the only accredited high school under a Sheriff in an American jail, and ALPHA, an anti-substance-abuse program that has greatly reduced recidivism.
No wonder Sheriff Arpaio has been profiled in over 2,000 U.S. and foreign newspapers, magazines, and TV news programs. His leadership and the excellent work of his staff have catapulted the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office into the ranks of elite law enforcement agencies."
Thanks for your comments Marc, but I think you have been misinformed about a lot of things and my guess is you are also young and just haven't had a chance to see enough real life yet. Tina and I have...so don't be afraid to take a little wisdom from your elders. If you are older than us, well, ...don't be afraid to up your meds, maybe that will bring you back to reality!
Posted by: Jack at July 21, 2007 03:41 PM
Prisons are a industry. They make money for investors and the building and food service industries.No more no less.
People in the building trade build things to make money...surprise surprise! They are productive people who add to society by providing jobs, adding to the tax base, creating a useable product...and they pay their own way. It would be ignorant to break even...make zero money..work for free...because it would benefit no one and add to the burden of society.
Drug dealers make money selling "product" to often very unproductive people: people who commit crimes, people who are a drain on society, people who negatively effect the lives of others, people who cost the public a lot of money in terms of law enforcement, medical and other services like "prisons." These are not innocent people, whether user or dealer.
I would love to see the people who think prisons are too soft, incarcerated for a week or two. I think they would change their minds.
It's fascinating to me that you think a persons "experience" should have anything to do with how tough the system should be. We don't incarcerate people so they can have a nice or pleasant experience. We incacerate them to remove them from society for a period of time. Ideally the experience would discourage further criminal activity.
These are money generators for investors, wonder why we lock up so many people? Profit, not punishment.
This is just plain stupid. Investors can make money anywhere...if criminals went away it wouldn't matter one wit to investors. Pull your head out and learn a few things about how life works...even you might make a "profit" instead of counting on someone else to pay your way in life...I would bet you are a lot smarter than you sound.
...people are there for drugs, mostly non-violent people. Many of these are serving more time for possesion than people who have killed someone.
I would agree that people who kill others (and people who commit other heinous crimes) are getting off way too easy. I would doubt very seriously if possesion is the only reason for a paerson's incarceration. I would bet that charge is accompanied by numerous contempt charges for failure to appear, failure to pay fines, driving without a license, etc. Responsibile behavior is not something these guys can claim.
Treatment and legalization of personal use amounts is the only answer.
I don't know how old you are so I don't know if your perspective includes what I'm going to say next, but we've been rehabing people for years...it doesn't work well unless and until the person chooses to stop...and they can make that choice any time they want. The biggest lie in the world is that people are helpless. There was no big drug problem before the sixties...it was considered dangerous, stupid and something that would ruin your life. It was illegal and that was enough because everyone knew that "illegal"...breaking the law...meant suffering dire consequences...and nobody (very few compared to today) wanted to go to prison!!! Family and societal discouragement was BIG!
Look at the profits of just the food service industry, 50% a year increase
Do you have even the slightest clue what this means? Do you have any idea how a company or industry gets "increased" profits? Do you have any idea what happens to those profits or why it's good for you that they continue to do well? Get an education and then we'll talk profits.
The boot camp idea is a proven failure, forget it.
I would love to hear how you know this to be true...are you willing to back this statement up with some information and stats?
Posted by: Tina at July 21, 2007 03:55 PM
Sorry, I kind of skimmed this post. But I can answer one question Marc asked, why are so many people in prison for possession?
It was my experience, that diversion programs were grossly misused by prosecutors as well as defense attorneys. Dealers were being allowed to plead to possession, rather than possession for sales, avoid jail time and go to a class, that taught them that the product, they probably didn't use anyway, wasn't good for them.
This allowed them to stay on the street and continue to sell, while it allowed DA's to take credit for a conviction, and Public Defenders to take credit for a Charge reduction.
(If you don't think this is important to them, watch em when they run for an office)
Once you have several of these convictions on your record however, you are going to do some time. Even possession of say, Cocaine, is still a felony.
Don't think that because you see people doing time for what you classify as a non-violent crime, that the majority of the people doing the time are non-violent themselves.
One definite by-product of the three strikes law, at least initially, was that the murder rate in LA dropped. While politicians love to take credit and say it was midnight basketball or whatever. The fact was that a lot of shooters were in prison for lesser crimes which made their third strike.
Anyway, from my point of view, Narcotics is not a non-violent crime. And the biggest supporters of it are casual users, believe me, there are a lot more of them, than there are of the hardcore users. I won't say anymore about that.
That statistic is thrown around a lot, like the inordinate amount of minorities in prison for violent crimes. I would like to see some research on the crimes the respective minorities are in prison for. It was my experience that for every minority suspect or suspects, there was/were minority victim or victims.
Again, I skimmed this briefly in between doing work. If I re-hashed something already addressed, I apologize.
Prison should be hard time. Unfortunately for the most hardcore in our society, it is not, and to Jack initial point we should do what ever it takes to make it a punishment, we should do.
It would go far in reducing the number of repeat offenders, and probably save some of those who are on the edge.
"Punishment realized is far more affective than punishment threatened."-A Father
Posted by: John Freitas at July 21, 2007 07:22 PM
We need a whole lot more of this:
"Punishment realized is far more affective than punishment threatened."-A Father
Thanks John.
Posted by: Tina at July 21, 2007 08:44 PM
Sorry, my brain must have fritzed. That should have read, "to Jack's original point, we should do whatever we have to, to make prison a punishment."
Posted by: John Freitas at July 21, 2007 09:58 PM