The Prison System...

[The Patryn]

I saw a program on TV the other night about a jail in Arizona, which just so happens to be the harshest jail in the USA. In this prison, the convicts sleep in WWII tents, rain or shine. They have one of those rock-breaking chain things every day, and many more similar excercises. They get fed only 2 meals a day. Bread and water for both. A dollar and two cents is spent on each dog's meal per day, ninety cents on the convict's.

I thought this, was the way to run a prison. I'm sick of jails where they stick in the convicts and everyone goes "Oh, but they're human beings too! We must feed them nice food and make sure they live in comfort!" I'm just sick of it. We waste so much money on taxes here in Canada to feed our prisoners, and they don't deserve any of it. I'd really prefer that all the murderers, rapists and kidnappers starve, but I guess this is as close as it gets.

What do you guys think about the prison system where you live? What would your ideal prison system be? What do you think of the above system?

[Chickensoupcheese]

I've heard use the argument that Capital Punishment is good, because it's more economical: tax payer's money goes into the Prison system, and this would be saved if we killed more than we incarcerated. As you've just said, the reason why lots of tax payer's money is going into these systems is because they're being pampered, really.

I am against Capital Punishment, as I believe that Prison systems, when set up correctly, have been in the past, and should be much more effective. Sure, Capital Punishment is a permanent deterrent, but it doesn't give the guy (or guyette, for the politically correct out there) any chance of thinking over what they've done, or any chance to improve upon themselves. In addition, if you were a mass murderer, and were caught, and were given the choice of a lifetime in jail, or a quick jab to put you out in minutes, which would you be more likely to go for? When we get tied up in Capital Punishment, in the media, the murderers become the victims, and the actual people who were murdered are forgotten about.

A slight move off territory, but anyway: the people who go to prison are sick, because they've comitted a sick crime. Therefore, in my opinion, should be treated accordingly. Whilst even with 2 meals a day, or so, it is still using taxpayer's money, but then again, so are other services that aren't always appreciated (the NHS in the UK, for example ).

Prison systems are too soft. The one in Arizona sounds as if the people are having a hard time, and that's what they should be having. I still think that a tough prison system is going to make people see the prisoners as sick people, as opposed to martyrs of Capital Punishment and the like.

[Maxy]

There are some problems with this idea. Firstly, Chicken, people who commit crimes are not sick. Even murderers can have perfectly sane motives for doing what they have done (I'm sure you were referring to those who commited the most heinous crimes anyway ).

Secondly, sending the worst elements of society to a living hell, somewhere that you have to be the very strongest to survive and then letting them OUT is only breeding some sort of super criminal built like a brick nuts-house. And to cap it off these guys are going to be VERY pissed off when they do get out.

I do not think that the prison system works. I do not believe many people are reformed. If a man has to resort to a life of crime in the first place, he must be a very desperate person, or crime is all he knows. Once out of prison, things are worse than before. Crime will be the only option for these people.

"If you were a mass murderer, and were caught, and were given the choice of a lifetime in jail, or a quick jab to put you out in minutes, which would you be more likely to go for?" - really, this shouldn't be an issue. If I had killed someone, capital punishment failed to deter me. Capital punishment is not only a means of detering the most 'evil' crime known to man, but an effective way of removing the perpetrator from society. Whether I choose prison or lethal injection, as far as the public is concerned I am no longer an issue and hence my decision is irrelevant.

[Chickensoupcheese]

Yeah, I have a habit of referring to the more violent people in society. Obviously, I wouldn't want for someone who comitted tax fraud to get this kind of treatment. My previous ideas were based on the people that would be locked up in this Arizona prison. Chances are that the prison sentence for these types of crimes would be longer than their life expectancy, so unless there's a breakout, there wouldn't be too much of a risk.

Every case should be treated on its own merits, and yes, there may be justifiable (to a certain extent) reasons for killing someone, or it could even be a spur of the moment type situation. However, the kind of people who commit these types of crimes aren't gonna be as strong, or strong-minded as some of the more gruesome affairs, and there's a fair chance of them severely regretting what they've done, and not doing anything similiar. They may not have even needed reform, but they've had their punishment. Of course, as you say, there's always a chance of it going the other way, but I'd need to get my hands on some sort of data to back things up before I could reach a more solid conclusion (which I have no clue how to find ^_^).