Prison Conditions

POSH PRISONS

I was privy to a tour of local prison recently. I was amazed at the efficiency of these facilities. And the ingenuity of the prisoners. They can make tattoos and wine with what little they can find. So many people voice concerns that the prisoners are treated to lightly. I beg to differ. To be understood, prisoners do not sit around all day watching cable television. There is a set amount of free time, usually a couple of hours a day at the most. There are a number of reasons that prisons should be clean, safe, and at least bearable.

HUMANE

Lets face it, it is downright unethical to confine people to substandard situations. Even if you don't care about the individuals, most people care about humanity as a whole. Is it really right to dehumanize someone because of a crime they have committed. I might also ass that our criminal justice system is not perfect, no matter how hard it may try. The only thing that separates a criminal from yourself is the conviction of a crime.

SAFETY
The first concern is the safety of the employees at the facility, as well as the prisoners and the public at large. Certain conditions lead to riots and other nasty situations.

To put it simply, idle hands are a devil's plaything. A bored prisoner has nothing better to do but contemplate escape or riot. A person with nothing to lose is willing to do anything. If there are no privileges for prisoners, then there is no reason to try to improve your behavior.

Cleanliness is a health issue. If a prison, or homeless population, is not allowed to keep clean, than viruses and bacteria are allowed to breed and mutate before spreading to the general population.

LIBRARIES
I have heard dissatisfaction with the expensive law libraries in the prisons. I view this as a minority opinion, but feel it should be addressed. A prison law library is where Gideon v. Wainwright came from. This is the court case that required state courts to provide public defenders for those who couldn't afford an attorney.

CONCLUSION
I feel it is in the best interest of society to educate individuals about the consequences of crimes and other alternatives to creating rather than increasing sentencing or creating harsher prisons. A sentence of life without parole does not prevent crime if the person is unaware of the possible sentence.