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170 Comments
- Bloodwine, on 07/06/2009, -7/+81My solution to overcrowded prisons:
Have a once a month combat tournament (to the death). The winner gets a month supply of smokes, and the loser frees up some prison space.
Televise it and use proceeds to fund the prisons. - MattM0914, on 07/05/2009, -10/+73This is ridiculous.... I'm all for locking up violent criminals, but that's just not what is going on in our prisons. I'd be willing to bet a majority of these prisoners are there for nonviolent drug related crimes.
It's time to stop this drug war nonsense. - TheJimid, on 07/05/2009, -3/+62Well the people that work there sure love it. Nothing like some overtime to pad the wallet. The prison guard union was a major funder against Prop 5 in California last year that would of led to the release of a lot of non-violent offenders.
- dissolutionman, on 07/06/2009, -9/+63Legalize it.
- Presbyterian, on 07/06/2009, -0/+50I think the Romans figured that one out....
- DontThinkSo, on 07/06/2009, -4/+46I went to visit my dad in jail the other day (caught with a few ounces of hash in his car, now he's serving 6 months). All of the prisoners looked like normal people, like the people you might see working at your local supermarket; not the hardened things you see in movies.
- AmnesiacJack, on 07/06/2009, -3/+39They deal with it by building more prisons and stealing more tax payer money and they do it with a straight face.
- DigitalKid215, on 07/06/2009, -4/+37How about we stop locking up people for victim-less crimes and giving them more time than a child abuser. Then we can have more space for people who really are a stain on society.
- whatit, on 07/06/2009, -1/+25A murderer isn't a non-violent offender.
- FKnight, on 07/06/2009, -3/+241) Stop Releasing Rapists and Murderers early because prisons are overcrowded.
2) Stop overcrowding prisons with people who like to smoke a doob after work.
3) ?????
4) Profit. - PoleCatz, on 07/06/2009, -1/+20How much do you want to bet Michigan is going to farm out these California prisoners as prison labor (http://www.michigan.gov/msi/0,1607,7-174-23878-654 ... Either that, or for-profit prisons in Michigan plan to make a buck off of them.
Prisoners are big business in America, which is why increasingly everything you do or say on the net can land you there for 5 years or more.
The good news: American corporations have a plan to compete with Chinese labor!
The bad news: You're going to be sent to prison as part of that plan. - snapcase, on 07/06/2009, -4/+22***** Granholm.
Sorry but she's done wonders to ***** michigan up and still got reelected to ***** our state up even further.
Now that I got that out of my system... It's amazing how overcrowding wouldn't be a problem if we'd stop locking up non violent offenders for victimless crimes. - geoboy, on 07/06/2009, -1/+19Two words: Soylent Green.
- cawfee, on 07/06/2009, -1/+18Schindler's List.
- TheSkunkMonkey, on 07/06/2009, -0/+15Prisoners are a commodity. They are cheap labor for the prison industry. They want non-violent offenders because they are easier to house and less likely to cause problems when put to work.
Until we stop allowing prisons to be run as for profit businesses, it will continue to ensnare people who have no business being there in the first place. - diggduggjoe, on 07/06/2009, -1/+16Amen brother. Stop the drug war. Stop warring against our brother and sisters. Stop trampling our rights to stop people from victimless crimes.
The worst you can say about drug use is it leads to property crime and prostitution. However, with drugs being legal, the prices would drop and such activities would not be needed. I do not know too many cigarette whores out there. Well, not until the next round of sin taxes.
As for driving while intoxicated, we have laws for that. If our civilization can survive booze, then it can handle dope. - inactive, on 07/06/2009, -6/+20here is a simple answer to stop prison over crowding, legalize marijuana, simple as that
- inactive, on 07/06/2009, -2/+15Prisons in America are warrens of anti-social, mentally damaging behavior. Those who are (rightfully) sentenced deserve to do the time, yes, but they also deserve not to be corralled into gangs, rape, and violent behavior. Department of *Corrections*? Hardly.
- PoleCatz, on 07/06/2009, -0/+12Hahaha this is the ultimate scam! Lock up Americans by the millions, ship them to prisons in India, have them work as slave labor over there and send the profits back to American corporations! You're a god-damned GENIUS!
- marx2k, on 07/06/2009, -0/+11United Kingdom: 85.5517 per 1,000 people
United States: 80.0645 per 1,000 people
Not really overwhelming. of course, when you look at violent crimes, such as...
Murder..
United States: 0.042802 per 1,000 people
United Kingdom: 0.0140633 per 1,000 people
Assaults
United States: 7.56923 per 1,000 people
United Kingdom: 7.45959 per 1,000 people
Rapes:
United States: 0.301318 per 1,000 people
United Kingdom: 0.142172 per 1,000 people
Stats gotten from Nationmaster - craznar, on 07/06/2009, -4/+15What do you expect when you have 1 in every 100 of your population in prison... omg USA - get a clue.
- jm5chn, on 07/06/2009, -0/+11Oh noes, if all the prisoners are gone, where will we get our vanity car plates!
- marx2k, on 07/06/2009, -3/+13Why not?
- jaxter2010, on 07/06/2009, -0/+10Singles become doubles, doubles become triples....sounds like college dorms to me.
- inactive, on 07/06/2009, -7/+16Yes. Make it all legal.
- GoKings, on 07/06/2009, -4/+13Don't put so many people in prison and you won't have a problem with overcrowding prisons.
- elektronjunge, on 07/06/2009, -0/+9best caption ever
- SkippyBiffles, on 07/05/2009, -6/+14They don't.
- marx2k, on 07/06/2009, -0/+8So in your alternate dimension, keeping people in prison doesn't eat up tax dollars like Pac-Man?
- ProfessorRiffs, on 07/06/2009, -0/+7IVI3, how does it feel to not have a single ***** clue?
- diggduggjoe, on 07/06/2009, -0/+7@whatit, exactly! Why is a convicted murderer being housed in a local jail where he can just walk out the door for the work release prisoners, the true non-violent offenders. That prisoner should have been in a real prison with multiple layers of security such as an outer perimeter with barbed wire..
I am not condoning moving inmates around. They can escape from the transportation services just as easily. We must get all non-violent drug offenders out of jail and use the prisons for murderers, rapists and robbers. - TVarmy, on 07/06/2009, -0/+6You may think that, but from the utilitarian standpoint, what's better for society? That we satisfy our primal urges for vengeance, or that we reform a criminal so that he will not commit crimes when he is released, rather than the current system which hardens and dehumanizes criminals? And we can't afford to keep every criminal in jail for all time, nor do all crimes merit such a sentence. Prison should be about separating criminals from society and teaching them how to function as productive citizens when they are released (excluding life sentences, such as murders).
So much of the dialog on crime seems to be justified with "BUT THEY DESERVE IT!" The fact is that the penal system is a public service, and we need it to function effectively and efficiently. We need to go with what works, rather than what feels good to us. - TVarmy, on 07/06/2009, -0/+6The problem is that a broken penal system means that people who can't function in society often end up breaking the law again because the odds are stacked against them finding a job and leading a legitimate life or they simply don't know how to take advantage of the right opportunities. This means people with small offenses may end up returning to prison repeatedly over the course of their lives, so you're paying to keep them fed and housed for the rest of their lives.
A good prison system will rehabilitate criminals so that they don't come back. I strongly support rehabilitation programs and career services for prisoners, because they need at least a chance at a legitimate life after prison to stay out. Prisoners leave prison with little money and often few family and social connections to help them find a job and address. - Joe_rigby, on 07/06/2009, -3/+9You go to your tea parties and hold up the constitution when you think it provides ideological ammunition against a democratic president, but when it comes to issues like this, statements like this prove that you've never read it, much less understand it.
Read the eighth amendment! - woodyex1, on 07/06/2009, -0/+6TWO MEN ENTER!!!! ONE MAN LEAVE!!!!
- PoleCatz, on 07/06/2009, -1/+7Horse ***** my ass. What about three strikes laws and mandatory minimums?
Read up on prison labor:
http://www.wpi.edu/News/TechNews/010327/prisonlabo ... - Rogem002, on 07/06/2009, -3/+9I'm surprised they don't outsource the work to another country.
Other countries could look after our long term prisoners and due to different living conditions it could work out cheaper. It could also improve international relations. - samsmartjr, on 07/06/2009, -1/+6Yeah, because everyone who's in prison deserves it and every law our politicians pass make sense...
- hamobu, on 07/06/2009, -6/+11Put all prisoners on low calorie diet. That would make them healthier, less violent and might even reduce the number of bathrooms.
- tomega, on 07/06/2009, -1/+6On the parallel news: "Arrest warrant issued for mother charged with overdue library book".
- twiztidsinz, on 07/06/2009, -3/+8I hope you're ("wrongfully") thrown in jail.
- orville1151, on 07/06/2009, -0/+5Dude stole my bike out of my garage. My bad, I should have shut the door.
He sold my bike for $25 and bought some drugs(I don't know what kind).
Then said dude got busted before he could use the drugs. Because of priors, I have been told that he will most likely get 3 years. It costs 34 grand a year here in California to keep someone in prison for one year.
As a tax payer, while I didn't like that my bike was stolen, I REALLY don't like the fact that this person will eat up a hundred grand of MY money. Well, part of it is mine.
This is especially insane considering the budget problems we are now having. - Biohazard6601, on 07/06/2009, -9/+14why dont we just start killing off the ones who are a danger to society?
- kakapu4u, on 07/06/2009, -0/+5They tried this already. Remember "Running Man"?
"WHO LOVES YOU? AND WHO DO YOU LOVE?" -Richard Dawson, former host of Family Feud - orville1151, on 07/06/2009, -0/+4Or hand out free marijuana in prison. Then they won't care if they are over crowded.
Oh wait a minute, that might lead to more over crowding. - markusfarkus, on 07/06/2009, -0/+4So theoretically reducing the prison population by 20% won't change anything?
- sharkydog, on 07/06/2009, -0/+4They should also rework the 'Three Strikes' law so that they aren't locking up people who commit petty theft up as burglaries, which are considered violent offenses. As far as worker programs go, they used to have a program in CA called 'Joint Venture' which allowed private industries to teach inmates skills that they could use to get jobs when they got out. While they were in, they used those skills to work for those companies at a reduced rate for labor. And the program also paid a semi-decent wage (an awesome rate by prison standards) which was then used to partially pay an inmate's restitution, and give the inmate a little money when he got out so they wouldn't necessarily have to go right back to the streets when they got out.
- TVarmy, on 07/06/2009, -0/+4I've heard another major issue is also that when funding was cut to mental health hospitals over the Reagan and Nixon years, the mentally ill without caretakers often ended up in jail, sometimes deliberately so that they would at least have a place that they would be relatively safe and looked after.
PBS has a Frontline doc on the issue here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/asyl ...
I'm not trying to argue about healthcare, and I'm sure it could be argued they'd be just as much of a strain on the hospital system if hospitals were required to take them in, but I think it's ludicrous that the penal system is the only help these people get. - mardraum, on 07/06/2009, -0/+4how do they deal with it? overtime pay. you have no idea how badly the prison guards' union wanted Prop 5 in CA to bomb, to the point where they ran a smear campaign against it. it's ***** sickening.
- catvllvs, on 07/06/2009, -0/+4Worked for the UK... Virginia, New South Wales...
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