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Off the top of my head, I can think of half a dozen jobs that normal people don't want to do. Separating different types of materials in a recycling plant, construction, picking up garbage in parks, etc. Rather than having them not do anything and then once they leave they have no skills to show for it, why not expand these job programs to prison inmates?
No, it's not slavery. I'm proposing voluntary, paid jobs. Why not?
Normal people don't WANT to do them, however.. They want to be ABLE to do them.
Look up UNICOR. Federal prisons almost all have a UNICOR 'place' in them that makes furniture, etc for government offices..
Obviously, because they're being made in prison, where the pay is.. 50 cents an hour or so.. Noone else can compete with them. The yelling comes in because "Joe's Furniture" who wants to sell to the government, can't, because he can't compete with their slave labor pricing.
it's great in theory.. In practice, poor.. Inmates DO need a job to do while in prison.. and I'd rather see them doing something that at least partially reflects 'real world' experience vs the standard working in the kitchen or picking up trash along the road.
Off the top of my head, I can think of half a dozen jobs that normal people don't want to do. Separating different types of materials in a recycling plant, construction, picking up garbage in parks, etc. Rather than having them not do anything and then once they leave they have no skills to show for it, why not expand these job programs to prison inmates?
No, it's not slavery. I'm proposing voluntary, paid jobs. Why not?
Wait a minute.....they commit a crime and are doing time for it. Hanging out all day, vegetating, wasting their lives and having no skills to do anything BECAUSE THEY COMMITTED THE CRIME WHICH LED TO THEIR INCARCERATION. They are already getting medical care, 3 meals, a roof and access to books, tv, visitors, and what have you. Because other people "don want to do" some of the jobs you mentioned why should inmates get paid to do them - they are prisoners not princesses. It's not slavery - nobody owns them - they are serving a sentence which they themselves worked and earned - and this could be the price it costs to pay for their "vacation" from civilization. Then, when/if they get out they will still know how to do one of these jobs that no one else wanted to do, the job will have been done, and no additional money will have been wasted on them. We would still of course have to pay for somebody to supervise them to make sure they don't escape or run off the job which they would have volunteered to do, of course!!!! Geez....
Off the top of my head, I can think of half a dozen jobs that normal people don't want to do. Separating different types of materials in a recycling plant, construction, picking up garbage in parks, etc. Rather than having them not do anything and then once they leave they have no skills to show for it, why not expand these job programs to prison inmates?
No, it's not slavery. I'm proposing voluntary, paid jobs. Why not?
I agree with you. They should contribute something in return for our tax dollars that pay for the roof over their heads, utilities, staffing of the prison because of the crimes they are serving for, food and water, exercise room, etc.
There are a lot of projects the governments need done that they don't have the budgets to do.
How about teaching them construction and having them build affordable housing for the many who need it?
There are thousands of homeless people living in hotels in Massachusetts alone.
The prison near where I live has a dairy farm that supplies most of the dairy products for all the prisons in Massachusetts. When interviewed, most of the prisoners who participate in the program feel it is esteeming to do the work.
I'm torn on this issue. It is an excellent idea for these folks to learn at trade so they have something to do when they get out other than boosting cars. And I have no problem with low wages considering everything the state is providing to them. On the other hand, it's been shown in the past that it is easy for these programs to be subverted into what is essentially slavery.
I'm torn on this issue. It is an excellent idea for these folks to learn at trade so they have something to do when they get out other than boosting cars. And I have no problem with low wages considering everything the state is providing to them. On the other hand, it's been shown in the past that it is easy for these programs to be subverted into what is essentially slavery.
They caused damage to society. It is only fair that they have to at least try to repay society and not by languishing in cell getting better food and healthcare than many free citizens and on average costing $60k a year to incarcerate.
They caused damage to society. It is only fair that they have to at least try to repay society and not by languishing in cell getting better food and healthcare than many free citizens and on average costing $60k a year to incarcerate.
Have you ever been in prison? I have and can say that the food is not better than what the average citizen gets. I wasn't there long enough to comment on the healthcare but from what I saw that wasn't true either.
Anyway, there's no simple answer to this question. Another concern I have is that almost every prison break story I've heard starts with "they worked in the shop and stole tools to make good their escape..."
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