Is the prison system too soft?

I just heard on the news that this homeless bum randomly murdered a 14 year old girl and then turned himself in--so that he could have 3 square meals and a roof over his head the rest of his life.

It really got me to thinking--that is really what prisons are, more or less, and this accounts for those who go to prison, are released, and commit more crimes.

I think prisons need to be transformed into slavor labor camps where every inmate is working shoveling coal, hauling heavy scrap metal, and digging ditches for 16 hours a day--every day. Meals also have to be earned, no one is allowed to speak unless spoken to by a guard, and everyone is only referred to by a number. Those who are physically unable to perfom any sort of labor are to be kept in an isolated room with no light and fed only basic meals to be kept alive.

I'd bet you then, everyone would think twice about raping a woman in an alley or robbing a liquor store! What do you think?

We could follow the examples of the criminal justice system where crime is low or non-existant.

In Singapore, they deliver cane lashes for public misdemeanors.

In Japan, the police can hold a suspect for 28 days without charge.

In Saudi Arabia, a thief's hands are amputated. A rapist suffers a corresponding fate.

In China, death row inmates receives a bullet in the head within 6 weeks of sentencing.

Yes, the American prison system is a joke. And, as you have already seen, it is such that criminals want to be apart of the 'great' lifestyle. They shouldn't have television or games and three square meals a day is too much for a criminal. They just need water-they don't have any rights. The prison system should be so horrible that no one should want to go. Instead, the prison system is so 'lush' it is inviting more dangerous individuals.

I don't know why don't you ask your local priest about that one and see what Jesus would do about our "soft" justice system.

In America we have over 2 million people stuck in our system. Most of which are in because of drug use and possession. I would prefer it if our system was like a rehabilitation system. You know, where we treat people who have made mistakes as humans and not dogs.

Yeap. . . prisons are like hotels for a lot of prisoners. They get 3 meals a day, free concerts, showers, shoes, clothes, gym and free college. No wonder they're overcrowded. The prisoners make out better locked up then where they originally came from and they get all that with our (taxpayers) money. There's a lot wrong with this picture!!

that because the system does not wont to violate peoples civil rights even convicts. There r to many bleeding hearts for us to make a change just like the people all upset about the way we treated the prisoners in Cuba "Muslims" and the ones in Iraq. It is OK to go slaughter people but do anything degrading to them brings up an outcry of protesters....

I agree.

In prisons, you get a free college education, free food, free living quarters, free everything! And all you have to do is be a criminal. Prisons should be a LOT harder than they claim to be.

Agreed. Please run for office.

amen!!!

Again and again I hear good folk complain about 'the system' and that it needs to change. The reality is we are the system....you and me. You want the system to change? Change it. Start communicating with those people you vote for and place into office. If we as a society started talking then issues that are dear to us would be resolved. Instead 'the system' listens to issues that come out of the religious right....issues that for the most part belong in church rather than in the public domain....but how do they get their message across? They YELL and they SCREAM and our elected leaders tremble and run scared.

As far as the prison system is concern we have elevated our prisons to day care centers and retirement homes....we finance them to the detriment of our schools and our health care needs.....do we need to modify our position? You bet.....will we....not a chance in hell.

I agree that it is time to stop being soft and make prisons a little less comfortable than they are.

It is not condusive to anyone's human rights that the conditions are made so Dikensian that we ask Papillon for advice. If you only feed people with enough to keep them alive who will be strong enough to work in your labour camps?

While I am safe in saying this because it will never happen in this country (UK) I am happy for all SERIOUS sex offenders and I don't mean pictures on a PC should have certain articles of their anatomy removed to quell their urges.

When a country's measures are so bad and basic we stoop to the level of the scum we try to punish and that is not acceptable.