Iron Bars Do Not A Prison Make
This prison didn't even have a fence!
I volunteered today in the mock job fair held for prisoners in our local minimum security prison who were within a couple of months of release. Boy, was that an eye opener. Some thoughts, as usual always up for discussion:
* I'm serious about there not being a fence. Nor were there guards that I could turn around and point to. I guess the concept is that if you screw up here at the "resort" prison, you'll generally go to maximum security prison where it REALLY sucks, so don't screw up. That being said, it's not that I felt...unsafe or anything. But what if a riot went down? How the heck are the guards going to stop it quickly when I didn't even see one during my whole trip there? Only workers. I seriously doubt the prison was on the "honor system", and that kind of unnerved me.
* I refuse to believe that blacks are more likely to commit crimes than whites. They just get stiffer penalties. This prison was incredibly non-representative of the American population in general. I met a guy who was sentenced to one year and one day for a white collar crime specifically so he would serve the time in prison instead of jail, where people who are convicted for a year or less go. Now that's obviously done just for spite. How does that benefit society? Make this man turn harder so he has a more difficult time reassimilating. Good job, government. Also, mandatory minimum sentencing needs to go. It clogs up the jails and the crimes are often not comparative in terms of penalties handed down. The disparity between individual cases made my eyes bulge.
* Marijuana needs to be decriminalized. I'm not saying legalized, because I'm a pragmatist, and I don't believe that step is possible in our society especially in the current climate. But the system needs to decriminalize pot and make the penalties civil with the option of working out time in community service instead of jail.
* Prison food is good!! They fed us breakfast and lunch, and I was making cracks the whole time about bread and water for 90 days until I took my first bite. Delish! Not that I'd want to reserve a room, or anything...
* Going back into society is hard stuff. If you ran heroin and got 7 years for it, you're working with a stigma that even the white collar crime guy doesn't have to deal with. Within prison you can take advantage of a GED program, various technical skills like welding, etc. and other volunteer rehab programs. When you're out, you wear a bracelet on your ankle for a while and you meet with your probation officer. There's no real help for transitioning back into society.
I did my best to coach life skills with the people I had. My basic issue was, how are you going to show society proof that they shouldn't be afraid of you? How are you going to help an employer get over the hump of thinking you're going to just reoffend anyway, why bother with you?
I'm glad I don't have to come up with the answers to those questions.
--Virgil
posted by contemplator at Thursday, May 18, 2006
3 Comments:
I think they have those minimum sentence requirements because some judges are boneheads and don't give time when time is due. Felony DUI/DWI cases I absolutely believe in minimum sentence requirements, though.
Personally, aside from felony drunk driving cases, I feel every case should be treated individually and judgment passed accordingly. A wise judge will see the "big picture" and judge accordingly.
FWIW, I saw more white criminals in my 11 years sitting in a courtroom than all other races combined. That was in South Dakota, though.
"There's no real help for transitioning back into society. "
i think that is the most important point and at the same time the easiest to address. although, i don't know that there is much money put into making working and effective improvements in this area.
sounds like an interesting day you had!
my exhusband has worked in a maximum security prison for 20 years. when he first started there they had a tour for us wives. so we would see that our husbands were safe at work. totally surreal-walking through the cell blocks. it's a very depressing job with a lot of suicides among the staff. i don't know how he has stuck with it all these years.
frankie: I do and don't agree with the drunk driving issues at the same time. I'm posting a small blog on an example of the subject soon. Most of the prisoners in the jail here are not from here. They're from the DC area and sometimes other places. You "earn" your way into this prison through good behaviour. But the majority of them were not from WV.
sandra: I've only read about maximum security pens, (it's a bizarro interest of mine) and I have to say that I can't imagine anyone coming out of a max pen leading a normal life afterward. It's a different world. I can't imagine anyone sticking with being a guard for 20 years, either. It's incredibly screwed up all the way around, and I wouldn't begin to know what to suggest to fix it.
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