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Where Have All The Real Jails Gone
...Long Time Passing
It is not uncommon for our jails and prisons to be filled with people who are associated with illegal acts. In fact, what better place to have criminals than in our jails? All of us grew up knowing that repercussions, mainly some quality time in the local pokey, would lie ahead of us if we made the decision to commit a criminal act. The threat of incarceration is what keeps most of us on the straight and narrow path. Think about the old stories of how tough it used to be in jail. I remember vividly, as a child, riding past work camp details on the side of the road. My father would tell me on every available opportunity that if I ever messed up; I would find myself out there with the rest of them, sling blade in hand. I had nightmares for a week after watching Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke. I knew at a very early age that jail was not the place for me.
But, something has happened to our jails over the years. I understand that basic human rights must be recognized when people are incarcerated, but how far do we have to go? We have jails that are equipped with law libraries, fitness areas, televisions, walking trails, and juice fountains. In our Club Fed locations, we have tennis courts, unlimited conjugal visits, and other niceties that make jail time fairly comfortable. Are the amenities to the level that I am ready to check in for a little jail time R&R? Not in a thousand years! But, let's be honest. For some people who are sentenced to incarceration, they actually improve their life style. They may not be able to go home at night, they may not be able to partake in alcohol and drug habits (at least not openly), they may be separated from their families (see conjugal comment above), but for some of them there are some positives to being in jail. First of all, there should never be anything positive about being in jail. There are situations where people have been released from confinement, only to go out and commit another crime just so that they can go back to jail. That should be a warning sign to our jail and prison officials. If people are wanting in, something is wrong.
All of the inmates in our system enjoy the comfort of a roof over their head, three square meals, a mattress and blanket (even if it is three to a cell), and free medical coverage. Even in America many honest, hard working, people do not have all of these privileges available to them. What have we done to a system that was designed to be an absolute deterrent? It has become more of a place that if you have to go there, then let us make it as comfortable as we possibly can. Several people along the way have recognized these problems and have attempted to correct them.
Some have been minimally successful as far as taking away the weight rooms, televisions, and a few other comforts, but as soon as the first inmate complains that their living conditions are not up to what they are used to civil liberties groups start lining up and compelling that the conditions must be improved. Inmates, who are more proficient with legal papers than some attorneys, have began filing lawsuits that add to the already clogged up system and is another topic all together. It should be mentioned that some of this inmate legal expertise is only available based on those law libraries that somebody once thought was a terrific way to keep the inmates calm.
In the past, offenders have been allowed to write books that led to movies and money based on some of the most horrific crimes that you could imagine. Fortunately, that practice has been stopped, but we still allow news crews to come in and do prime time television interviews with violent serial offenders who receive celebrity status based on doing things that we would not wish on our worst enemy. These people should not be allowed to glorify themselves in any manner. Our media experts have to decide if ratings are more important than good judgment. Based on what we see on television and the movies every day, I am afraid that they made that decision many years ago. Anyone who thinks that some of our youthful offenders are not influenced by the violence that they see, both fictional and real, are living in a fantasy world.
Every human deserves to be treated in a humane manner. This should be the rule of thumb whether you built the prison or are an inmate in the prison. None of us should debate this point. Prison officials who abuse prisoners; mentally, physically or in any other way should fully expect to become an inmate themselves if caught. I simply believe that when our forefathers drafted the United States Constitution, that cruel and unusual punishment meant more than taking away a prisoner's internet privileges. Maybe Alcatraz was a bit too extreme, but I do not remember anyone ever swimming or paddling toward the island.
For further information, visit www.voice4victims.com
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