Originally Posted by Mike Brewer

This is just my opinion, but I believe we could solve at least some of our prison overcrowding problem by making things more, not less, severe. We need to carry out death sentences within a year. I can honestly say I see no reason why a single appeal within a one-year window shouldn't be enough. After that, if the verdict holds, you get to die, buddy. As for solving the prison problem and making it an effective punishment, here's President Brewer's idea for how to run the show.

As for general population, I don't think they should be allowed to mingle with each other. I don't believe they should be able to talk to anyone except guards. I don't think they should be allowed visitors. No TV. One book, not a library. No exercise equipment. Literally nothing. No privelages. Not even solid soap. They should get a cell with a faucet at head level and a liquid soap dispenser, a concrete bed with a thin pad on it, and a nice pink jumpsuit. I think that if we bring in the convicts and show them a life without any luxuries or freedoms, then each dose of real freedom becomes something special and worth working for. You give them a month of this bare-bones treatment, without phone calls (except to lawyers), without interaction, and without any luxuries whatsoever. Then you assess their behavior. Are they willing to cooperate with you and provide information on any gangs they may have been a part of? Will they tell you what's going on in the main prison? If so, then you give them some luxuries. An hour of outdoor time, still isolated from the general populace of the prison, and a cell with a roomate. Still no major extras, though. If they agree to be very cooperative, allow them a visitor for fifteen minutes. Allow them to send and receive letters. Keep them on lockdown 23 hours a day, and limit their interaction to their single roomate. Another month.

With good behavior and increased cooperation (status quo is not enough), they get some more luxuries. Among them might be better food, more choices of books, or an extra visitor. But things are still very, very hard. The prisoner hasn't had a chance to work out, and he hasn't had a chance to exercise any gang ties he had before coming in. What's more, anyone in the general population knows that to get to GP, you have to have been cooperative for a solid three months, so everyone in there is a snitch. After the third month, start thinking about adding them to general population.

As soon as General Population living has been granted, require them to work a job for ten hours daily, five days a week. This job should be monstrously tough, and should completely wear the prisoner out by the end of the day. I also think it would be of value to have the work be related to those efforts that people keep talking about needing illegal immigrants to do. And it should pay about $5 a day, which is money that the prisoner can't access. The money goes to social projects and border fences. Shower faucets are still inside the cells, so there's plenty of time to get cleaned up, and the shower rape thing is taken care of. Mingling with the other prisoners takes place only at work. Nowhere else, including meals, are prisoners allowed to interact. This keeps up for the remainder of the prisoner's first year in prison. Any infractions, and it's back to square one. Any discipline problems, back to square one. Any violence, or if a guard finds a weapon, and it's square one for three months. Multiple infractions, and the consequences are more stringent and isolated than the treatment they got at square one. If a prisoner makes it through their first full year without discipline problems, then he can be admitted back into a more normal, social prison setting with a yard and social interaction outside work. After the first year with absolutely zero (and I mean zero) incidents, the prisoner can have access to a full library and classes on subjects like American history, ettiquette, and civics. He can talk to a psychiatrist if he likes, and undergo a one-hour session once a week. If the prisoner has an incident or demerit, though, the clock starts over. They can be at 364 days, then get in a fight, and it will take another year before these luxuries are allowed. After the next two year period without incident (same xzero-tolerance policy applies), the prisoner may be approved for an outside work-furlough program, again, doing the kind of work people seem to think we need illegal immigrants for. As a reward for going three years without incident, the prisoner can choose which social service or charity to donate his money to. Again, one mistake, and it's back to square one. Not back to the last step, but all the way back to the very damned beginning.

Now if a prisoner has made it this far, they've gone three solid years without any problems, and they've become progressively more helpful to the law-enforcement personnel around them. They're helping to destroy the gangs and criminal elements that are beyond the prison walls. They've donated approximately $5500 to social programs and charities (each prisoner, mind you, so combine those numbers for all prisoners in the US and think of the budget increase for social programs we'd see). They've worked, and they've studied. They're on their way to actually repaying a debt to the society they committed offenses against. They aren't taking classes in law, but in civics and American culture. In other words, they are learning to fit into society better. They're learning that by observing the rules, they can get ahead. They're learning that luxuries are not to be taken for granted. Perhaps most importantly, they learn that if they allow themselves to lose control or screw up again, it's right back to the beginning.

I'd be willing to bet that if we did something like this, we'd see an increase in rehabilitation levels, we'd see an increase in budgets and revenues for social programs (that's the prevention side of things), and we'd see more productive prisons overall.

Originally Posted by Mike Brewer

See, I don't think it matters that not everyone in jail is a murderer or rapist. White collar criminals in minimum security prisons probably don't have to deal with Bubba the Backdoor Bandit nearly as much as the long-term guys do anyway. But it sends a clear message, doesn't it? Break the law - even with petty, white collar crimes - and Bubba is going to do you in the butt. So quit thinking about robbing people, embezzling money, or raping the cute college co-ed down the block and get a real job. Otherwise, we'll not only make you Bubba's roomie, we'll issue you a nice pretty thong and give you a full Brazilian wax before sticking you in the cell with him!

Originally Posted by Mike Brewer

What other issue do you want to tackle now that we know how to rework prisons?

Originally Posted by Mike Brewer

As for psychiatric treatments, I don't know if I'd go so far as to call them "inalienable rights" since that implies we all have the same right (and we clearly do not).

Originally Posted by Mike Brewer

DH,
I don't think all that many guys get raped in prison. I think there are some, sure, but I think others just end up falling in with whatever gang will protect them. Now you've got even more gangs and alliances supporting criminal activity on the outside. And personally, I think the ass-rape aspect of jail should be better publicized. It's one of the few aspects I agree with. Now if only we could create a few more deterrent factors like that and make it all very public, we'd be off to the kind of prison experience I'm looking for.

See, I don't think it matters that not everyone in jail is a murderer or rapist. White collar criminals in minimum security prisons probably don't have to deal with Bubba the Backdoor Bandit nearly as much as the long-term guys do anyway. But it sends a clear message, doesn't it? Break the law - even with petty, white collar crimes - and Bubba is going to do you in the butt. So quit thinking about robbing people, embezzling money, or raping the cute college co-ed down the block and get a real job. Otherwise, we'll not only make you Bubba's roomie, we'll issue you a nice pretty thong and give you a full Brazilian wax before sticking you in the cell with him!

Originally Posted by Garland

What should somebody who murdered a rapist get?

Originally Posted by Hardball

Dickhardman with the sound of you log on id; I tend to believe you are preoccupied with this topic. If you are an ex inmate and ex sexual assault vicitim my suggestion to you is get your act together and reform. If you cant do the time then don't do the crime. Also, this is a martial arts website and I believe you should get serious about your martial arts training. Becoming a dedicated martial artist can prevent future rapes especially if you are trained with weapons. Let go of the past and get on with your life. You can't change what happened to you but you can prevent it from happening again. First step is to stay out of trouble. Next, learn the self defense skills needed to defend yourself against a bigger stronger man and possibly multiple assailents. If martial arts doesnt teach you anything, I would hope that It would teach you to live and die with Honor. With a handle like "Dickhardman" how can anyone take your serious?

Originally Posted by Mike Brewer

To them, it was fine. Sex is a basic human need and instinct. If deprived long enough, people will do some truly bizarre stuff, and it will become normal. I still believe celibacy in the church is one of the major factors in child molestation by priests. It's very, very difficult (even dangerous) to try and shut down the most basic of human instincts. It's even worse to do so and expect not to deal with any negative consequences.