Paying for prison stay....please read!

1. 57

   AsherKadeposted 14 years ago

   I was reading in my local newspaper how prisons(not county jails) were thinking of recouping costs of imploding prison populations by charging inmates for things like toilet paper, showers, laundry, and use of the gym, etc...
   
   
   how the hell will this be implimented?? Do they think convicts actually have money? What will end up happening is that these ppl will not be able to shower or whatever and then get horrible diseases beyond the garden variety of Hep C and HIV and then there will be mass hysteria and chaos with disease and death...
   
   good idea, real good idea....
   
   what do ya think???

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   1. 59

      Davinagirl3posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      They won't expect the inmates to pay for it.  They will expect the inmates to get friends and family members to put money into their commissary accounts.  It wouldn't be the convicts that paid, it would be the family and friends that support them.  How fair is that?

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2. 57

   AsherKadeposted 14 years ago

   I personally think this is a great topic...even more so than black tripods....sorry fiery...
   
   sound off...should prisoners have to pay for their room and board???

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      fierycjposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      hell no, its cos of having to pay for shit that landed them in there in first damn place!

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   2. 61

      Ron Montgomeryposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      White prisoners deff shud

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      1. 57

         AsherKadeposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         that's racist....and given in TX that a majority of prisoners are minorities, it wouldn't be cost effective....
         
         I don't want this forum to be a bunch of racist crap illiciting conflict...thanks man.

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            Ron Montgomeryposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Naw man, we can crack on whitey all we want. That ain't racist, its payback.

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               AsherKadeposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               you're ignorant...don't get in law enforcement man....fiery....you agree?

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               someonewhoknowsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               How do you know if your paying back to the right person ?Do you ask them if their relatives owned slaves?

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                  Ron Montgomeryposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  Don't matter.  Whitey is always fair game my brotha.

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3. 64

   kmackey32posted 14 years ago

   Here in PA some inmates have work release and most of there money goes to the jail. They are charged for there stay there.

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      Ladybird33posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      That's what they need to do for all states....

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      Ladybird33posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      That's what they need to do for all states....

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   3. 57

      AsherKadeposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      cool...we have a work program in TX, but it doesn't do much for recouping loss...this would be a huge change for sure if convicts were forced to pay!

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      1. 64

         kmackey32posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Oh yes they are here. I think the jail gets like 50% of there pay. If anyone gets in trouble in PA, it costs a lot of money. Someone I know got there first DWI and its costing them close to 5,000. They charge people to be on probation too. Inmates also have to do a lot of litter pick up.

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   4. 68

      ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      There's not much separating that from slave labor. There's lots of ways that system can be abused.

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4. 57

   AsherKadeposted 14 years ago

   parole doesn't charge but 18 bucks a month for supervision!

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      kmackey32posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      wow that's cheep.

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5. 57

   AsherKadeposted 14 years ago

   total joke hugh? I've heard it's way more in other states...

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      kmackey32posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Oh yea I know its way more here...

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6. 0

   girly_girl09posted 14 years ago

   I read an article a year or so ago and I'll never forget it. I was so disgusted I posted it on facebook (I rarely post stuff on facebook). The story was about a local jail that was contemplating increasing (albeit very slightly increasing) the price of snacks and other treats from the commissary. The prices were already much lower than what you or I would pay in a convenience store and the jail thought an increase would help out their budget greatly. Of course the inmates were totally outraged, saying that they'd have to spend an extra dollar or two a week on their favorite treats. That was enough to make you sick!!! They didn't even need the junk food anyways, they were still getting 3 round meals a day. I'm not sure what ever happened with this, but I hope that the jail did increase prices.
   
   At the end of the day, I would much rather charge reasonable, additional fees to inmates then charge hardworking, law abiding citizens additional taxes! Who's with me?
   
   OH, and I think what kmackey said in the post above this is awesome. I would like to hear of more programs that require former inmates to pay the jail system back, even if it's just a little bit - it's something! I'm sure this will help lower repeat offenders; they have no idea otherwise what cost they are to the courts and penal systems.

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7. 69

   lrohnerposted 14 years ago

   I think the prisoners absolutely SHOULD pay for basic stuff. They all have jobs -- whether inside prison or on work release. After all, I didn't break the law and yet I get gutted with taxes year upon year that pays for their room and board.

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   1. 68

      ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I think why they are in prison is just as important as the fact that they are in prison.  Let's face it, our legal system sucks.  Look at all the people they've let free through the Innocence Project:  http://www.innocenceproject.org/
      
      How would you like to have been wrongly accused of a crime and not only locked up but expected to pay for the mistakes of the judicial system?

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      1. 69

         lrohnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         You are absolutely correct that that would suck. But I don't know that paying for stuff while in there would suck any more than, well, just being in there. Innocent folks in prison are absolutely the minority -- although I do acknowledge that they exist. And while I feel bad for them, I feel worse that I have to pay for a murderer's room and board.

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         1. 68

            ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            The pure absolute hell of it is that you can't, even with DNA evidence, be 100% sure that someone committed a crime.  You can bet your soul I'd have my lawyer attack the lab procedures of any supposed DNA evidence recovered at a scene that implicated me. 
            
            http://www.powells.com/biblio?show=9780 … ge=excerpt
            
            No matter what the law says people still discriminate when they pass judgment on people.  White, black, Hispanic, man, woman whatever, people will usually see what they want to see.  How else can you explain the numbers of innocents being released after decades of incarceration.  The Public Defender's office is obviously no help.  I'd have a real problem not only being incarcerated but forced to pay for my room and board.  In this case society put me away for reasons of their own, society can pay for me.
            
            Sure that means paying for the scumbags too, but unless we do that, soon enough we'll have prisons looking like those you find in Turkey or even worse, some Third World hellhole.

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            1. 69

               lrohnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                
               If you're not a Public Defender, you sure sound like one. And I can explain the numbers of people being released after decades of imprisonment. They didn't have the DNA technology back then. Pretty darn clear and simple to me.
               
               And are you saying coddle a murderer just in case he or she is innocent and then let them free to do it again?

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               1. 68

                  ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  Public defenders are useless.  I'm not one, but I am leery of state power.  Look at the nonsense we lock people up for.  The only thing the state should lock people up for is for violence against another person that is not self defense and theft or destruction of property.  By limiting themselves to those two areas, we'd see very few innocents going to jail.
                  
                  I've worked in the government, I've seen how incompetent many of their employees can be.  I'd not want to be in their tender care at all.

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                  1. 0

                     Leta Sposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                     LDT-
                     
                     lol...  Seem like you are getting a bit of the 'elitist' crap thrown at you that you usually reserve for liberals.  How's it feel?   It's niiiiiiice, huh? haha
                     
                     Um, actually, privately paid attorneys can suck as much as public defenders, I can tell you this from, uh, 2nd person experience (close to the source).  It just depends on, as they say in the restaurant business, who is doing the cooking--not the restaurant, per se.  If you know what I mean?
                     
                     People of modest means (and by this I mean most of the middle class) are SOL if they ever get into some serious trouble.  You won't be able to afford the actual help you need.
                     
                     And you are absolutely right about the innocence of some 'perpetrators.'
                     
                     AsherKade--  In AZ, prison/jail inmates pay for their room and board all the time.  MOST of them (in for innocuous crimes such as simple DWI, breaking probation, or possession of pot) have work release.  In fact, the whole prison and fine thing is a big way they make money around here.

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         2. 57

            AsherKadeposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            I most certainly agree....with modern technology,  innocence is a a bi-gone idea....someone needs a refresher course or something....

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8. 74

   someonewhoknowsposted 14 years ago

   It's one thing to be charged for room and board,if your in prison and another to be paid slave wages for your work and have private companies make a profit from your labor like they did in Germany during world war two.I say they should have to at least learn how to grow some of their own food,like fruits and vegatables,it will keep them busy and help cut prison costs to the taxpayers.From what I understand there have been privately owned prisons in the past. 
   
   
   http://www.google.com/search?hl=en& … amp;aqi=g1

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   1. 69

      lrohnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Good freaking Lord! What next? Should we pay their college education? How about a new BMW? They broke the law. Why the hell am I paying for, basically, their lives?

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      1. 57

         AsherKadeposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I fuckin agree!

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9. 57

   AsherKadeposted 14 years ago

   I know the family would pay..and I don't agree. However, I am never home so I don't have cable...and those bastards have cable! They expect nice meals, they expect gyms,when I have to pay for mine, and they expect quality education...I am still payng 30K for mine...so I think those things should be slashed, humanity and decency should apply, and frivolous things and rich convicts like Madoff need to pay for things!

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10. 0

    Ghost32posted 14 years ago

    Pam and I have been writing to prison pen pals in varius states for approximately 13 years now.  According to our correspondents, every state is different.  I will mention a few specifics about the state of Georgia.
    
    In Georgia--how this is rationalized I have no idea--the State does not allow any inmate to earn so much as a penny.  They do have task assignments but do not get paid for their work.  A similar inmate in California might only earn $21 buck a month, but the Georgia inmate earns. $0.00.
    
    Additionally, in Georgia the inmates are now actually required to pay for medical care in many instances.  This is a fairly recent development, but recent or not, it does beg the question: Huh?  Let's see, no pay divided by charge for sick call equals...oh.  Yeah.  Less or no care UNLESS you have an outside donor.

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       lrohnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Wow, Ghost. Had no idea. But still, I wouldn't want to hold healthcare back from anyone, but let them wipe their butts with leaves for all I care! Sew their own clothes, grow their own food, whatever. I'm sick of paying for them. A long time ago, I worked for a new government program that worked hand in hand with the State's Attorney's Office. It was called the Career Criminal Division. We dealt every day with repeat offenders, and after seeing them in court day after day, I just got really ticked off. So I have a very good understanding of these guys and would prefer not to be paying for their toothpaste, TYVM.

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11. 57

    AsherKadeposted 14 years ago

    I'm nt asking for inhumane tratment...but they shouldn't have the royal teatment....food shelter, and THAT'S IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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12. 68

    ledefensetechposted 14 years ago

    Unless you're the one caught in Kafka's clutches.

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    1. 57

       AsherKadeposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       who'a KaFka?

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13. 57

    AsherKadeposted 14 years ago

    ledefensetech seems to have  lot of info that we don't know...challenge him to  share it....

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14. 68

    ledefensetechposted 14 years ago

    Kafka was an early modern writer:
    
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka
    
    He wrote a book called The Trial:
    
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trial
    
    It was published in 1925, but was eerily prescient when it came to things like trials and how they were coming to be administered by bureaucracy, not by the rule of law or by juries as they had been done in the past.  Kafkaesque is a word coined to describe a bureaucracy gone out of control.  Something quite like we have today:
    
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kafkaesque
    
    Is that enough sharing, or would you like more?

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15. 57

    AsherKadeposted 14 years ago

    be A COP AND LEARN THE LIFE ON THE STREETS...DON'T JOIN THE FORUM UNLESS YOU TRULLY UNDERSTAND ON ONE LEVEL OR ANOTHER...SORRY...BOOK SMARTS DPN'T GET YA ANYWHERE...

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    1. 68

       ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I've met so many corrupt cops it isn't even funny.  I job doesn't make a person righteous, their actions do.  You might consider it a good thing that laws keep getting passed, eroding our natural rights, but it'll cause blowback because people really don't like being told what to do.  But since you use caps and obviously don't read much, I'm sure you don't understand such a simple concept.

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          AsherKadeposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          THe caps was an accident. the cops being corrupt is a minimalistic issue that gets too much media attention and corrodes public attention. i understand where you are coming from, but please understand that those aren't my ideals.

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16. 68

    ledefensetechposted 14 years ago

    Hey Lita, I really don't care.  I figure I'll get hit from the extremes of the Left and Right.  It's OK, I knew that going in.  It's not my fault they can't understand the difference.  They'll either educate themselves or they won't.
    
    @Asher.  Minimalist?  Erode public attention?  Ever hear about the Stanford and Milgram experiments?
    
    http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/17547
    
    Interesting stuff.  It would seem the work of law enforcement or putting one group on charge of another slowly, or quickly depending on the personality, leads people to become brutal and vicious to those who don't have power.  Hmmm.  Sounds to me like a cop that's been on the force for too long.  So you'll excuse me if I don't fall down and worship the ground cops walk on.  They do a dangerous job, sure, but it's a fine line they walk.  One small step and they're just as bad as the criminals they chance and unlike a criminal, they have the entire power of the State behind them.

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17. 63

    Mishaposted 14 years ago

    Charging prisoners for room and board is fundamentally wrong on my books, they did not choose to stay there. Even assuming they were wrong to start with (which is really not the case in the majority of cases), two wrongs never make right...

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18. 57

    AsherKadeposted 14 years ago

    never asked you to worship cops....you are blowing this out of porportion....     
    I am just saying that ppl need to take tougher initiatives againt crime and prison sentences....don't read anymore into that....

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       ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       And I'm saying that with weaknesses in the court system we'll be sending more innocent people to jail.  If you're that concerned with people protecting themselves from criminals, you'd let them arm themselves and protect their property a la the Castle Doctrine.  Then you'd see crime take a nosedive and you wouldn't have the problems inherent in a nascent police state.

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          AsherKadeposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          I never ever said anything about the right to bear arms...don't add words to my mouth....

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             ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

             Sigh.  You want to crack down on crime, but I want to make sure they ones we are sending to jail are really criminals.  Would you consider that accurate?

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