Study: 7.3 million in U.S. prison system in '07

[diehardbiker]

Care to explain why China has labor camp, yet has one of lowest prison ratio per population in the world, and they have done this for over 5,000 years. They even have the one of lowest ratio of cop per thousand of citizen... What kind of penal system they got? There goes labor camp! Whats more, they are much respecting to each other than up here in America! Go figure!

What I don't understand is that this prison system in America fails to show that it makes difference and no one want to try something else differently?

If this fails, why try to go same path that has been unworkable for years and do you think it will change? This must be a joke.

You are assume about label me as misunderstood over situation with bootcamp. :roll:

Look, I SUPPORT bootcamp for teenagers but adult is in question and I do understand about bootcamp.

There's 2 different way for botcamp, both of teenagers and military training.

Some bootcamps for teenagers have problem with mistreat, however it shouldn't be for people who is sensitive to bootcamp.

Almost all developed countries don't have labor camp, any confirmation?

 

[Foxrac]

Care to explain why China has labor camp, yet has one of lowest prison ratio per population in the world, and they have done this for over 5,000 years. They even have the one of lowest ratio of cop per thousand of citizen... What kind of penal system they got? There goes labor camp! Whats more, they are much respecting to each other than up here in America! Go figure!

What I don't understand is that this prison system in America fails to show that it makes difference and no one want to try something else differently?

If this fails, why try to go same path that has been unworkable for years and do you think it will change? This must be a joke.

China is communist country and they do have prisons with torture as well, where is statistic for lowest prisoner per population.

I doubt labor camp will adopt in US but adult bootcamp is mostly possibly if we could find way to work out, otherwise, if supreme court said adult bootcamp is unconstitutional then we could nothing to do but need change the law for drug users.

Torture is illegal under 8th Amendment, no one could go over constitution.

 

[Foxrac]

There's labor in prisons, such as pick up the litter, sweep/mop the floor, build the furniture for government and state building and other more thing to do.

 

[Foxrac]

Yeah, not everything is garantee to work either being in a prision or go to a boot camp or labor camp or whatever. Some people are hard heads and some aren't.

I don't know about bootcamp isn't free to punish troubled teens but I always thought it was paid by taxpayers or government.

I had learn my lesson for being in trouble during high school and sounds like no fun.

 

[jillio]

One thing I have to disagree with about the word Discipline that is being used.



The word discipline means "To teach" "to train"

I am also a firm believer of rehabilitation. So don't get me wrong. The word discipline is often abused itself.

I will agree with that. The meaning of the word often changes depending on context. There are those that believe that punsihement is diciplinary, because they believe that negative consequences alone are all that is needed to teach the lesson. Personally, I believe that negative consequences alone are ineffective. It has been shown that negative consequences are easily forgotten once experienced. Hence, recidivism.

 

[jillio]

China is communist country and they do have prisons with torture as well, where is statistic for lowest prisoner per population.

I doubt labor camp will adopt in US but adult bootcamp is mostly possibly if we could find way to work out, otherwise, if supreme court said adult bootcamp is unconstitutional then we could nothing to do but need change the law for drug users.

Torture is illegal under 8th Amendment, no one could go over constitution.

Exactly. China is not only a Communist country, they are also a collectivistic society. Two things that the U.S. isn't. Their justice system cannot be compared to ours because the society functions in a completely different way. And fewer cops doesn't mean that there is less crime being committed. It only means that the opportunity to catch those committing crimes is less, and therefore, prison populations are less.

 

[Berry]

Economically a large prison population is a problem.

Socially the size of a prison population is not a problem, it is a symptom. What it is a symptom of will vary with the society. Too small a prison population may mean laws are under enforced, or that the society is so oppressive no one dares step out of line. Figuring out exactly what our prison population is a symptom of is not going to be easy to figure out.

Recidivism is a high indicator the current prison system neither reforms criminals nor deters them.

As for change, what can or cannot be changed, should or should not be changed, we have to go back to basics, and I doubt that will ever be done.

Fortunately for me I never went past the 6th grade so I was able to escape what I call the "Great 8th grade lie" which is where people are brainwashed into believing they know how a law is made and after which they never stop to question "What comes next?"

What comes next? The judge. It is the judge who determines what the law means, what the writers intended, how the law will or will not be applied, and how it will or will not be enforced.

We live in a land of judge made law and until that is changed the rest is out of ours, or anyone else's hands.

 

[Doug5]

They should legalize drugs and prostitution. Not every drug user needs to be rehabilitated. Would you dream of putting cigarette smokers in jail for being addicted to nicotine?

 

[sequoias]

I researched an average prisioner in the US costs about $22,000 a year so if there's about 7.3 million prisioners and we're spending roughly $160 billion a year on them, it's sad! I think it is silly for the taxpayers to pay for them to sit in the prision. Why don't they just pay for it and they will realize that prision is not free, so too bad to them. Of course, plenty of criminals won't pay for it anyway.

 

[Doug5]

I researched an average prisioner in the US costs about $22,000 a year so if there's about 7.3 million prisioners and we're spending roughly $160 billion a year on them, it's sad! I think it is silly for the taxpayers to pay for them to sit in the prision. Why don't they just pay for it and they will realize that prision is not free, so too bad to them. Of course, plenty of criminals won't pay for it anyway.

think how much money they would save freeing people in there for drug offenses. They could be out there working and paying taxes instead taxpayers payin 30k a year.

 

[Dixie]

I think these prisoners should be required to earn their keep while serving their sentences.

Unfortunately only the most trusted prisoners get to have jailhouse jobs such as mowing lawns, milking cows (on prison farms), and custodial duty. The majority are left out in the yard to mingle all day, then return to their cell at night for their evening meal some TV time (supermax has cable in every cell), then to bed.

During the 40s, 50s, and 60s, the purpose of our prison system was to punish. Many that were in prison during that time can tell you they learned their lesson and after they got out they made every effort not to return. However that is a different generation of criminals that were raised much differently than the current prison population.

During that era solitary confinement meant a cold dark cell with nothing to do for the duration of the solitary confinement. These days solitary confinement means free cable TV all day, and one hour of rec time for excercise.

In the 40s- 60s it wasn't uncommon to see chaingangs picking up trash alongside our roads, now we have this "Adopt-A-Highway" program that clearly does not work as our roadways are still littered with trash. Bring back the chain gangs to help keep our roadways clean, the prisoners that can't have a job in the prison can spend their day doing this.

What about prisoners working to make license plates for vehicles? What about prisoners that can work a large agricultural field of crops. This would help the facility become 'greener' by not using gas-powered machinery and it would give the inmates something to do and they would in essence be providing for themselves. Even jobs such as building and repairing computers for public schools, why not have them work in laundry or in the kitchen. For God's sakes, we can make these prisoners earn their stay, instead of us taxpayers doing it and at the same time they are gaining job skills to be employed outside the prison system.

The jobs themselves wouldn't be abuse, but they would required to work just 8 hours a day at a maximum 6 days a week with rotating days off.

Depending on the sentencing, 6 months before a prisoner is scheduled to be released he should be offered job services that will help them line up a job as soon as they are released, how to fill out applications, how to interview, and so forth. Obviously the prison system would have to work with certain employers that accepts offenders to be hired straight out of jail. The inmate would be released to a half-way house and required to stay there a minimum of 1 year to transition from prison life to civilian life, where applicable the inmate may also be required to enroll into a vocational training program.

If the inmate is fired from his prison-release job, he is automatically kicked out of the halfway house and must be paroled out to a relative and report to an officer weekly. If the inmate fails to meet even these conditions, then he must serve out the remainder of his parole sentence in prison, if he is released a second time, then he should just be dropped off and told to do it his way, if he fails and comes back a third time, then he is in prison for life.

This is a a very complicated problem that needs a complicated solution to be solved. I doubt this problem will ever be fully remedied as people in general are unpredictable and each person functions in society differently.

 

[Reba]

Each person can check to see what his or her state has to say about prisons.

I checked the one for South Carolina:

The South Carolina Department of Corrections protects the citizens by confining offenders in controlled facilities and by providing rehabilitative, self-improvement opportunities to prepare inmates for their re-integration into society.

History of Palmetto Unified School District
Palmetto Unified School District (PUSD) began in 1981 by mandate of the South Carolina legislature (SC Statue 24-25-10), to provide educational services to inmates through a statewide school district. The district constitutes the South Carolina Department of Corrections’ Division of Education and is governed by its policies and procedures. Because PUSD is a sanctioned school district it is also mandated to comply with the regulations of the South Carolina Department of Education (SDE).

The Division of Education is one of the eight areas that comprise the Division of Programs and Service. PUSD as a school district has a governing board of trustees as well as a district superintendent.

The purpose of this district is to enhance the quality and scope of educational services for inmates within the South Carolina Department of Corrections. PUSD is charged with the mission of maximizing the academic, vocational and life skills of student inmates for their successful return to society. The mission is accomplished through the three R’s:

1. Rigor (high standards and expectations)
2. Relevance (appropriate instruction)
3. Relationships (a positive compassionate climate)

SCDC | South Carolina Department of Corrections

Overview of the Palmetto Unified School District
Division of Education
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) students under the age of twenty-two who have had prior placement in special education programs in public schools must be screened and placed in the least restrictive education environment appropriate with their custody and security level. These students must have a specific written plan of instruction/activities that is referred to as an IEP (Individualized Education Plan).

All students seventeen through twenty-one years of age are interviewed upon arrival at Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center (males) or Camille Graham (females) to determine whether they have had prior placement in special education. If the student self reports prior participation he/she is asked to sign a Permission for Release form to secure the necessary psychological and education reports as required by law. Upon receipt of the documentation, an IEP Committee is convened to formulate a thirty-day interim plan for implementation while at the Reception and Evaluation Center. The student is assigned to the special education class at R and E until transferred to the designated facility. The high schools that serve this population are located at Stevenson, Lee, Camille Graham, Trenton, or Turbeville.

The District has nine high schools that are assessed through the Annual Report Card, an evaluation mechanism of South Carolina’s Education Accountability System. The report card provides schools and communities with information on the progress of schools and districts measured against the 2010 national goal of having South Carolina student achievement ranked in the top half of the states nationally. Schools and districts strive for an Improvement and Absolute rating of Excellent. Palmetto Unified has since 2002 consistently received the highest grade possible (Excellent) thus earning the coveted distinction of receiving the Palmetto Gold Award for Excellence. The district is among a select few that receives this honor. The three measures of the district’s effectiveness are the gains made by students on the standardized Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE), the percentage of students receiving a GED, and the percentage of students receiving vocational certifications.

 

[Reba]

Prison Industries
The Division of Industries serves the Department of Corrections and the state of South Carolina by employing and training inmates. This training oriented work allows the inmates to return to society with skills that will enable them to become useful and productive citizens. In pursuit of this objective, the cost of incarceration is offset through inmate wages, and quality products and services are provided to qualified businesses and organizations at substantial savings. Three programs operate within Prison Industries: Traditional, Service and Prison Industry Enterprise (PIE).

The Traditional Program
Inmates working in the Traditional Program manufacture products such as desks, credenzas, bookcases, mattresses, seating, office modular systems and janitorial products. These items are sold to state, county and municipal offices and school districts. Inmates working in this program may receive a wage of up to $.35 per hour. PI offers comprehensive printing services to a wide range of customers. The purchase of all new equipment in the ‘quick copy’ center provides improved quality and service at reduced cost.

The Service Program
In the Service Program, inmates rebuild/reupholster furniture for both public and private sector customers, disassemble transmissions, recycle textiles and launder linen items. Additionally, PI packages hosiery, plastic cutlery and tennis balls. Service work is not original equipment manufacturing and inmate wages can be negotiated with private sector companies since it does not fall under Federal Minimum Wage requirements. Inmates earn from $.35 to $1.80 per hour. Donated computers are recycled and upgraded for distribution to local school districts.

The Prison Industry Enterprise (PIE) Program
In the PIE Program, strict guidelines must be followed which require that inmates voluntarily work in the program and acknowledge that taxes, victim compensation and room and board will be deducted from their gross pay. Inmates in this program are paid the prevailing wage of the local area for the particular jobs they perform. Also, P.I. does not displace currently employed workers in the community. Since this work is manufacturing and goods are placed in interstate commerce, the PIE guidelines must be followed. Currently hardwood flooring, apparel, computer wire harnesses, furniture and faucet handles are being produced. Pay ranges from $5.15 to $10.00 per hour.

Currently 2,233 inmates are working in Prison Industries. The Prison Industries Program is completely self-supporting, providing valuable training for the inmates while generating funding for the Agency.

SCDC | South Carolina Department of Corrections