John Walsh Show: Prisoner's Rights, should they have any?

texas*princess · #1 03-05-2003, 02:15 PM

Quote:

From John Walsh show website
Victims and their families are shocked and appalled at how many special privileges inmates, who in some cases are violent criminals, are allowed. They believe these inmates don’t deserve the same privileges that free citizens enjoy, and say it’s disgraceful that some prisoners have a better standard of living than some law-abiding citizens. Conversely, family members of the accused say their loved ones are still human beings who deserve basic privileges, such as rehabilitation, education, conjugal visits, and health care.

I was doing laundry and had the TV on and thought it was an interesting topic. What do you GC'ers think?

Kevin · #2 03-05-2003, 02:42 PM

Just because someone is convicted of a crime does not mean that they automatically lose their humanity. In America we recognize that human beings have certain rights (with the exception of those in Guantanemo Bay

). That's part of being an American.

KillarneyRose · #3 03-05-2003, 03:23 PM

I think prisoners are entitled to the bare minimum: meals, a comfortable place to sleep, health care, rehabilitation. I think they should have the opportunity to earn their GED, but not to take college classes. Prison is not supposed to be enjoyable.

The1calledTKE · #4 03-05-2003, 03:31 PM

I agree 100% with Killarney

valkyrie · #5 03-05-2003, 03:32 PM

I'd be curious to hear what "special privileges" these family members are discussing. Without knowing that, it's hard for me to say one way or the other. I think it's a great idea for inmates to be able to get education of any kind, and whatever mental health or substance abuse treament they need. They should also have access to weights and equipment for working out so they can stay healthy if they want. Eventually, most inmates are going to be released, and I would hope that we, as a society, would want them to be released as healthy, educated individuals.

If inmates don't have constructive things to do with their days, what do you think they're doing all day? I'll tell you, because I see it happen with my clients all the time when they're in county jail (where there are very, very few privileges of any kind) -- they get in fights, and sit around and do nothing, which is doing absolutely nothing to help them become better people after they are released. I'm not saying that it's the county's job to entertain them, but I do think we could definitely do more to try to help them become better people and law abiding citizens.

I'm a little annoyed by the statment that inmates "don't deserve the same privileges that free citizens enjoy." I'd like to hear more from whoever said that on the show. The same privileges? Good lord, inmates are LOCKED UP. They are living in a cell, eating when they are told to eat and do not have one of the most basic rights -- freedom, the right to go where they want and do what they want. IMHO, that alone is a pretty big deal. What more do these people want to take away from inmates?

And as a side note, to anyone who thinks that inmates should be treated more badly than they already are (keeping in mind that there are plenty of places, such as Cook County, Illinois, that have a long history of inmates being physically abused by guards and police) -- I would just say this: YOU could be a prisoner tomorrow. You could be falsely accused of a crime and put in jail. It's entirely possible. How would you want to be treated while you were there? What privileges would you want?

texas*princess · #6 03-05-2003, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by valkyrie
I'd be curious to hear what "special privileges" these family members are discussing. Without knowing that, it's hard for me to say one way or the other.

The 'special priviliages discussed on the show varied from small things like candy bars, sodas, and tv watching time to bigger things like being able to earn college credits, to even bigger things.

One example of the "bigger things" that Mr. Walsh talked about was an example of a man in the state of Illinois who murdered 7 nurses. While he was in prison, he decided he wanted a sex change, and the state of Illinois paid for his breast implants.

The same man also made the comment that his life in prison was way better than it was on the 'outside'.

For me personally, I could see both sides - on one hand, you have a human being in prison, so it's only right to treat them like a human being so I wouldn't think small things would hurt.. but on the other hand, some of these inmates are recieving much bigger things like college education for free while we have to pay for ours.

I guess there's two sides to every story. But I do really feel bad for the families of the victims that were on the show. I normally don't watch these types of shows, but since it was on and I had nothing better to do I figured why not

adduncan · #7 03-05-2003, 04:42 PM

I'm not sure if this is the answer some people want to hear, but I'm on the fence on this one. If someone is guilty of a crime, there should be a debt paid to society.

However, I have a close friend who was the victim of a corporate conspiracy. He was framed and found guilty on testimony that was 100% perjury. While going through appeals, he is in prison. The state he lives in (AZ) has mandatory sentencing, so no matter what anyone said at sentencing, the judge had no discretion. He was screwed. The ones who REALLY were guilty got off scott free, not just for their original crimes, but for some world-class perjury as well.

So nowadays, I can't look at a story on the news, or a photo on TV or a magazine of someone in jail without wondering: "Are they REALLY guilty? Is it possible they were framed?"

Just some food for thought for those who think that throwing away all basic human dignity is a good way of exacting revenge of some sort on those in prison.

Adrienne (PNAM-2003)

33girl · #8 03-05-2003, 04:48 PM

I agree with Tracy: health care, decent food and shelter, the opportunity to get their GED, and most importantly, an atmosphere where rehabilitation is possible. You shouldn't go into prison and come out worse.

But cable TV? Sex changes? Sorry, no. If there's a group out there that is that concerned about the prisoner's right to get a sex change, let them raise the money for it, not the state.

damasa · #9 03-05-2003, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 33girl
I agree with Tracy: health care, decent food and shelter, the opportunity to get their GED, and most importantly, an atmosphere where rehabilitation is possible. You shouldn't go into prison and come out worse.

But cable TV? Sex changes? Sorry, no. If there's a group out there that is that concerned about the prisoner's right to get a sex change, let them raise the money for it, not the state.

My thoughts exactly. We are human and we make a shitload of mistakes. That's just human nature. Somtimes we make mistakes that we should be punished for but that doesn't mean that we should be stripped of everything. They should still have a right to receive the basics, like those stated in the first part of 33girl's post.

If you take all of that away from prisoners how in the world will they be able to rehabilitate?

ilovemyglo · #10 03-05-2003, 05:21 PM

See, I don't have sympathy for these people, except those that are wrongfully found guilty. But, we are humans and the system is not perfect- that being said..
If you are found guilty of a crime and sentenced to prison time I don't think you should get perks- except maybe books to read. If you can't read there should be tutors, but that is about it.

Pretty steep, I know, but if you CHOOSE to BREAK THE LAW and INJURE ANOTHER PERSON (or company), you have LOST THE RIGHT to those privilages that we law abiding citizens enjoy.
You VOLUNTARILY give up the right to have a candy bar and enjoy cable television because you broke the law. Maybe if we didn't baby inmates when they got out they would follow the law so that they don't go back to those places.
I am sorry that some people that are innocent end up in jail in conditions that they don't deserve, but that is a minority, I am sure, of the general prison population.

I get heated on this, so I think this should sum up my personal opinion-
THEY SHOULD GET THE BARE NECESSITIES BECAUSE THOSE A-HOLES GAVE UP THEIR RIGHTS WHEN THEY COMMITTED A CRIME- PERIOD!

I am ready to be flamed by this, but I know that this is the way I have always and will always feel. Why should I pay for some jack who raped/murdered/sold drugs to get a college degree, when mine had to be paid for by me and my parents! Because when/if he gets out he can do good in society- BULLSHIT! Eat my ass! I am not paying for you to free load while law abiding citizens don't get that right!
They get free health care, (also for their families), they get free meals, they get a bed at night, recreational activities, educational facilities. That is more than the poor in our country get, and I would hate to tell a single mother barely surviving that we won't pay for her medical bills, sending her into further debt, and we won't pay for her housing and her bed at night, but some guy that raped 10 women can have that...
Gets my blood boiling it does!

MereMere21 · #11 03-05-2003, 05:29 PM

basics - food, shelter, water, clothing, etc...

cable tv, internet, college courses etc.....some of the non crime commiting populus don't even have these things why should convicts?

Optimist Prime · #12 03-05-2003, 05:55 PM

The prison system in this country is terrible. Almost all of women's prisons have problems with rape by male security gaurds.

sugar and spice · #13 03-05-2003, 06:31 PM

On one hand, I agree with the majority of you -- sex changes while in prison? WTF? On the other hand, I agree with valkyrie -- someday, 99.9 percent of these prisoners will be released, and do you really want them coming out more embittered, angry, etc. than they went in due to the fact that they wasted years of their lives doing nothing but sitting around or fighting? I think more education can only be a good thing, although I'm on the fence about things like cable TV.

Really, though, I don't think it's a very important issue because most of our prisoners aren't getting adequate care as it is. There was a case here a couple years ago where an inmate died of an asthma attack (!) because the guards were too lazy to get his doctor so he could take his inhaler. Rape is a huge problem in jails and so is decent health care, and I'm sure there are other issues that we don't even know about.

AlphaSigOU · #14 03-05-2003, 09:36 PM

Whatever happened to 'hard labor' -- only place I hear about it mentioned nowadays is in military prisons.

OK, I can go with certain privileges, such as getting an education such as a GED, college or a trade. But TV in the cells? Fuhgeddaboudit!

Some of these prison authorities need to take a few lessons from ol' Sheriff Joe Arpaio, of Maricopa County, Arizona (which covers Phoenix). Prison isn't a vacation camp.

Honeykiss1974 · #15 03-05-2003, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 33girl
I agree with Tracy: health care, decent food and shelter, the opportunity to get their GED, and most importantly, an atmosphere where rehabilitation is possible. You shouldn't go into prison and come out worse.

But cable TV? Sex changes? Sorry, no. If there's a group out there that is that concerned about the prisoner's right to get a sex change, let them raise the money for it, not the state.

I agree. However, our prison system needs a major kick in the butt (overhaul). We need to make up our minds...Is prison susposed to be a place of rehabilitation or a place to harbor criminals because there is a BIG difference between the two.

On another note, what does our prison systerm say about out society in general? Why is it fair that for the average person, there never seems to be any funds for increasing scholarships, education budgets, etc., but yet the funds somehow appear to be there for inmates seeking degrees? Why is it that so many of our country's citizens live on or below the poverty level, but yet our inmates receive state of the art facilities, meals, etc., probably live better in prison than they would outside. Ironic.

Although, I do believe that prison labor is the next pool of candidates that corporations will use to fill jobs at a ridiculously cheap rate. Many companies are using prison labor right now as we speak, for call centers, etc.

Anyways, as 33girl said, I agree that some things like boob jobs are excessive.