Common Sense Prison Reform

“What Really Burns Me”

One individuals opinion

Are prisons in-humane?

First thought most of us would like to think that they’re not,  most of us consider them a retaliatory necessary evil, usually in response to an unnecessary violation of the law.

But then again when you think about prison and what it all entails, it makes you second guess that first original thought.

As I’ve stated before the politicians who lie to us continually are the same ones who make the laws that we have to abide by, and they’re also the ones who make the prison sentences,  you would think that they would also be the ones who would make the punishments fit the crimes.

What’s the old adage? If you can’t do the time don’t do the crime? Well that being said why is it that a lot of crimes and their sentences don coincide quite right.

For example if a person is convicted on drug offenses the penalties for that can be extremely hefty in some cases.  and I’m talking about YEARS!  let your mind wrap around that for a minute, just that word, years. It’s a measurement of time but it’s such an extensive amount of time 365 and 1/4 days.

Most people of our age considered time to go by way too fast and that may be a feeling that we all have but the problem is that a year is a very long period of time especially when you’re in a box usually a 6×8 to an 8×10 with two people in it. that’s if you’re lucky enough to be in one of the larger prisons, or one of the privately owned ones which is the way a lot of prisons are going.

But I digress so try to imagine a person getting a minor drug offense for marijuana and the judge is feeling some kind of way where he gives this person this individual addict or transporter or something of that magnitude, a sentence of multiple years upwards of 10 to 15 depending on the amount and the offense committed.

So imagine this person’s going to have 15 years because he lives in a state where marijuana is illegal and he was caught with marijuana, and then right next to him is a person who’s going to jail for some of the most heinous crimes that we have on the books such as murder or S.A. of a minor.

The murderer may end up getting a few years for what they’ve done, just as many, if not more than the drug offense. But what about the person who committed the S.A. of the minor? This person gets 18 months 2 years and he’s released with the “Shame” after such a short period of time behind bars.

And by the shame I mean that this individual must report must tell all of his neighbors and everyone around him and every job what he’s done, and yes that would be rather embarrassing to say the least, but necessary. I for one would like to know if there’s someone like that in my neighborhood so I can keep an eye on my children.

But I digress again, do you see where the punishment does not fit the crime? And there are so many people that are behind bars for crimes that are much more menial much more trivial than that of the perverted human being who did what they did with a minor.

Those other class of people the ones with the drug offenses or the theft or other crimes committed, they are given years upon years as sentences. Is that punishment fitting the crime? I don’t think so.

Those of you who don’t know, I’m going to read a first-hand account of what prisons are like here and abroad.

In other countries their prisons are much much worse than we have, even though ours are just horrific. in some prisons where the murder rate is as much if not higher than it is outside. Where there are more drugs in the prison than there are in some of the towns that these prisons are in.

Where people are beat and raped and tortured by fellow inmates who are all there for the same thing, they committed a crime.

The only difference is that some of those are in prison for life, in an 8×10 box with a cellmate, in an environment where adult consensual and nonconsensual actions happen, whether they want them to or not.

These are places where visitation with their family is allowed once a week until the family gets tired of coming to visit. because of such a long sentence that their family member has to deal with, that fairly soon they have no one. they’re alone and miserable still in the box with the same people day in and day out, the same environment, some with no daylight or outside time whatsoever for many many years.

There’s that word again, years. It’s been said by psychologist and mental health professionals around the world at a 20-year prison sentence where the prisoner spends the entire 20 years is as much time mentally as three lifetimes so 20 years turns into 160 or 180 years in isolation. And a lot of these that get these sentences are first time offenders so after so long they start to become bitter, angry, and all around volatile.

They start to hate society, and they start to hate everyone in society that put them there. they start to believe, and society finds itself to be better than them or more righteous. society believes that they are right by what they’re doing, and the sentencing that they’re giving.

A lot of the foreign prisons are a 50/50 combination of horrific and delightful.  some of them do not have food unless it’s brought by family for the prisoners to eat but there are some things that are much much better. For example you have time alone in those prisons.  visitations are not monitored, you’re outside all day and only locked in the cells at night smoking is allowed whatever food that your family brings you you can eat and there’s a different type of respect for each other only one boss in most of the units, of which you can buy just about anything and yes sadly to say also drugs. The prisons are like small societies in and of themselves. These prisons are like small towns where capitalism is King money talks basically like living in a ghetto only a hundred times worse. We’re more death and destruction happens in some of those prisons and it does on the outside and everything is readily available due to the corrupt system, you can buy absolutely anything.

Other countries believe that just because you’re in prison does not make you less of a human being. But here in the states not only do we think that they are less than human beings but we treat them as such.

Earlier in this opinionated column I stated that it was a first-hand experience that means I myself suffered the prisons abroad and at home I’ve learned my lessons and changed the way I do things in life I have my own business I have a wife and children I have a home I have vehicles I earn decent money. But I was one of the lucky few that was able to do that, most prisoners come back out of prison and are lost. no one helps them no one explains anything to them so what do they do they reoffend.

I believe that jails and prisons are an evil necessity but I believe that the punishment should fit the crime a child rapist should not be out of prison but a drug offense you shouldn’t have 20 or 30 year sentences either. so what kind of reforms can we do what can we come up with?

I guess we’re going to leave that with the lying politicians who make the laws and dictate the sentences, or, how about they make the punishment fit the crime and reduce the amount of time that  a person has to spend in prison. there are other options for punishment if we are just a little creative.

Even before the medieval times back in gladiator and Roman emperor times, prisons or dungeons as they were so aptly called were used to lock up ones enemies because all the soldiers were sent to die for their King but killing a blue blood or royalty was a whole different matter.

It was easier to put them in a dungeon where you know where they were at at any given time. They were not used as housing units for criminals most people that committed crimes during that time were put to death, depending on severeness of said crime. I would never advocate for such a thing I’m just giving you an example of what prisons were really designed for.

So are prisons in-humane? Yes and no, we need reform to reduce length of sentence but we also need to find other punishments to ease the prison population and maybe we could have some real rehabilitation.  get these people back into a society that will accept them, and employ them, most of the people that get out of prison are just looking for those things.

Most of them do not want to recommit a crime they just want a job a home and some equality. We need to try to find ways to rehabilitate that doesn’t always include imprisonment or at least not so many years.

Think about that word years many of you have any questions about my first-hand experiences I’ll be more than happy to talk to anyone about it I’m not proud of what I’ve done but I’m not ashamed either I made my mistakes there’s as soon many others have I’ve learned from them just as many others do if you give them a chance.

By the way just has an addendum rapists and murderers and pedophiles are  the worst of society and I do believe that prisons are not only necessary for them but deserved. The alternative is what they used to do back in the gladiator time during the emperor times what do you think should happen?

Let’s see if we can fix this, together.

This is, as always, my opinion.

And it is “What Really Burns Me”