[Zeke]

I'm not necessarily liberal. It is costing way too much to house prisoners whether they make money or not. And the system is a total failure, that we can all agree on.

I was just doing some reading on business systems theory and earlier had a thought. The state prison in NV has a well known auto resto shop. Some of the lifers are doing some nice work and contributing with no hope of ever seeing the outside. Why? Well, purpose, I guess.

Many will never have a purpose. They are probably 'throw away' people. Now a real liberal would take exception to that. The task at hand is to sort out the ones that have a chance, but I wouldn't want that job. Thing is, nobody else does either.

Violent criminals are a tough lot to deal with and they way we do deal with them essentially makes them into animals, if they aren't already. So, are we talking about prisoners with some redemption, or animals?

The system is broken, never worked, probably never will. But to be vested in the system is to be interested enough to try. All I was thinking, thinking mind you, was that levels of accomplishment might be some kind of alternative.

For the ones whose life on the inside is better than the outside, you just have to wonder. And why would we let them rejoin the same environment that put them in prison to start with?

Furthering the discussion, I know Martha is not going to do hard time. She will most probably do some time, country club time. For her, it will be interminable. For the innercity gangbanger, it would not be the least bit appropriate. Or would it? Think about it. How would each of these individuals respond to a completely different environment? The same misguided attention getting needs might be served by another means. Drop these people back in the same place where they were desparate for attention and they will get it any way they can and know how to. Exposure to something else might turn on a light.

I don't have a lot of hope and hell with flourescent lights is about right. But, the contiuned association with negatives is not going to produce anything but an angry monster. A severe life of restraint with some positives to reach for could put some of these people back in society. Just not where they started out.

Just thougts, gentlemen, just thoughts.