Should prisoners be forced to work to pay for prisons instead of taxpayers?

[MrShaun]

The overhead for building and ruining our jail and prisons is increasingly expensive. Should the inmates be forced to work in order to cover the costs or should the taxpayer be required the shoulder expenses?

Updates

1 mo

I appreciate the discussion.

I believe one of our central issues within society is placing the cost of the incarceration systems upon the law-abiding tax payer.

Jails and prisons should be self-sustaining - period. You need oversight to make sure there isn't abuse.

Allow Congress to create the laws and the judges to pass judgement.

[strateguy632]

according to fiction tv they make license plates? but yeh. they don't just get "minimum old free bread. and cooked vegetables" . they need to 'sing' for their supper. i don't mean cracking rocks.

that is inappropriate in west. but the prisoners should be doing some of the jobs inside. like washing tables and floor of food hall. serving the food and other jobs if not risky. risky like "if i was a prisoner give me the keys to the cells so i can wash all the floors inside all the cells".

productive jobs like making license plates and other products in prison. if not then, lose luxury food and tv and most health care (except emergency until stablise).

[exitseven]

I see nothing wrong with them working off their sentence.

[exitseven]

Thanks for the MHO

[FreyaRed]

I'm sure renting a machine for collecting cotton (or whatever those guys did) is cheaper than transport and guarding.
In most cases is prisoners work economically not feasible. There are some niche jobs like making transport pallets or mounting together some parts but most jobs nowadays demand educated specialists.

[LazerBean]

Absolutely! They should be worked enough to cover their own cost plus extra.

[Chazmatazz269]

If private companies no longer run prisons, sure. Otherwise you’re literally talking about slavery for the profit of those private companies. At which point rehabilitation is out of the question. Why would any company let a prisoner go free when they’re getting rich? Every sentence would become a life sentence. Then we need even more prisons and suddenly jaywalking is a felony. The entire nation becomes a penal colony for profit.

[jamesgoldman]

You just described the rapidly approaching digital future if the planet

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

I like this premise, for a short story 👌🏼

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

It's going to be considered unjust, double penalty issue. Because community service is already a legal penalty that replaces jail time. Also, supervising inmates costs money, someone has to be paid to monitor them, whether they're working or not. Plus that labour cannot be just labour in order to fund the whole operation, it has to be work that actually produces enough money...

[sage2021]

In the olden days the prisoners did work. They used to make license plates.

There must be a good reason why they don't have them working. It could be that there are so many now that it's too hard to control them from escaping.

I'm sure there's a budget for them.

[Agape93]

Yeap or pay per view executions. Think people won't pay $25 to watch a child molester, rapist or murderer fight to the death in an arena? Shit, just 100 doing so will net the prison 25 grand. But of a nation of over 300,000,000? Prison will end up rich af

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

... Reminds me of a scene in a comic book where candidates for suicide are offered money in exchange for audience it generates

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

This early 1980s comic book even predates the rise of reality shows, as well as the more recent user generated reality show trend lol

[darkcloud1945]

What a novel idea! But again, the goody two-shoes would complain that the prisoners are being abused by making them work for their keep instead of the taxpayer, but there is a bright light coming with the Democrats wanting to defund the police and close prisons; look at all the money they are going to save to line their pockets.

[sage2021]

@darkcloud945

Good! Maybe if they close all of the prisons the government will save so much money, they can stop the cancellation next year of MediCare Part D, which is the prescription plan for seniors!!

I don't know what I am going to do without my much needed medicine I need and can afford now. MediCare Part D is a life saver!

In 2027 our lovely government is cancelling MediCare Part D!

[darkcloud1945]

@sage2021 Mine too!

[itss_lily]

no, this would be terrible. the prisons would get richer off of their work and more money would be wasted on prisons rather than things like rehab

[purplepoppy]

No. That would mean they have power, stop working at the prison can't function.
Also how many people would lose their jobs when work was transferred to prisons for cheap labour?

[loveslongnails]

They already are forced to work. Prisons are legalized slavery in the USA, but I suppose you want something to do while you're inside.

[msc545]

No. If you want to maintain a system that marginalizes people to the point where they are willing to commit desperate acts, then you need to pay for the consequences of it.

[Smegskull]

In prison labor, cleaning, cooking, etc, sure makes sense. Out of prison labor, producing anything that would effect the economy, No.

[canamlusciouslad73]

How 'bout ending Esq. James Crow, aka mass incarceration?

[NathanDavis]

working would be better for them

[BadApple69]

I see no problem with it.

[KostasKouvalis]

They already do