Iowa agency explores using prison labor to build homes

[What Would Jesus Do?]

I could be wrong, but I don't believe there are currently any privately run prisons in Iowa.

Just wait.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Too add to this, we've become such a punitive society. We need a justice system and we need incarceration. What we don't need is a justice system that seems to base it's success or failure on growing the number of people incarcerated. We should absolutely want to minimize crime and maximize productive citizens. If there's no "redemption path" for people who make mistakes, but have a chance to grow and improve from those mistakes, then all we're doing is developing a crime industry. There will always be some who need long-term incarceration (severe/violent criminals) and some will never straighten out....but it's good for all of us if we can take people who made mistakes and give them tools to eventually come back and be productive citizens.

Back in my days working in the criminal justice racket, the Deputy Direct of the DC Courts observed that the recidivism rate dropped dramatically for prisoners released after age 48.

His solution: Lock up every convicted criminal until they are 49.

Sure, it was a joke. But sometimes I think it would be more effective than what we do now.

 

[hawkifann]

Back in my days working in the criminal justice racket, the Deputy Direct of the DC Courts observed that the recidivism rate dropped dramatically for prisoners released after age 48.

His solution: Lock up every convicted criminal until they are 49.

Sure, it was a joke. But sometimes I think it would be more effective than what we do now.

A lot of what we do now is useless, unless the goal is to create more life-long criminals. Look at some of the 3-strikes laws....the point of those wasn't to take petty criminals and lock them away for life, it was mostly to give the justice system leverage to use low-level criminals to get intel and bust bigger fish....but now we're so focused on looking "tough on crime" that we're putting people away for ridiculously long times for small-time crimes and keeping them in the system. All the while, prisons are overcrowded, so worse criminals are paroled to make room for the next round of meth-heads caught with an 8-ball.

 

[Old_wrestling_fan]

Too add to this, we've become such a punitive society. We need a justice system and we need incarceration. What we don't need is a justice system that seems to base its success or failure on growing the number of people incarcerated. We should absolutely want to minimize crime and maximize productive citizens. If there's no "redemption path" for people who make mistakes, but have a chance to grow and improve from those mistakes, then all we're doing is developing a crime industry. There will always be some who need long-term incarceration (severe/violent criminals) and some will never straighten out....but it's good for all of us if we can take people who made mistakes and give them tools to eventually come back and be productive citizens.

Completely agree. ^^ Again, I will say that I know some people very well that once upon a time make a serious mistake or two...but then learned from it and changed their ways and went on to be very productive people in life. (I also know other people that never learn and keep screwing up, etc.)

A good friend of mine has now been out of jail for at least 30 years and has raised a family, done many good things with his life and helped several others "recover" from the stupidity of youth. It would be a total shame if he had been locked up for a long, long time and all the while the taxpayers are paying for his keep and he was not able to lead a free life.

 

[IC Hawks]

"Our inmates, properly supervised, will be put to work outside these walls ... "

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

Not sure if this clip has any relevance to the topic, but why not??????

 

[MitchL]

And I hope they can draw IPERS since they're considered "State" employees.

How do the cons here feel about that concept?

 

[IMCC965]

If these people had any kind of work ethic they wouldn't be in prison to start with...........

People make mistakes. I'm not saying all of them are redeemable, believe me some of them aren't, but a lot of them just want to lead a simple life free of any worries after they get out. Those are the ones that need the help.

 

[IMCC965]

I'm sincere when I say this, but there are lifers at IMCC that I would trust my life with. The catch is, they are older and have been incarcerated for decades. They cause no problems and just want to what they can to help the guys inside. MOST of them are stand-up guys.

 

[theIowaHawk]

Just speculatin', but Imma guess that tracking screwdrivers and how many screws get used in a furniture operation is loads simpler than on a construction site....

Are some of you really believing that our Iowa prisons are made up of people who would murder, kidnap, assault when given the opportunity?

Jesus H that is misplaced. Most in prison showed up to their sentencinfs voluntarily, even when knowing where they were headed, the vast majority wouldn’t assault anyone in attempt to escape.

Hell, even the “escapes” charged every year are mostly just off campus work where they got High and didn’t come back.

 

[theIowaHawk]

I'm sincere when I say this, but there are lifers that at IMCC that I would trust my life with. The catch is, they are older and have been incarcerated for decades. They cause no problems and just want to what they can to help the guys inside. MOST of them are stand-up guys.

Well put.

 

[theIowaHawk]

Let's also recognize that IMCC and Ciggy are in full agreement in this thread. If that alone doesn't mean this idea is a no-brainer, nothing ever will.

Bingo!