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Most prisoners want something to do than sit and do nothing, and are happy to be paid even if its below minimum wage. We cant have them accumulating tons of mo

Most prisoners want something to do than sit and do nothing, and are happy to be paid even if its below minimum wage. We cant have them accumulating tons of money while in prison with no outside bills, that's just not fair to the taxpayer. You also don't want to incentive's going to prison as some sort of decent alternative lifestyle on the taxpayers dime. They should be free to sign up and work if they want to. On the other hand, there should be no incentive to incarcerate simply for the labor pool. That's the part that's amoral, not the labor. Good intentions, bad outcomes.

fzeroracer 7y ago
Prisoners should be paid the same wage as everyone else. There is no reason to deny them minimum wage because that is effectively slavery. And prisoners should be able to accumulate money because it makes their reintegration into society easier. What's unfair to the taxpayer is a system designed to punish and not rehabilitate because that makes repeat offenders out of prisoners. Right now we punish prisoners and give them nothing once we kick them out of prison. It should come as no surprise that they return to selling drugs or crime to survive.
- deleted 7y ago
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crooked-v 7y ago
> We cant have them accumulating tons of money while in prison with no outside bills, that's just not fair to the taxpayer. Actually, as being able to leave prison with a small nest egg would almost certainly reduce recidivism, it would probably be more fair to the taxpayer than the current system. > You also don't want to incentive's going to prison as some sort of decent alternative lifestyle on the taxpayers dime. Living in a cell while earning minimum wage isn't a "decent lifestyle", it's merely slightly less awful than prisons in the US currently are.
- ryanmercer 7y ago
  >Actually, as being able to leave prison with a small nest egg would almost certainly reduce recidivism, it would probably be more fair to the taxpayer than the current system. Or it would give people bankrolls to go out and jumpstart their dealing, buy a weapon for their next string of robberies, get spent at a bar/strip club the first week out, get spent on sex workers after a few years of abstinence, used to immediately buy drugs for personal use after forced sobriety. Or just strengthen the gangs inside prisons "hey bubba, we know you've got to have a few thousand dollars in that account, you'd better give it to us or you might not live very long. Congrats you've got a new girlfriend her name is Jane Smith, add her to your visitor list then transfer the funds to her on the outside"

fzeroracer 7y ago

Prisoners should be paid the same wage as everyone else. There is no reason to deny them minimum wage because that is effectively slavery. And prisoners should be able to accumulate money because it makes their reintegration into society easier. What's unfair to the taxpayer is a system designed to punish and not rehabilitate because that makes repeat offenders out of prisoners. Right now we punish prisoners and give them nothing once we kick them out of prison. It should come as no surprise that they return to selling drugs or crime to survive.

deleted 7y ago
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crooked-v 7y ago

> We cant have them accumulating tons of money while in prison with no outside bills, that's just not fair to the taxpayer. Actually, as being able to leave prison with a small nest egg would almost certainly reduce recidivism, it would probably be more fair to the taxpayer than the current system. > You also don't want to incentive's going to prison as some sort of decent alternative lifestyle on the taxpayers dime. Living in a cell while earning minimum wage isn't a "decent lifestyle", it's merely slightly less awful than prisons in the US currently are.

ryanmercer 7y ago
>Actually, as being able to leave prison with a small nest egg would almost certainly reduce recidivism, it would probably be more fair to the taxpayer than the current system. Or it would give people bankrolls to go out and jumpstart their dealing, buy a weapon for their next string of robberies, get spent at a bar/strip club the first week out, get spent on sex workers after a few years of abstinence, used to immediately buy drugs for personal use after forced sobriety. Or just strengthen the gangs inside prisons "hey bubba, we know you've got to have a few thousand dollars in that account, you'd better give it to us or you might not live very long. Congrats you've got a new girlfriend her name is Jane Smith, add her to your visitor list then transfer the funds to her on the outside"