Has anyone wondered what would happen to people who are in jail - long term sentences - when things go down?

-- linda (smitmom@hotmail.com), March 17, 1999

Answers

Linda:

Ya: They will stay in Jail. They won't have as much to eat as I do, but maybe the authorities have found a way to store caviar and their fare will be better.

Z1X4

-- Z1Z4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), March 17, 1999.

There are several previous threads on this topic. I am concerned mainly because we have a prison in our community. Sadly, from what I have read, NO ONE KNOWS if the doors will swing open. Some say maybe, others say not.

-- Linda A. (adahi@muhlon.com), March 17, 1999.

My father opened 4 new prison facilities and served as warden in 12 altogether. As computerization was worked into the prisons, the failsafe is to "fail in Lock-Down". Doors will not swing open. The contingency has ALWAYS been planned for to have fail in lock-down with many back-ups for power, ammo, security lights, etc.

Mr. K

-- Mr. Kennedy (prisoners@large.NOT), March 17, 1999.

Linda,

Just a reminder that alot of our prison population is not violent.

"'HRW also regards "disproportionate" and "cruelly excessive" sentencing procedures as a violation of Article 5 of the UD, which proscribes "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." The specific reference is to laws that treat "possession of an ounce of cocaine or a $20 `street sale' [as] a more dangerous or serious offense than the rape of a ten-year-old, the burning of a building occupied by people, or the killing of another human being while intending to cause him serious injury" (quoting a federal judge). From the onset of Reaganite "neoliberalism," the rate of incarceration, which had been fairly stable through the postwar period, has skyrocketed, almost tripling during the Reagan years and continuing the sharp rise since, long ago leaving other industrial societies far behind. 84% of the increase of admissions is for nonviolent offenders, mostly drug-related (including possession). Drug offenders constituted 22% of admissions in federal prisons in 1980, 42% in 1990, 58% in 1992. The U.S. apparently leads the world in imprisoning its population (perhaps sharing the distinction with Russia or China, where data are uncertain). By the end of 1996, the prison population had reached a record 1.2 million, increasing 5% over the preceding year, with the federal prison system 25% over capacity and state prisons almost the same. Meanwhile crime rates continued to decline." Noam Chomsky

Mr. Kennedy, there must be good money in prisons. 12? Really? I wondered were all the "criminals" got to.

-- R. Wright (blaklodg@aol.com), March 18, 1999.

In the state he is in, you reach the top of the payscale after about 3 years or 4 years. To begin the pay raise system again, one has to be moved to a new state institution. Then the pay increases start again until the maximum alloted pay raises are realised. So, in moving, one keeps the raise program working. Mr. K

-- Mr. K (here@home.com), March 18, 1999.

R. Wright: The U.S. prison population reached 1.8 million last week.

-- PNG (png@gol.com), March 18, 1999.