re: #485 HappyWarrior

One look at the prison system speaks volumes. Joking about prison rape pisses me off because a) it trivializes rape and b) people will eventually get out of jail. If they have been brutalized in prison, what kind of citizen will they be? And this isn’t taking into account being victimized before they landed there. So you throw people in jail where they get no help, no chance to move forward somehow and expect what from them when they get released? They can’t find work, the prison/jail time makes sure of that. Probation and parole officers are mostly low wage private company workers with no incentive to help their clients and they don’t. They are there to collect money or throw you back in jail if you can’t pay them. Then, while they are in jail, they have to pay for the third meal of the day (and none of the food is hot, few prisons and jails have actual kitchens anymore, food is prepared by food service companies and trucked in) and insane costs for phone calls home. A lot of jails don’t even allow in person visitation anymore, you have to pay to see your loved one via a video kiosk at the jail or skip that and do it online. None of this is a crime deterrent and all it’s doing is making prison service companies rich. Some jurisdictions are getting smart and ditching this bullshit, but it’s slow and meanwhile families are being destroyed.