What Jail is Like
- Alex
So I was reading a news article today, which I won't link to, but the gist of it was that an inmate on death row had sent
some writings to a pen pal, who had posted them on the internet. The kicker? Well, the writings went into detail about the
young girl he had beaten with a hammer and stabbed to death. The parents of this girl were understandably troubled by this.
The prisons say they can't block outgoing mail from inmates unless it involves a crime in progress because of the First
Ammendment.
Really. Whatever happened to the concept of prison as a punishment? Why are convicted killers on death row allowed the
same carte blanche human freedom as the rest of us? I know that I have a preconceived notion of prison, where the inmates are allowed
to work out, watch cable, read books and write letters, and get three square meals on top of that. Sure, you're not allowed to leave,
and there may be some other minor inconveniences, but for being convicted criminals, it doesn't sound like a bad life. At times you
almost have to wonder if it wouldn't be better than your job...
I've recently finished the book Catch Me if You Can (yes, they based the movie off of it), and the author, when he was
caught for his bad checks in France, was tossed into a solitary confinement cell for 6 months. He was given only enough food to survive,
and barely that. The point is that he said if he'd know that would be the outcome it would have made him think twice about his actions,
and the American penal system sure didn't.
I don't think we should treat criminals like dirt. I think rehabilitation, if possible, is what we should strive to attain.
However, I don't think convicted criminals should have license to continue to torment people, without question.
What do you think? Drop us a line at webmaster@simpleprop.com and give us some
feedback. Maybe we'll even run your letters in future Gambits. 'The Daily Gambit' is updated every weekday.
