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Housing a prisoner in California costs more than a year at Harvard

latimes.com

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Re: Housing a prisoner in California costs more than a year at Harvard

#91

Post by schalab »

FullMtlAlcoholc wrote: post #14

Think about that for a second...$75K/yr for abhorrent, yet improving conditions and you'll come to the correct conclusion that contractors are absolutely fleecing not only the p̶r̶i̶s̶o̶n̶s̶ tax payers, but the prisoners themselves. Half a lifetime ago, I had to spend a weekend in jail while visiting a friend in California (accused of theft by a drunk lady who couldn't find her credit cards and fingered me instead of…

You are blaming unethical people for profiting from a flawed system. I would say fixing the system is a easier problem, then fixing humanity as a whole.

For instance, what are the consequences for the mid level government bureaucrat who accepted the 7$ a tube toothpaste contract? It is obviously a flagrant violation with a paper trail. Even if it is revealed he gets a fully paid vacation every year from the bidding company, how do people even hold him accountable?

The government is involved in so many projects and employs so many people, that your one vote every few years means next to nothing.

Democracy was meant as a safeguard against tyranny. It cannot hold individual people in a vast system accountable very well.

You either split up each department in separate elections or reduce the scope and size of the government such that essential services like law and order get maximum visibility and priority.

Re: Housing a prisoner in California costs more than a year at Harvard

#92

Post by jopsen »

danblick wrote: post #24

Strangely, I was just reading about the costs of prison in California because I read an article about "the grave injustice of mandatory sentencing" [1] and was curious about the associated costs to taxpayers. I don't feel personally affected by this issue, but I get the sense we are sentencing too many people for too long for non-violent drug offenses. Anyway, the cost of the prison system in California is about $7.9…

The day you suddenly feel affected by the issue, you won't be commenting on HN anymore. And with the questionable state of the US justice system you don't even have to commit a crime. An estimated 4% of inmates are innocent.

Also, the problem is too long sentences for pretty much all crimes.. Americans aren't very forgiving.

Re: Housing a prisoner in California costs more than a year at Harvard

#94

Post by kapauldo »

ClassyJacket wrote: post #90
theBobBob wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That really is simply disgusting. Keeping people imprisoned mainly so that they can be used as a source of cheap (borderline free) labour is pure exploitation. It really doesn't seem very many steps above slavery. I know that at least in theory people are in prison because they have done something wrong so that them working to in part pay for the cost of their incarceration seems justified but if they should be relea…

>It really doesn't seem very many steps above slavery Zero. It's literally slavery. The thought of it is barbaric and horrible.

Let's not get carried away, they are criminals who committed crimes.

Re: Housing a prisoner in California costs more than a year at Harvard

#97

Post by jopsen »

cjCamel wrote: post #8

Bizarre comparison! Prisons need to safely and securely provide accommodation for "high-risk, high-need" human beings to survive and be rehabilitated. Universities have a wholly different set of requirements.

high-risk high-need human beings belongs in a mental health facility, not a prison...

Re: Housing a prisoner in California costs more than a year at Harvard

#98

Post by wavefunction »

kapauldo wrote: post #94
ClassyJacket wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>It really doesn't seem very many steps above slavery Zero. It's literally slavery. The thought of it is barbaric and horrible.

Let's not get carried away, they are criminals who committed crimes.

Then let's make their slavery part of the official statute rather than claim we're not also committing crimes.

Re: Housing a prisoner in California costs more than a year at Harvard

#99

Post by jopsen »

jlebrech wrote: post #52

at that cost they should send prisoners to an island and send them $50,000 of care packages.

No need for an island, just set them up with an apartment, an GPS tracker, and a Netflix account... Most of them will happily sit at home and watch Netflix :)

Re: Housing a prisoner in California costs more than a year at Harvard

#100

Post by blackguardx »

aquadrop wrote: post #81
blackguardx wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. In the US, costs are never reimbursed in criminal trials. They might be reimbursed in civil suits, if rarely. Even the juror compensation is something ridiculous like $10/day. I don't think subpoenaed witnesses are compensated for anything.

> Even the juror compensation is something ridiculous like $10/day Yes, it seems logical if jurors would be compensated at least as the minimal wage per hour. In small communities it could probably lead to something like 'professional juror' but I think it could be dealt with by monthly/yearly cap for compensation.

You can't choose to sit on a jury in the US. People are randomly selected (I think from voting registrations). Small towns have less crime and less need for jurors. Even so, because the choice is not up to you, the "professional juror" would just be a very unlucky person.
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