Live data from Hacker News

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

latimes.com

381–390 of 427 posts

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

#381
post #60

The USA has ~5% of the world's population but 22% of the world's prisoners. Financial profiting from prisoners: Prison Labor - paid $0.93-0.16/hr California Prisons didn't want to release prisoners because they would loose cheap labor..Courts said they had to: https://thinkprogress.org/california-tells-court-it-cant-rel... 30% of California forest firefighters are prisoners .. The state argued against parole credit f…

> cheap labor

Let's call it what it is - slave labor. Text of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:

"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

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

#382
post #378

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well no that's not my reaction. You shouldn't jump to conclusions that you want to exist. He had a bad time in jail. He is now unlikely to break the law again, right? But maybe I'm wrong. Given his other comments it sounds like he's been in jail/prison more than once.

People are also unlikely to break the law again if they have an ok time in jail (it's never going to be good) while learning productive skills and being reintegrated into society without prejudice. I wouldn't be glad someone had a bad time in their life.

Following that example, people would then break the law in a serious way every time they want to make a career change. Heck you get free training, room, and board! And a brand new set of skills and a job when you get out.

Some people need to have a bad time in order to get them to behave. If you know without a doubt, that breaking the law will lead to having a very bad time, you are going to avoid breaking the law. If you see it as a viable career move, wouldn't you be more likely than ever to break the law?

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

#383

Earlier quoted context omitted.

America's brand of Christianity doesn't care about Jesus. It cares about the wrath of the Old Testament and the rules of Paul.

America does not have one single brand of Christianity but countless sects with views and member demographics that differ significantly.

You're not wrong, but I'm referring to the specific brand of Protestant American Christianity that the country started pushing in the 50s. There are, of course, differences, but - as a group - they're pretty similar on major issues.

http://www.npr.org/2015/03/30/396365659/how-one-nation-didnt...

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

#384
post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a silly argument. (Disclaimer: atheist) Your argument doesn't understand what god(s) mean. In what world does anyone use society as an understanding or proxy of god? This argument makes a fallacious assumption as its primary argument then goes on to make other points based off of that incorrect assumption by definition. And besides that, I think you grossly underestimate the stubbornness of many who go to jail i…

Your perspective is uninformed, to say the very least. If you have never been in any religious tradition then you are wholly unqualified to pronounce on its psychological dynamics or its doctrinal interpretation. Multiple religious denominations are based on the notion of predestination, in which one's position on earth is precisely a proxy for the state of one's soul and eternal prospects.

I was considering being a Catholic priest at one time, I never said I wasn't in a religion, only that I'm not now. And predestination isn't what the OP is referring to. In predestination, one's life is already laid out and chosen by God, that life itself isn't God. The society itself reflects God's plan, it isn't God.

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

#385
post #226
post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a silly argument. (Disclaimer: atheist) Your argument doesn't understand what god(s) mean. In what world does anyone use society as an understanding or proxy of god? This argument makes a fallacious assumption as its primary argument then goes on to make other points based off of that incorrect assumption by definition. And besides that, I think you grossly underestimate the stubbornness of many who go to jail i…

How is their argument silly? For many, God is an archetypical metaphor for a Daddy that must be feared and obeyed. Trump's election showed that a huge percentage of religious Americans have an authoritarian bent.

I've stated this before and I'll state it again: Trump won on his economics, not his social positions. The rust belt won him the election, where many people felt left behind and he promised to bring manufacturing back. It's hard to blame them based on Hillary's position.

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

#386

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What "religious doctrine" would that be?

Dominionism, which is derived from Calvinism and which enjoys significant popularity in the US. There are some extremely militant and aggressive strains of Christianity out there. Just because you're not familiar with them doesn't mean they only have a few adherents.

I'm still not sure about the OP's assertion, but more than that I feel like if you're going to posit that religious doctrine is the reason you ought to be able to specify what doctrine you mean and not just make a handwaving gesture in the general direction of religion.

And besides that, there is a history of the opposite impulse in American politics also coming from religion -- look at Catholic opposition to the death penalty or the Quakers' efforts at reform.

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

#387
post #318
post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You get no gain time for time spent in jail for your prison sentence, so its often called dead time or day-for-day or something. Excuse me?! So if I wait for 1 year in jail waiting to go to court and later I'm sentenced to 1 year in prison, I get to serve another year?!

No, that poster doesn't know what they are talking about. That said, sentencing is very discretionary so a judge will commonly balance out your total sentence with how much time you've already spent in jail.

The poster is talking about post-sentencing "discounts" on prison time served. It's called Good Conduct Time or "good time" for short, in Texas. The way it works is that prison administrators offer inmates early release based upon their behavior. It's a very important and useful prison management tool, one of the only carrots that prison administrators have to offer inmates.

Source, was a CO in Texas, also: http://law.justia.com/codes/texas/2005/gv/004.00.000498.00.h...

If you follow the link, you'll see that participating in work or educational programs can improve one's good time earning class, allowing an inmate to earn an earlier release date. In contrast to the other poster, Texas requires good time for time served in county jails. Also notable, educational opportunities have been severely curtailed in TDCJ over the last decade.

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

#388
post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm struggling to find the religious doctrine you're describing. Jesus: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." Peter: "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called…

Dominionism.

And that's about as mainstream as gargling buffalo saliva.

I know a bunch of Christians - mostly Protestant (Evangelical), a few Catholics. I never heard of Dominionism as anything but a warped fringe view.

Yeah, I know it exists. Yeah, I know you can quote people who claim it's an influential strain of political thought. I sure don't see it, though.

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

#390
post #322

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Adult abusers or rapists deserve better though.

I don't think the comment meant "child [abusers or rapists]" but rather "[child abusers] or rapists". i.e. those who either are [abusers of children], or are [any kind of rapist].

yes, I meant the latter.
Post reply on HN