Mass. GOP, sheriff: Stop paying prisoners for work

[SecularMotion]

Source: Berkshire Eagle

BOSTON (AP) -- Republican lawmakers and Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson are preparing to unveil a proposal to end the practice of paying prisoners for their work.

Inmates receive both good behavior time and pay for their labor. The proposed legislation would mean prisoners no longer receive pay.

Republican state Rep. Elizabeth Poirier of North Attleborough is scheduled to join Hodgson Tuesday at the Statehouse to unveil legislation intended to end the practice.

Read more: http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_15504040

[Brickbat]

1. Works for me.

As long as they take the work away, too.

[fascisthunter]

2. hmmmm.... chain-gang slavery?

[RKP5637]

3. If we get more and more people in prison and all free labor, then the US

will start manufacturing up again, maybe that's the plan... and the manufacturing center of earth.

[rfranklin]

4. That's the way they do it in China...

slave labor for free in prisons--which is a Pepublican's wet dream.

[laureloak]

5. How will prisoners be able to buy shoes or call their families?

We need prison REFORM not accelerated abuse of prisoners. Release the non-violent and have them work and EARN MONEY to support their families.

[pattmarty]

12. Fuck 'em, who cares?

:sarcasm:

[Dogtown]

6. $0.11/hr.

That was the pay-rate in Federal joints last time I checked. Prisoners could use their accounts in the prison commissary to purchase tobacco, candy, notions.


The small amount of "freedom" these purchases represent are essential to prisoner morale, and cessation will surely result in increased violence against inmates and guards.

Pound foolish.....

[Uncle Joe]

13. No doubt these Republican lawmakers and sheriff are counting on increased violence to be a result.

The prisoners will then stay in prison longer and if you combine that with the for profit prison system, you have a self-perpetuating form of 21st century slavery.

[MedicalAdmin]

16. Good Point.

The increase of the for profit prison system and the takeover of the public prisons also seem to be serving as a template for the profitization of the public schools happening right now as well.

Could we be seeing the first step in a long term plan to get child labor returned to the US wholesale? Imagine it public school #42 where the kids have to put in 1 hour of hard uncompensated labor for every hour of instruction by a non tenured, minimum wage "teacher" supplied on contract by Walmart.

[bongbong]

19. Vonnegut

Amazing how prophetic Vonnegut was, with his book (forget which one) about the future USA and its private prison industry. He was truly a genius.

[Uncle Joe]

20. Yes, all of that is consistent with the total "authoritarian" view of life held by the Republicans,

everything to weaken the people; whether free or in prison as a means to further top down corporate controlled government's grip on them.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x484251#484416

[Dogtown]

24. Yes.

It's going to get worse.

Either they'll gain in November (overall, I mean) and pass more repressive legislation, or they'll get more aggressive with a renewed loss of power.

[Uncle Joe]

25. Sort of like a rabid animal; without all the charm.

Either they'll gain in November (overall, I mean) and pass more repressive legislation, or they'll get more aggressive with a renewed loss of power.

The biggest problem is the timidity within their own dysfunctional party and to a large degree the corporate media in challenging the insanity of their authoritarian worshiping ethos.

They can't seem to grasp the inherent disconnect between wanting both "less government" and authoritarian government, so they praise government with no oversight in regards to corporate/oligarch behavior while begging for strict disciplinarian, invasive Big Brother in regards to the individual American person.

With those kind of dynamics, the Republicans are ultimately pleading for their own enslavement, the dumb bastards need to get over their fear, ignorance and try evolving their world view or we will all be in trouble.

[Jkid]

34. That's what they want.

Warehousing...

[JCMach1]

31. Exactly...

[ArcticFox]

7. What? They've been paying prisoners?

There's people unemployed out here and they're giving prisoners paying jobs? No way! I've got a better idea: there is about 1 prisoner for every hundred adults in the US, so what if we gave every adult american a prisoner 3 days a year? Now that would be the American dream!

[kestrel91316]

8. 11c an hour hardly qualifies as "pay", Scrooge. Lincoln freed the slaves.

[DBoon]

10. yeah, "rent-a-slave"

We can all become slave-owners on the installment plan

Kind of like a time-share vacation condo

[saigon68]

18. It's an amerikan dream whose time has come and gone

[depakid]

33. You hit the nail on the head Saigon 68

Just the other day, in another thread, I was thinking the same thing:

Properly framed, a slavery proposition would get 40% of the vote in America

place sufficient "cause" or "blame" in there- and as a means for retribution, it would pass handily.

http://demopedia.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=8724330&mesg_id=8724592

[KillCapitalism]

9. Arbeit macht frei n/t

[DBoon]

11. I prefer the Russian term for forced prisoner labor

"gulag"

[Crowman1979]

14. Rather than deny pay for their work, how about a self-sustaining co-op.

To where if they don't work, they won't receive new clothes, cigarettes, chocolate or better food unless they make it themselves. And provide them the materials to do so.

[MedicalAdmin]

15. REally bad idea.

As a sheriff this asshat has never dealt with prisoners, only jailbirds ; the difference being the jailbirds are pre-sentencing and prisoners are post sentencing. It's a huge difference pyschologically and anything small thing that we can do to get prisoners to have either a little hope and a little compliance. If prisoners decide not to comply enmasse then there is not a lot that we could do. Keep in mind that we put more people in prison than any other nation on earth. That's a lot of folks this twit is trying to both victimize and piss off and he will end up getting good men and women guards on the firing line.

Pure demogogue. He says whatever he has to to benefit himself and fuck everyone else. What party did you say he was? Ladies and Gentlemen the Republican candidate from Horses Ass.

[catnhatnh]

28. Nice Post....

Except that your "jailbirds" apparently deserve no hope even though they've been convicted of NOTHING.Yet somewhere in your twisted logic an unconvicted man DESERVES less hope than a convicted one? Perhaps you should look more closely at those unconvicted yet jailed-the term for them is THOSE UNABLE TO MAKE BAIL-poor folk, not scum, your assumptions aside...

[Thor_MN]

29. Somewhere in your twisted logic, you assume that a positive statement about prisoners

implies a negative statement about those in jail. The poster you replied to did not say anything like what you took away from the post. The point I see was that a sheriff deals with people in jail, where there are probably no work programs. A sheriff does not have relevent experience, unless it from previous employment in a prison. There were no other statements about people in jail.

Yet somehow, you turned that into a diatribe that the poster believes that people on trial and awaiting sentencing are the scum of the earth? I think one might consider one's own assumptions a little more closely before ranting.

[NBachers]

17. More abuse is always the best way for Republicans

Having spent a few years down myself, here's some info I received last week from an inmate friend who's still there:

Phone calls: 26 cents a minute. You can't call collect; you've to call out and pay for it yourself. Phone calls are kind of essential for maintaining family ties, wouldn't you say? Or don't families of prisoners deserve to talk with their incarcerated loved ones?

Computer time: 5 cents per minute. Doesn't sound like much, but if I had to pay 5 cents a minute for my computer time, it would add up quickly. The computers are necessary for email, where it's permitted, and case work & letter-writing; or skill-building for the outside world.

Please- if you respond, please avoid the trite overused bromide from the Baretta theme song.

[madmom]

21. Back in the mid 90's my son was in our "regional" jail. He HAD to

call collect and since he was in a neighboring town, less than 25 miles away, it was long distance. It was nothing for our monthly phone bill to run $200-$300. I'm sure it's worse now.

[Heywood J]

22. That's one of the worst rackets - prison phones

I've heard from multiple sources that it's not uncommon for the company exacting the rates to kick back part of it to the prison. 2600 magazine has some excellent pieces from people who know the system. Some prison phone companies will charge $50 for a five-minute call: a $25 "connection fee" plus $5 a minute.

[Historic NY]

23. Does anyone here think they make minimum wage?...

its purpose is to encourage good behavior and give them some money to buy commissary items. I propose the lawmakers go and work a week in a prison.

[Dinger]

26. I Thought The Fucking Civil War Settled This

Slavery ended long ago. This is bullshit.

[lynne]

27. It's prison. Not a work release program -

- I've got no problem with it as they're already being paid with three daily meals and a roof over their heads, which is more than some poor folks have. Reward them with good behavior time and other non-monetary incentives.

[activa8tr]

30. The party of Scott Brown, Massachusetts Republicans! Such..

nice people really, they are just like those nice Southern gentlemen in the 1850's:sarcasm:

[Blue_Tires]

32. over a few pennies per hour??

Why stop there? Prisoners don't *need* clothing, beds, lights or soap, either -- More $$$$ to save!:sarcasm:

Or better yet, why not CHARGE the prisoners rent?? Then the system can really rake it in! (That's been proposed already in a couple of places, believe it or not)...


Seriously, if that bill ever passed it wouldn't last 30 seconds before a judicial review -- I'm pretty sure most states have a law on the books forbidding compulsory labor without some compensation...

[Jkid]

35. The article did not say why he intends to end the practice.

It could be because of the recession. But if this legislation gets pass, it will render the commissary useless because how are you going to pay stuff without money.

Unless they're planning to use scrip.

[Exultant Democracy]

36. I guess they want to stop pretending that it isn't slavery.