Prison: Punishment or Vacation

Prison: Punishment or Vacation.

Three hot meals a day, free education, and shelter from the elements, does this sound good to any one? I bet it does, especially to the 737,304 homeless people who according to the human rights record of the United States in 2005, have none of these thing that are given daily to murderers, rapists, and drug dealers. I think it is great that people who kill other people get sent to prison. I do not think it is great that convicts are given the opportunity to obtain a decent college level education, free shelter, recreation, and the ability to be more likely to get a job than some one who has never been convicted of a felony. Sen. John Millner said," It is smarter for me to hire a felon because I get a tax break" (atd. In "tax breaks and felons).

Prison is depicted in two ways in the film business, there is the overcrowded Arian ran filthy diseased prison, which is the less attractive of the two. The second would be the extremely clean utopia that has no violence. I am not saying that prison is great; I just do not think it is as bad as it looks on TV. The worst part of being in prison would be not being able to see your family. Missing out on you child's first steps, first day of school, losing their first tooth, their first every thing. I would see these events as spandex it is a privilege not a right. Other than that Inmates can do just about every thing that they would be able to do if they were not incarcerated such as play basketball, lift weights, watch TV, and hang out with their friends (that are in prison). So, what is the point in sending them to prison?

Free shelter, who gets it? NOT YOU! Guess who gets to pay for the free shelter that inmates receive. We the hard working, tax paying citizen are fortunate to have this obligation. Incarcerates have bed sheets and clothes cleaned for them free of charge, three hot meals each day served to them and are also provided with internet services, radios and movies. The only reason that I personally have these pre-mentioned things is because I work two jobs while I attend school full time. The food they eat is better than food that is served to our children in school. (Rob Bensons, former inmate) I think that is just plain ridiculous, that the state spends more money on prisons and inmates than what they spend on schools and students. The prison system spends too much time and too many resources on reform, when they should concentrate on punishment.

Why should the inmates get free education when single parents can not obtain financial aid to go to college and further their lives and help support their children. They also are given jobs while in prison, and guess who pays their salaries? We do! They also have a work release program that helps ensure jobs when they get out. Which is good for them but it does make it hard for some one who has four kids and never been in prison that has no education to get a job. If some one is going to be punished why should they be rewarded with an education?

Prisoners are allowed to have TV, radios, CD players, cigarettes, and chewing tobacco. How is this punishment? And some how the get drugs and alcohol into the prisons some how. (Brandon Overton formerly held in federal prison) I believe that we should spend less money on prisons. We could start cutting costs by getting rid of cable TV, Internet access, and libraries that make school libraries look like magazine racks in super markets. Imagine how much money we would save as taxpayers if prisons were like Alcatraz, where inmates were not permitted to have newspapers, radios, or magazines. In addition, a silence rule was put into effect except in the recreation yard and the