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Massachusetts becomes fifth state to make prison calls free

(www.wgbh.org)
264 points toomuchtodo | 1 comments | 29 Nov 23 02:33 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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dvektor ◴[29 Nov 23 04:02 UTC] No.38455412[source]▶
Here (Maine) calls are almost $7.00/hr which is indeed outrageous, however the jobs pay 2-4x better than other prisons i've been in, the food is better, you are given more things like clothes that other prisons would make you pay for. And I am allowed to go to college, and even hold a job developing software.

So although it is absurd, I have been in other prisons where the calls are dirt cheap but they have shit food, they dont give you ANYTHING and there isn't shit for opportunities. I understand that sometimes the profit they make off the calls might be going to things like quality of the food, etc. I know that this is almost never the case, but I do know that it is somewhat the case here.

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hsbauauvhabzb ◴[29 Nov 23 06:26 UTC] No.38456219[source]▶
Prison is supposed to be rehabilitation, not a self-funding machine.
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JumpCrisscross ◴[29 Nov 23 06:31 UTC] No.38456259[source]▶
> Prison is supposed to be rehabilitation

That’s one part. The others are deterrence, incapacitation, retribution and restitution [1].

Letting prisoner’s work aids rehabilitation. Letting them earn further aids restitution.

[1] https://open.lib.umn.edu/criminallaw/chapter/1-5-the-purpose...

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KennyBlanken ◴[29 Nov 23 08:36 UTC] No.38456985[source]▶
...according to one textbook, in one country, that happens to have the largest prison population in the world both per capita and in total.

> Retribution prevents future crime by removing the desire for personal avengement (in the form of assault, battery, and criminal homicide, for example) against the defendant. When victims or society discover that the defendant has been adequately punished for a crime, they achieve a certain satisfaction that our criminal procedure is working effectively, which enhances faith in law enforcement and our government.

And yet when victims and victim families are interviewed on this subject, most of them aren't terribly satisfied by criminals being "punished."

What they typically care about is that the person won't harm others, and that's where rehabilitation comes in.

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1. lupusreal ◴[29 Nov 23 12:24 UTC] No.38458540[source]▶
You're focusing on retribution, but incapacitation is the primary purpose of prisons and is used even in whatever progressive European countries you think America should be emulating. Somebody like Brevik will never be released; he's being incapacitated not rehabilitated. Making sure criminals can't hurt the public again is the first priority, only then can rehabilitation even be considered.