Karen J. Wilson recently posted this question to our wall:
“Hey ladies & gentlemen: Got a situation I would like to share and get some feedback on. A relative of mine works at a prison as a psychologist. The administrators at the prison recently held an “appreciation day” for the inmates. The inmates were served grilled food and dessert. Of course my relative did not like this at all. Now, I’m for treating inmates with respect, but I’m not for making their stay in prison a happy occasion or a big party. What do you all think of this?”
What do you think of the situation?
1. Zachary Clary That’s exactly what is wrong with the correctional system in this country. It’s becoming a hug-a-thug program. Inmates get more and more privileges and incentives to stay in jail/prison. These guys are getting access to television (cable/satellite), radios, video games, board games, books, comfortable housing, and full on commissary with all means of junk food, soda, and even apparel items.
Then they wonder why these guys keep coming back. It’s a big damned vacation. While some jails/prisons charge inmates for their stay, many of them don’t pay or the amount they do pay is little. So effectively many of them get either a free or cheap stay in a jail/prison where they have privileges and can hang out with their like-minded buddies all day mooching off of the taxpayer’s dollars all the while getting three hots and a cot and bitching about how their lives and their surroundings are oh so terrible.
For a prison to throw and “Inmate Appreciation Day”, that’s plainly f$%^&*g ridiculous.
2. Marcelo Silva Lets appreciate a child rapist! -- said no one ever!
3. Jayson Garcia I’m a Corrections officer and think it’s a good thing to have stuff for the inmates...the ones that deserve it. It gives them a reason to do good and make change. It also makes for an overall safer environment for everyone there, your family included. Most inmates will be back out on the streets again and no one would want them if all they got while in prison was three meals and a bed!
4. Todd Edwards First, “appreciation day” is not an appropriate title. Now having said that, there are ways to control a population (I consider a prison a hostile population). If the cook out is being used to maintain order, it could be an effective tool. -- Please do not misunderstand my statement, I am not ‘pro-thug’ or of the ‘hug-a-thug’ liberal party. However I do understand that sometimes it is easier to have the population control itself than to try to control by force. --- Example: Free stuff seems to keep the US Population calm.
5. Anthony Garguilo I’m thankful for their providing me with a job. Other than that, they should only be congratulated for earning certificates or diplomas while in custody. I can understand holding a ceremony for earning a High School diploma or some kind of vocational training.
6. Rachel Sheppo No, prisoners are there for crimes, not a vacation. It should not be a cake walk; taxpayers’ hard-earned money pays for their luxuries: air conditioning, satellite TV, etc. They get treated better than our elderly. Prison is not a place of perks; it’s a place for punishment, period. They raise hell and cry about rights, but they gave those up when they committed the crimes.
7. Dan Davis We give ours a Christmas party. They hand out a sheet if the inmate has kids so our church group can donate gifts. Most of those gifts say Xbox, or Xbox games. Only one time did I see an inmate write ‘a book because education is important.’
8. Linda Martino My hubby can’t even go outside for fresh air on his 12 hour shift. Why should an inmate have grilled food? Was an inmate behind the grill or were officers cooking on the grill?
9. Jason Frazier Well I do appreciate the inmates, without them I’d be out of a job, but they would never know that! This is crazy! The only appreciation they will ever get from me and my staff is keeping them as safe as possible from themselves and other inmates! SMH.....what is the system coming to?
10. Billy van Houten All those men behind bars, treat them like animals and they begin to act like and become animals. That makes it unsafe for everyone, including our guards. So what if, every once in a while, the get something like this? They are still human, regardless of the crime.
