Slavery IS Legal in America

[Neurotoxin]

Text of the 13th Amendment

Section 1.
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.

Section 2.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

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So clearly slavery is allowed in prison. Just in case anyone had any mistake about this subject.

[Figment]

So what are you saying, you want to start competing with India's child labour?

[Neurotoxin]

LOL, not at all. Don't try to put crazy words in my mouth. :P

I'm saying that slavery was never abolished in America, and that it was only redirected to go on behind the confines of prison walls.

[Baneblade]

So?

[Figment]

So this:

[Effective]

I'm pretty certain that prisoners still earn money (if a very small amount of money) for any hard labor they perform, correct me if I'm wrong.

[Neurotoxin]

They are also debased, dehumanized, beaten, intimidated, and denied many civil rights. Don't forget that part. Also, any money they are given is meager little nothing.

[Vash02]

Those damn prisoners, TEKKIN OUUURRR JERRRBS!!!

But yeah, private prisons should be banned from prison labour.

[SniperSteve]

People in prison should not have it nice, IMO. They should also work whenever able to offset the expense the taxpayers have to support them.

[Geist]

I agree, they shouldn't have it nice, but I do think they should be able to rejoin the work force once they get out instead of this damn cycle that private prisons are perpetuating.

[Warborn]

Originally Posted by SniperSteve

People in prison should not have it nice, IMO.

Why? People always advocate for harsh conditions for prisoners, but nobody ever has a good reason why that should be the case beyond "they are prisoners, fuck them", which is infantile. Compare the brutal, draconian American prisons to the almost college dorm-like Norwegian prisons. Then compare their results. Despite having prisons which do not torture and dehumanize prisoners, Norway's prisons get far, far better results than American prisons, where sheriffs and politicians brag about how tough they are in crime by pointing to the horrible conditions and long sentences they force prisoners to endure.

Harsh punishment and long sentences do not create well-adjusted citizens out of inmates. Prisons should be as nice as they need to be to ensure that rehabilitation is possible. Once you forget that the whole point of prison is to correct harmful behaviours if possible, you become a tyrant.

Originally Posted by elfailo

Labor is crucial to rehabilitation and many prisoners actually like having something to do, it makes them feel useful.

Optional work programs that are designed to teach inmates useful skills and work ethic in such a way as to not devalue the labour of free people working in a particular industry is fine. Compelled labour meant to earn a profit for the company running the prison is not fine.

[Effective]

You broke the law, it shouldn't be all flowers and candy when you go to prison. Prison has 2 purposes, to punish those who break the law, and to rehabilitate them to make them suitable to be in the public. Now, some punishments can be overly harsh, yes, but depending on what they did to put themselves in prison, I may not honestly care all that much.

Child molesters and people who murder in cold blood should be treated like the animals in my opinion.

[CutterJohn]

It costs less to put someone through college for a year than prison.


Imo, anyone who goes to prison for more than 4 years can get out in 4 if they get a degree. 1st offense, ofc. 2nd, you had your chance.

Another thing that needs to change is the felony being on your record forever. Once you're out of prison, you've paid your debt, and deserve a chance to start over fresh. A felony record makes it very difficult to get a job. Employers will just toss your resume unless you've got some good connections or very in demand skills. It just becomes a self perpetuating cycle.



Frankly, we just hand out prison far, far too readily and for much too long. Prison should be reserved for violent offenders that are a threat to the safety of others ONLY. Murderers, rapists, assault, armed robbery, etc. People that did something bad, but didn't hurt anyone else? Probation only, and if they persist, at worst sent to a penal colony like Bastoy Prison, where they are segregated from society, not treated like animals.

[Warborn]

Originally Posted by CutterJohn

Frankly, we just hand out prison far, far too readily and for much too long. Prison should be reserved for violent offenders that are a threat to the safety of others ONLY. Murderers, rapists, assault, armed robbery, etc. People that did something bad, but didn't hurt anyone else? Probation only, and if they persist, at worst sent to a penal colony like Bastoy Prison, where they are segregated from society, not treated like animals.

Ah, but you see, these private prisons rely on having a booming population of inmates to make money off of their forced labour and general fees associated with their incarceration. There is a powerful lobby in the US which seeks to keep the War on Drugs and its associated non-violent prison sentences going as long as possible.

Originally Posted by Effective

Now, some punishments can be overly harsh, yes, but depending on what they did to put themselves in prison, I may not honestly care all that much.

Child molesters and people who murder in cold blood should be treated like the animals in my opinion.

Congratulations on having a shit opinion, I guess?

[Figment]

What kind of degrees are there or should there be in your (everyone here) view for prisons?