Modern day debtors prison? Mississippi makes people work to pay off debt

Robert59 said:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/modern-day-debtors-prison-mississippi-122759389.html
Click to expand...


Well, the woman noted wasn't just in debt. She embezzled money, $13,000 worth....that's theft , [white collar] . It could be worse for her....she could [maybe should] be just imprisoned for a determined sentence that the state assess to the crime. Although that doesn't repay the victim of the embezzlement .

As for debtors ? Maybe we should bring debtors prison back ? I mean, should these debts just be forgiven? Which just raises prices/costs for the rest of us. Maybe release some of the low-level drug offenders , to make room for those so deep in debt.
 
It's not debtor's prison. It's restitution. She embezzelled (stole) $13,000. Making her pay it back is only fair.

The attention-grabbing headline and picture are misleading and overly dramatic. It's not like she was past due on her utilities or credit cards. 🙄
 

Last edited:
First Collector At this festive time of year, Mr. Scrooge, it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute.
Ebenezer Are there no prisons?
First Collector Plenty of prisons.
Ebenezer And the union workhouses - are they still in operation?
First Collector They are. I wish I could say they were not.
Ebenezer Oh, from what you said at first I was afraid that something had happened to stop them in their useful course. I'm very glad to hear it.
 
retiredtraveler said:
First Collector At this festive time of year, Mr. Scrooge, it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute.
Ebenezer Are there no prisons?
First Collector Plenty of prisons.
Ebenezer And the union workhouses - are they still in operation?
First Collector They are. I wish I could say they were not.
Ebenezer Oh, from what you said at first I was afraid that something had happened to stop them in their useful course. I'm very glad to hear it.
Click to expand...
Submitted without comment. Wondering what point are you making? Sympathy to Scrooge or the Collector's POV?
 
Not knowing how long you are going to be incarcerated seems to be the sticking point. I don't think that's right either. She was better off serving time in prison. The Restitution Center sounds like a nightmare.
 
Prisoners would welcome the chain gang, they got to be outside, see civilians...
There are many needed projects they could perform
But, the legal ramifications have not been explained.
Also, guards on chain gangs are 'gun happy.'
Given the current state of the prison personnel, I don't think it is a workable solution.

However, laying in a cell serves no one: prisoners, taxpayers...it is a quandary.
 
I've been in a lot of jail and prisons (work oriented) I've observed prisoners, guard and the hierarchy.
I've always been struck with the waste, the waste of human lives, the waste of taxpayers money,,,

All we as taxpayers want is: get them away from me, put them someplace...
What happens to them in prison?
I don't care, I just want them away from me.
Prison is a breeding ground for anger, frustration and hardness.
Prisoners will be released, back in society.

We will not accept the tax burden to attempt to change these men: trade schools, education.
Ultimately, we pay the price by more crime, more assaults, murders...
 
jerry r. garner said:
I've been in a lot of jail and prisons (work oriented) I've observed prisoners, guard and the hierarchy.
I've always been struck with the waste, the waste of human lives, the waste of taxpayers money,,,

All we as taxpayers want is: get them away from me, put them someplace...
What happens to them in prison?
I don't care, I just want them away from me.
Prison is a breeding ground for anger, frustration and hardness.
Prisoners will be released, back in society.

We will not accept the tax burden to attempt to change these men: trade schools, education.
Ultimately, we pay the price by more crime, more assaults, murders...
Click to expand...


I'm no expert but.....I have never seen any evidence/proof that trade school training &/or further education work. The majority of them seem to always return to a life of crime.
 
jerry r. garner said:
I've been in a lot of jail and prisons (work oriented) I've observed prisoners, guard and the hierarchy.
I've always been struck with the waste, the waste of human lives, the waste of taxpayers money,,,

All we as taxpayers want is: get them away from me, put them someplace...
What happens to them in prison?
I don't care, I just want them away from me.
Prison is a breeding ground for anger, frustration and hardness.
Prisoners will be released, back in society.

We will not accept the tax burden to attempt to change these men: trade schools, education.
Ultimately, we pay the price by more crime, more assaults, murders...
Click to expand...
Putting criminals away from law abiding society has been in practice worldwide forever.

Quote

"We will not accept the tax burden to attempt to change these MEN: trade schools, education."

Women also but that is nitpicking. Education & vocational training as an addition to the cost of incarceration is happening in prisons. The reality is those items were available before they chose crime.

The tax burden no question is more to simply house a prisoner. I think it's safe to say not every prison is funded equally so how do you force low funded prisons to offer a criminal a path to finish an education or provide vocational training?
 
The cost of housing these folks that can't do right is around $50.00 bucks a day. (Much higher in max security prisons).
I see it as a waste of money.

We certainly don't want to demean them with chain gangs-horse feathers! They can cut weeds, pave roads...especially in the rural.
'Cool Hand Luke,' was not demeaning, the prisoners like to get out into the world and 'see things.'

If you teach them a trade, a way to make a decent living-will they return to their criminal behavior?
If they drink, dope, absolutely they will be back in prison.

Are they able to stay out of trouble? Prison teaches paranoia, always be on guard, they will lash out immediately if they feel threatened,
it is as difficult to adapt to civilian life as it is to prison life. In prison they have to be constantly of guard, wary of the actions of others. they carry that behavior with them if returned to civilian life.

Criminologist do not grasp the many, many difficulties that remaining crime free requires; nor do I.
 
I think one thing people are missing about this particular woman's case is that she is NOT working off her sentence, or fines. She is working to pay back the money she STOLE from another person/persons.

What is wrong with that? We always seem to forget that an act like this woman's directly impacted another human being. What is wrong with making her pay back the money she stole? I don't see what the fuss is about.
 
Georgia has women prisoners doing road work (trash pick up, light work), it's a desirable prison job, believe it or not. They get a little pay and some freedom, no shackles. I've not seen guards with guns. I see ten or twelve working roads in a local county when the weather is good.
 
Good: for them it is a chance to get out of the prison and see a bit of the world; for the taxpayer the don' have to pay a private firm to do the work. (dept of highways, the county)
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top