Should Irish prisoners earn their keep?

junkyard

Looking around the country at the state of the place and councils complaining that they have no money to maintain the place wouldn't it be a good idea, like many other countries, to get prisoners off their @rses and earn their keep for a change? There's plenty to do and some of them would be quite happy to do it than be locked up 24/7. What do ye think?

Michellenman

Most definitely.

Mossy Monk

I agree. Chain gangs FTW

TPD

Yup. Well supervised obviously, but they should definitly be made work.

Hagar

junkyard wrote: »

Looking around the country at the state of the place and councils complaining that they have no money to maintain the place wouldn't it be a good idea, like many other countries, to get prisoners off their @rses and earn their keep for a change? There's plenty to do and some of them would be quite happy to do it than be locked up 24/7. What do ye think?

I'd hate to think that they would be happy, but let them work for their keep, hard labour.

Tipsy Mac

They should do work where current local authority budgets can't currently manage, for example cleaning litter off beaches.

Banter Joe

Sounds good, but there must be a few good reasons there aren't any?

bronte

Yes.

mikemac

Many county councils have no money for projects.

So send the prisoners out to clean roads and parks. If they had some interest they can plant trees or learn to build walls.
Simple projects and well supervised.

In fact, it might be something people would volunteer for, get out of your cell and learn something new outside.

Tipsy Mac wrote: »

They should do work where current local authority budgets can't currently manage, for example cleaning litter off beaches.

Good call, I heard about some council who cut back on this, possibly Fingal.
Sure take the people out for a few hours in the morning, they could be finished early by 8am and the public would hardly have to interact at all

TheZohanS

Banter Joe wrote: »

Sounds good, but there must be a few good reasons there aren't any?

If they're able to smuggle mobile phones and budgies into prison when they're locked up imagine what they'll be able to bring in if they're let out to work.


Yo, yo, yo and welcome to Cribs live from Portlaiose Prison..

galwayrush

Definitely, they can do the council work that our councils no longer can afford to do.

rasper

Do ya honestly in this basketcase of a country that the taxpayer would gain or even breaK even bythis kind of scheme, there is no way our useless government and its broken systems of restrictive work practices can make anything work,
I wonder does the system in gthe US cost or benefit the taxpayer there, possibly run privately in some states which may make it work alright

Hagar

Guards would have to be armed ala Cool Hand Luke.
The more I think about this the better it sounds.

Holsten

Yes, worked hard all day everyday.

Biggins

Absolutely!
Besides the fact they are adding back to the community, they are also working which means they would be more tired (possibly less less aggressive as a side effect to the tiredness?) and easier to control and maintain?

The Muppet

mikemac wrote: »

Many county councils have no money for projects.

So send the prisoners out to clean roads and parks. If they had some interest they can plant trees or learn to build walls.
Simple projects and well supervised.

In fact, it might be something people would volunteer for, get out of your cell and learn something new outside.



Good call, I heard about some council who cut back on this, possibly Fingal.
Sure take the people out for a few hours in the morning, they could be finished early by 8am and the public would hardly have to interact at all

bad call actually

If the Local authorities don't have the money to pay people on FAS schemes to do this type of work how could they pay the extra expense to get prisoners to do it, or are they to be let out on their own?


A small number of prisoners nearing their releaes time do work outside the prison but It wouldn't work on the scale suggested.

Coriolanus

They're guarded by prison officers anyway remember. Nice long length of sturdy chain, arm the officers with rifles and a scope and I bet you could get away with as few as 1:25

My name is URL

I wonder how much it would cost just for insurance on having them outside of prison.

It's not a bad idea but I dunno if it would be all that feasible in bureaucratic Ireland

They could build prison-like agricultural areas and make the prisoners become self sufficient that way

loctite

Cleaning beaches would be too easy for em...

Striped clothing a few miles of cargo boat chain and transport 21 could be finished ahead of schedule...

I have wondered for years why this has not been done... Time to repay your debts to society boys!! (and girls!)

mikemac

The Muppet wrote: »

bad call actually

If the Local authorities don't have the money to pay people on FAS schemes to do this type of work how could they pay the extra expense to get prisoners to do it, or are they to be let out on their own?

The prison officers are watching them all day anyway.
Sure just take a batch of 10 or so inmates, a transport van and however many prison officers you need.
Maybe a horse too if you're going down to the beach.

The beach would be the easiest of all. Chain them at 5 metre intervals, form a line and walk down the beach, easy

That's all

TPD

Or, you could have some kind of electrocuting collar on them, which goes off if it is more than 200m from the prison guard with a transmitter. Like they have to keep dogs in the right garden.

Then once theyre in the prison, pop off the collar and give them a shiny penny for their hard days work.

TheZohanS

mikemac wrote: »

The prison officers are watching them all day anyway.
Sure just take a batch of 10 or so inmates, a transport van and however many prison officers you need.
Maybe a horse too if you're going down to the beach.

That's all

You'll probably have to add a driver and a couple of extra guards to that, plus Prison officers will seek higher pay for having to work outside their place of employment.

It's a great idea but would end up costing the State more than it would save it.

junkyard

And privatise prisons too like some in the US. If measures aren't taken soon we'll be overrun with prisoners as the crime rate here is soaring i'd hate to think was we're paying in taxes to look these muppets up.

Hagar

If we make them work outside for 12 hours a day, the cell could be occupied by another prisoner for the 12 hours thereby doubling our prison capacity. I'm too smart for this place.

Biggins

TheZohan wrote: »

If they're able to smuggle mobile phones and budgies into prison when they're locked up imagine what they'll be able to bring in if they're let out to work...

You have a point but I'd point out also the use of further body searches and/or metal detectors, etc heading back in.

galwayrush

Hagar wrote: »

If we make them work outside for 12 hours a day, the cell could be occupied by another prisoner for the 12 hours thereby doubling our prison capacity. I'm too smart for this place.

That's the overcrowding issue solved as well.:D

Cianos

I think it'd be good from the perspective of reform as well. Being held in small confines is psychologically damaging, and even if the prisoners were brought out once a week at least it'd be something they could base their week around.

I can't see it happening though unfortunately. The guards would need extra training and they would probably have to be armed. I don't think it'd be accepted having the prisoners work in full view of the public or in even remotely populated/busy areas, which doesn't leave much practical work to be done.

Still, it could work if it was done on a small scale, maybe 10 prisoners and 2 guards or something. Not just prisoners chosen at random, they'd have to be non violent, not gang connected or drug related.

Kevin Bacon

misread the title to this when i first saw it thought it said "should irish pensioners earn their keep?":rolleyes: bleedin pensioners always looking for something for nothing

Outkast_IRE

Lets just give them their own little island off the coast and they can do what they want on that.
Lets just say if your found guilty with no doubt whatsoever that you commited a very bad crime , murder, multiple rape , the worst crimes in the country you get sent to the island just you and you fellow scum to fend for yourselves no prison officers , no nothing enjoy .
It wont cost much.

poisonated

I like the sound of that:D... I think it should be surrounded by armed guards or something to ensure that they dont escape

junkyard

Get local gun clubs to patrol the place, plenty of trigger happy guys there would only be too happy to oblige.;)

Outkast_IRE

We will employ a few locals to watch out and a few prison officers. Locals will recieve a hefty bonus if they find someone escaping it will preferably be a very cliffy island with few beaches. Any suggestions. An island with wild goats as a food source is even better

simu

Oh yah. Create a Big Brother-type show based on video footage from Irish prisons - it would bring in millions in advertising revenue and provide the prisoners with the opportunity to make an honest living as Z-list celebrities upon release.

Outkast_IRE

well to be honest i wouldnt expect many of the prisoners to see their hefty sentences through to the end

dr.bollocko

simu wrote: »

Oh yah. Create a Big Brother-type show based on video footage from Irish prisons - it would bring in millions in advertising revenue and provide the prisoners with the opportunity to make an honest living as Z-list celebrities upon release.

Or we could have some sort of deadly series of car races. With explosions an weapons.

Sea Sharp

Lets just give them their own little island off the coast and they can do what they want on that.
Lets just say if your found guilty with no doubt whatsoever that you commited a very bad crime , murder, multiple rape , the worst crimes in the country you get sent to the island just you and you fellow scum to fend for yourselves no prison officers , no nothing enjoy .
It wont cost much.

If you come back in 100 years time they'll say: g'day mate.

Overheal

I think its being drafted up in Congress now as the Madoff Act or something of that nature. But it looks like in the future, well off prisoners and especially those like Madoff who stole gross amounts of money, will be billed and have to pay their own way through prison. For Madoff I think that means something like 115 years of prison he owes. Would also apply to druglords and all them types. Or anyone stupid enough to commit a crime while in the posession of lots of money, legally or not.

delta720

I've long been in favour of something along the lines of what they do in Maricopa County Jail, with their 'tent city'. It cost just over $100,000 and houses 2,400 inmates, which would have cost $70,000,000 (projected) if a 'proper' facility had of been built. Inmates work in chain gangs during the day, sleep in tents at night.

smellslikeshoes

A system where prisoners were brought out to do work wouldn't be profitable in Ireland to be honest, maybe some sort of sweatshop set up inside the prison? :pac:

Mrmoe

junkyard wrote: »

Get local gun clubs to patrol the place, plenty of trigger happy guys there would only be too happy to oblige.;)

Use the army , I don't think they are doing much these days, they could do with the practice.

Outkast_IRE

Or charge tourists to hunt the deadliest game on the planet

dr.bollocko

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Or charge tourists to hunt the deadliest game on the planet

Or dress them all up as olde irish people and set them loose in a fairground. The americans would eat that up.

cherryghost

definately a good idea

junkyard

Overheal wrote: »

I think its being drafted up in Congress now as the Madoff Act or something of that nature. But it looks like in the future, well off prisoners and especially those like Madoff who stole gross amounts of money, will be billed and have to pay their own way through prison. For Madoff I think that means something like 115 years of prison he owes. Would also apply to druglords and all them types. Or anyone stupid enough to commit a crime while in the posession of lots of money, legally or not.

Don't the Chinese even charge the prisoners family for the bullet when they execute the prisoner, no fear of it happening here, in Ireland we pay the fookers a wage!!! Can you believe that!!:rolleyes:

I read somewhere where after they execute them they harvest the organs of the prisoners, sounds like a good idea but I think I'd have issues with getting the organs of a murderer or psychopath tbh.

Blazer

junkyard wrote: »

but I think I'd have issues with getting the organs of a murderer or psychopath tbh.

If you were getting a 9 incher to replace your tiddly 4" I don't think you'd be complaining

junkyard

Sc@recrow wrote: »

If you were getting a 9 incher to replace your tiddly 4" I don't think you'd be complaining

Not sure if they transplant them but feel free to tell us more as you seem to know about such things.........:)

cock robin

junkyard wrote: »

Looking around the country at the state of the place and councils complaining that they have no money to maintain the place wouldn't it be a good idea, like many other countries, to get prisoners off their @rses and earn their keep for a change? There's plenty to do and some of them would be quite happy to do it than be locked up 24/7. What do ye think?

We would all be better off if we could convince the crims not to get locked up to begin with. Pay them to be nice and not steal from us :mad: or rape us :mad::mad::mad: or ??? (add crime of your choice)

Ruu_Old

Chief Wiggum: (to prisoners) Alright, I'm gonna make a little deal with you mugs. I'll let you all out to see my team play the hockey game if you promise to return to your cells.
Snake: Sorry, pig. We can't make that promise.
Chief Wiggum: Alright, alright, I'll sweeten the deal. You can see the game, you don't have to come back, but you have to promise not to commit any more crimes, okay?
Snake: No.
Chief Wiggum: I'll take that as a yes. (opens jail cells, prisoners run out)
Prisoners: Alright! We're free!

Lockstep

Theoretically, it's a nice idea; prisoners working in things like cleaning highways or whatever (I'd be opposed to them telemarketing like they do in the US; it just undercuts telemarketers too much)

However, I'd imagine the administrative costs would be extremely high for letting prisoners out, keeping an eye on them etc.


A tent city? In Ireland? Either you were joking, havn't thought in through or were surreptitiously hoping to kill off a few of them while we're at it.
As for the army; no. They're not trained as prison guards or policemen and expecting them to deal with criminals is bizarre.

Chuckchuck

What about good ole name and shame them......especially for petty crime, young offenders etc. make them sweep the footpaths in their local community with a banner/placard on their person. Somehow I think it would make them think twice about stealing the next car, robbing the next pensioner etc..... I think prison is a joke in this country. Prisoners get paid an allowance to be there, have great recreational facilities etc. They should lead a dead boring life not be given a new social life free of charge. Rehabilitation courses should be mandatory especially for sex offenders......at the moment it is not and only offered in one prison in this country i.e. Abour Hill. Young offenders get to mix and play pool etc with their also locked up buddies and other hardened criminals which in turn leads to new tricks learned for when released and so the cycle continues. Our taxpayers money is keeping our criminals in a not so bad environment. I love the idea of putting them on an island. Let all the gun lords fight it out where no innocent bystanders end up their victims.....

Victor

Chain gangs are more expensive than prison. As it is, prisoners work are running the prison - cooking, cleaning, etc.

Oh, who is volunteering for their estate to be cleaned by prisoners?