Should our prisoners be doing community service like picking up litter?

BlibBlab

And if not, why not? I've been out and about around the countryside in the last month and the amount of rubbish just thrown in ditches is disgraceful. Anyone who does it should be ashamed of themselves.
Councils seem to be doing very little, but should it be work that prisoners are made to do (the less dangerous ones anyway)? It'd be be useful work and might get the countryside back looking decent again. Could be linked to small increase in their allowance, or a cut if they refuse.

Jim Bob Scratcher

How about the law abiding citizens don't litter.

Easca Peasca

Yes. It'd be no harm to get some sort of return out of the money it takes to house and feed them.

BlibBlab

Jim Bob Scratcher wrote: »

How about the law abiding citizens don't litter.

The people littering are hardly law abiding. The problem is they're not getting caught

Jim Bob Scratcher

BlibBlab wrote: »

The people littering are hardly law abiding. The problem is they're not getting caught

It's not the prisoners littering the place.

Sam Kade

It would cost a lot more to get them out working between supervision and loads of regulations.

fleet_admiral

Can they not be stuffed with sand and used as a flood defence?

kupus

the only thing they pick up is the benefits

Menas

I would love to see prisoners giving something back to the communities. But the first one to hurt his little finger would be suing the state.

And given how our judges love to give out the compo....

Sam Kade

If they ever put prisoners working it should be hard labour like breaking rocks with sledges. It should be work to deter them from going to prison in the first place.

goose2005

Sam Kade wrote: »

It would cost a lot more to get them out working between supervision and loads of regulations.

and imagine the number of claims filed when someone cuts their hand on a thorn

diomed

I congratulate you on your escape plan.

Duiske

We should make littering a hanging offence, and make prisoners construct the gallows and dig the graves.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

If said prisoners were done for litter, then yes.

FISMA.

Make them teach secondary school! That'll learn em!

eeguy

You'd have council workers up in arms claiming their jobs are being undermined or some such nonsense.

Junkyard Tom

What we should do is take a serious look at the US model of incarceration and not follow that example.

pawrick

I definitely think community service of some sort should be required rather than a custodial sentence for minor offences esp. when you consider many people are only brought in to be released a few hours later.

The Randy Riverbeast

It would cost more money. If they want to spend money to pick up litter they should give people a job and pay them.

topmanamillion

I absolutely believe prisoners should be put to work. Prison is unbelievably cushy for the repeat offenders.
It's certainly a punishment for first offenders or small time criminals. They are a good bit down the food chain and there's always the risk of beatings or sexual assaults.
But if you're a big time drug dealer or someone with connections no one is going to try that kind of stuff.
All you have to do is play your Xbox, watch TV and use your mobile to keep an eye on your drug business.
Putting those sorts of people to work in the pissing rain picking up dog **** would be glorious.
As for regulations, there's ways around those. One way would be to make work a part of a sentence i.e a sentence could be 5years in jail and 1000 hours of community service. Prisoners can't sue the state for prison assaults so it could be similar for accidents during the course of their community service.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

What we should do is take serious look of the US model of incarceration and not do that.

Sarcasm, surely...? That said, we could start to convict people of minor offenses and then sentence them to many years of hard labour of community service building more prisons for the dramatically increased number of prisoners we're going to have to accomodate, who in turn will undoubtedly spend their time inside building even more prisons so that we can acoomodate....

Guffy

Quote: Jim Bob ScratcherHow about the law abiding citizens don't litter.

BlibBlab wrote: »

The people littering
are hardly law abiding. The problem is they're not getting caught

Really? That one went over your head did it?

Realt Dearg Sec

topmanamillion wrote: »

I absolutely believe prisoners should be put to work. Prison is unbelievably cushy for the repeat offenders.
It's certainly a punishment for first offenders or small time criminals. They are a good bit down the food chain and there's always the risk of beatings or sexual assaults.
But if you're a big time drug dealer or someone with connections no one is going to try that kind of stuff.
All you have to do is play your Xbox, watch TV and use your mobile to keep an eye on your drug business.
Putting those sorts of people to work in the pissing rain picking up dog **** would be glorious.
As for regulations, there's ways around those. One way would be to make work a part of a sentence i.e a sentence could be 5years in jail and 1000 hours of community service. Prisoners can't sue the state for prison assaults so it could be similar for accidents during the course of their community service.

You sound like an expert in watching TV shows about prison.

Would like to see it too. Don't think it will somehow.


Imagine the claims though in this compo culture state.

Prisoner: "I hurt my back pushing the wheelbarrow Judge"

Judge: "You poor soul. Here's €50K and another €25K because you've had such an awful upbringing."

Sam Kade

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Sarcasm, surely...? That said, we could start to convict people of minor offenses and then sentence them to many years of hard labour of community service building more prisons for the dramatically increased number of prisoners we're going to have to accomodate, who in turn will undoubtedly spend their time inside building even more prisons so that we can acoomodate....

Hard labour would be the deterrent so less prisoners.

cowboyBuilder

In Barcelona they have the prisoners clean up the beaches after San Juan weekend in June , a load of lads in orange jumpsuits combing the beach ... it's gas.

BlibBlab

gufc21 wrote: »

Quote: Jim Bob ScratcherHow about the law abiding citizens don't litter.



Really? That one went over your head did it?

Apparently so, feel free to enlighten me

OldGoat

Penal servitude.

/sniggersnort

VisibleGorilla

As an alternative to custody, yes, 100%.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Sam Kade wrote: »

Hard labour would be the deterrent so less prisoners.

The American system operates as a business. No prisoners means no business. There always needs to be prisoeners. Even if they're created.

suicide_circus

On paper yes, I'd like to see chain gangs but with our massive concern for the welfare of scumbags it would probably be more hassle than its worth. Just give them more free cash and facilities.

Terrlock

Absolutely, prisoners should definitely have to work to earn their keep.

I'd have them doing a lot more then picking up litter.

Do work that would actually help them rehabilitate, like growing their own food.

As for picking up litter, I'd actually introduce a new rule, instead of silly little fines for people that are caught littering. Anyone found littering, most then do at least a 2 week community service to clean up an area. And I'd enforce this for a while.

I think that would work a lot better then fines.

Hurtbuthealing

Sam Kade wrote: »

Hard labour would be the deterrent so less prisoners.

Hard labour, Penal Servitude, hanging, Flogging, all tried, all failed.
Prison, as a punishment is supposed the deprivation of the offenders liberty, nothing else.

smash

Can we not just chain them together, give them a pitchfork and make them dig up fields at the side of the M50 for no apparent reason like in the good old days

Terrlock

Hurtbuthealing wrote: »

Hard labour, Penal Servitude, hanging, Flogging, all tried, all failed.
Prison, as a punishment is supposed the deprivation of the offenders liberty, nothing else.

Well I think they should at least work to earn their keep and pay back society.

I mean giving them TV's and xbox's to play isn't really fixing anything either.

VisibleGorilla

Terrlock wrote: »

I mean giving them TV's and xbox's to play isn't really fixing anything either.

It reduces prison violence.

07Lapierre

VisibleGorilla wrote: »

It reduces prison violence.

If you had to grow your own food you'd be too busy to fight! Prisons should be as self sufficient as possible. Anything that reduces the cost to the taxpayers/ crime victims is a good thing.

Muahahaha

eh lads prisoners in Ireland are already work. Mountjoy has a huge laundry that services contracts, also some prisoners in there fix computers.

07Lapierre

The Randy Riverbeast wrote: »

It would cost more money. If they want to spend money to pick up litter they should give people a job and pay them.

Offer these jobs to prisoners..once there earning they can pay for their accommodation , meals, electricity and the dreaded water charges, just like the rest of us.

Dodge

sounds like some of you here think prison life is easy. Bet none of you would swap with them though. Rightly so. I had to visit a prison once with work. It was as close to hell as I could imagine you'd get in Ireland.

Anyone who thinks it's an easy life is talking through their hoop

(and this isn't an argument against tough prisons - just pointing out they already are)

Dodge

sounds like some of you here think prison life is easy. Bet none of you would swap with them though. Rightly so. I had to visit a prison once with work. It was as close to hell as I could imagine you'd get in Ireland.

Anyone who thinks it's an easy life is talking through their hoop

(and this isn't an argument against tough prisons - just pointing out they already are)

Stephen Gawking

Most of these people wouldn't open their eyes until they're tired of being closed so I don't see how you can force work where wasters are concerned.

Jimoslimos

Sam Kade wrote: »

If they ever put prisoners working it should be hard labour like breaking rocks with sledges. It should be work to deter them from going to prison in the first place.

Problem with hard physical labour is that you then need to up their calorie intake - so costs more money. All for a bit of work that could be done with machines in a matter of minutes.

I remember reading or seeing something about prisoners in America (surprisingly a good initiative) who would help with putting out forest fires. It was dangerous physical work but it wasn't mandatory and was seen as a privilege by those who would volunteer. Something like this perhaps might work for some prisoners.

Found the link;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34285658

VisibleGorilla

07Lapierre wrote: »

If you had to grow your own food you'd be too busy to fight! Prisons should be as self sufficient as possible. Anything that reduces the cost to the taxpayers/ crime victims is a good thing.

The biggest reduction in cost is not having them there in the first place, not 100% but I believe it's close to €70k per year to house a prisoner.

Realt Dearg Sec

Dodge wrote: »

sounds like some of you here think prison life is easy. Bet none of you would swap with them though. Rightly so. I had to visit a prison once with work. It was as close to hell as I could imagine you'd get in Ireland.

Anyone who thinks it's an easy life is talking through their hoop

(and this isn't an argument against tough prisons - just pointing out they already are)

Shhh, you're wrecking the right wing ranting with all these facts.

topmanamillion

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

You sound like an expert in watching TV shows about prison.

So I'm wrong? Prison officers aren't overwhelmed and scared of some of the people in their custody? Leading to them either being complicit or passing a blind eye to contraband passing through prisons? And giving some of the worst offenders an easy ride?

smash

Dodge wrote: »

sounds like some of you here think prison life is easy. Bet none of you would swap with them though. Rightly so. I had to visit a prison once with work. It was as close to hell as I could imagine you'd get in Ireland.

Anyone who thinks it's an easy life is talking through their hoop

(and this isn't an argument against tough prisons - just pointing out they already are)

Yea, but we want them to be tougher! :pac:

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

You sound like an expert in watching TV shows about prison.

So do a lot of people who waffle on comparing them to holiday camps, to be fair

07Lapierre

Dodge wrote: »

sounds like some of you here think prison life is easy. Bet none of you would swap with them though. Rightly so. I had to visit a prison once with work. It was as close to hell as I could imagine you'd get in Ireland.

Anyone who thinks it's an easy life is talking through their hoop

(and this isn't an argument against tough prisons - just pointing out they already are)

+1...I've seen the conditions inside...not pleasant, But I suspect when your locked in there for years, you get used to it. it becomes normal. So not working and having everything handed to you also become's normal, which makes it a lot tougher when they get out into the real world.

Pink Fairy

Am I the only one who read the title and thought it said pensioners?......

uck51js9zml2yt

They could do public workshops on entitled "how not to...(insert crime)"