Chain Gangs......

[Michele]

10 convicted felons chained together working at the side of the road picking up trash.

or

10 convicted felons chained together working a field at their prison.

Are chain gangs a form of cruel punishment? Or do you feel chain gangs are a good punishment for certain offenders?

[GracieMae]

Sure they are cruel but so are most of the crimes commited by these offenders. IMO when they commited their crime they pretty much lost the right to be handled with kid gloves.

[kingclick]

I don't see it as cruel. Cruel is making them do something that no one else in the world does for a living. If someone is paid to pick up trash. Then it's not cruel.

[bRATmom]

I think every state should have chain gangs do the road way clean up. Both the male and female offenders. It could be part of thier restitution, could be to earn money for the prison commisary.....

Im sure if you asked the inmates, most would jump at the oppertunity to do something like this. I saw a program, the tuffest prison in america..... (LOVE IT BY THE WAY) and they did chain gangs, and it was a waiting list to get on one... and you had to behave or be taken off it.

[Truffles]

I think a part of our (Canada as well as the States) crime problem is that the general public never sees the consequences of crime. Our prisons (Correctional Facilities) are hidden, remote, or so non-descript, the average person doesn't notice them. We have no idea what existence in one of these places is like.

Chain gangs or inmates working menial jobs outside where the public can see, at least reminds us that these facilities exist.

[mom2burgess]

I don't see it as cruel either.

[goddess]

I don't think it is cruel. I would like to see more of this, esp. at the local jail level, so that the consequences of commiting a crime are actually seen by the community.

[emilina]

I don't think it is cruel. I would like to see more of this, esp. at the local jail level, so that the consequences of commiting a crime are actually seen by the community.


I agree.

[mle30]

Maybe embarrassing and humiliating, but... they did bad things! They broke the law severely enough to warrant jail time. They're not in Club Med, they're in the Department of Correction. What's next - a "jail with dignity" initiative?

I don't even think the 'chaining' is an infliction of pain so much as a logistics thing - how to keep a group of prisoners from overcoming the guards who watch them (unless you want to pay for each prisoner to have his own personal guard). And, by having prisoners clean up litter, they're doing 2 public services. 1. the punishment phase of their hopeful rehabilitation, and 2. cleaning up litter, which improves the community. They're doing TIME - it should be PRODUCTIVE time.

When I see articles about how the chains leave medical afflictions which go untreated (infected cuts, gangrene), than that would be cruel. But our justice system is very protective of the rights of criminals. Their grievances automatically go to the top of the docket - it's the law.

Excuse me for not being particularly concerned if the inmates are uncomfortable during their jail time. :shrug:

[Echo2]

We should not treat anyone with cruelty. We should not torture anyone no matter what. However, making someone who has been incasrcerated for crimes, earn their keep doing a job that un-incarcerated people do is not cruel. Why should criminals get a free ride to sit and do nothing but watch TV, work out and read all day? Let them put in a regular 8 hour day with breaks and lunch like the rest of us, as they are working for their board and room.