Monday, May 03, 2004

Our tax dollars at work...

Fox News has a report about inmates buying flat screen TVs for their cells, so the poor dears don't have to watch TV in the common area. A couple of questions here...

a) Why are we going out of our way to accomodate and make comfortable the prison population? Aren't they being punished?

b) I understand that they are "buying" these TVs with money they "earn" by working for the prison, but instead of flat screen TVs shouldn't these funds be used to help defray the incredible cost of housing them?

I am all for humane treatment of prisoners, but when they spend all of their time watching TV, playing basketball and lifting weights, how is that helping prepare them for reentry into society? Isn't that the second-half of the goal, punish first and rehabilitate second?

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