Strange

Jail making inmates pay for toilet paper

by JeffHuang | February 13, 2009 at 09:47 am

488 views | 15 Recommendations | 13 comments

Des Moines County jail in Burlington is considering charging inmates money for the usage of toilet paper. This would cut the cost by more than $2,300 as the county is facing more than $1.7 million in deficit. An ultimatum was given to the department heads either to cut cost or face layoffs.

Inmates at the Des Moines County jail in Burlington may have to begin paying for toilet paper. The county is facing a more than $1.7 million deficit in this year's budget and the Board of Supervisors gave department heads the option of cutting costs or facing the possibility of unpaid furloughs or layoffs.

We recently had prisoners ordering pizza and wings for a superbowl party in New York, but I guess this type of luxury stops in Iowa.

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literaryguru

at 11:50 on February 13th, 2009

Every study on recidivism rates in America has shown the same thing: the longer you keep people in jail, the more likely they are to re offend. Jails create criminal behavior. Why? Because they no longer teach pro-social behavior. Whenever correctional programs are introduced that try to teach community values and behavior, some news source splashes headlines claiming some absurd position that inmates are getting a wonderful standard of living at taxpayers expense. As long as this continues, jail will continue to be a spawning ground for a culture that breeds violence against you, the taxpayer.

JeffHuang

at 12:21 on February 13th, 2009

Great comment literaryguru.

I took a few criminology classes in university and there is the other side to this argument. The whole idea of jail is to reinstitute these criminals back into the society. I really don't know what is the best punishment for crimes and whether locking them up for a long period of time is a good idea.

Some even say by having the perpetrator in a room face to face with the victim or the victim's family to apologize and talk things over is a better method than jailing. I'm not in that camp of thought.

eastvanray

at 15:37 on February 14th, 2009

It is also true that while in prison criminals do not perpetrate crimes on society. Anyway what do your comments have to do with the article?

tiredofthebull

at 13:10 on February 13th, 2009

The idea of locking people in prison, where they have no way to make an income, then expect then to pay for necessities is absurd. If they make them pay for toilet paper, next will be water, utilities, etc. If they want them to pay their own way, a new system needs to be put in place that can facilitate that kind of program.

eastvanray

at 15:41 on February 14th, 2009

Guess what? Prison is supposed to be punishment. These dreggs of society find money to buy cigarettes, drugs and all sorts of things. Make them pay for toilet paper, the cost of their room and board and everything else (including resitution to the offended party that landed their sorry asses in jail). These people are in jail because they broke laws, hurt people, stole things....punishment is exactly what they deserve.

literaryguru

at 20:59 on February 14th, 2009

What is more important: hurting criminals or deterring crime? If you just want to hurt criminals then, sure, lock them up and make them pay for everything. Hell, why not whip them three times a day while your at it? The problem with this punitive style of corrections is that it breeds worse criminals more likely to commit worse crimes. It is also rather sadistic for a society to base its criminal justice system on revenge.... not to mention all the innocent people that end up in jail, the sociological circumstances that make ethnic minorities far more likely to end up in jail or the black market that erupts in jail when you place a value on a necessary commodity. Suddenly people start extorting other inmates for their toilet paper or selling it for drugs. The idea backfires on so many levels once you understand the criminal justice system. The only party that wins is the private corporation that gets the contract to run the prison. They no longer have to pay for toilet paper.

eastvanray

at 12:42 on February 17th, 2009

I disagree. Making the financially responsible for themselves (and for restitution) brings their actions and expectations in line with life "on the outside" where they will be expected to become self-sufficient.