At $75K, housing a prisoner in California now costs more than a year at Harvard

Re:At $75K, housing a prisoner in California now costs more ... by 7952 on Friday March 22, 2019 @08:11AM (#19461746)

I would much rather be beaten, banished, or shamed than go to prison. And honestly, I think I would rather die than be locked up for any amount of time. Yet all these punishments are seen as less humane than locking someone in a small room with scary people for years. It just shows how little people can really imagine what it is like.

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Re:At $75K, housing a prisoner in California now costs more ... by LeftTurnSignal on Friday March 22, 2019 @09:15AM (#19462204)

A few of my friends have spent some time in jail / prison due to smoking pot and the "three strikes" rule along with it. They were in there ranging from overnight to a few weeks to months.

One developed PTSD from it and has had major issues since he was released 15 years ago. The other one hasn't quite came back mentally either, will not talk about it and is so much worse off now than ever. After he was released, but before his court date where he knew he wasn't going to have to go back, he was contemplating suicide.

They all said they would rather die than ever go back for any significant time. I'm not sure what significant means in that respect, but dying seems to be the general theme they share now.

After working at a jail for a bit, I'm not sure I blame them at all. I like to think I'm mentally strong, but I don't know how long I could do it. I am sure I would have the same mentality they do now after spending time in jail / prison.

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Re:At $75K, housing a prisoner in California now costs more ... by qes on Friday March 22, 2019 @04:57PM (#19466873)

Those sound like abnormally severe reactions, though in some locations life in jail or prison is much more severe - but in most of the U.S. it's not the violent, drug fueled rape-fest popular media might have you believe.

I spent 7 years in prison, most of it in a maximum security facility. I once spent 3 straight weeks on 23 hours cell confinement - no tv, no books, no other people aside from a guard walking by doing rounds. The other 1 hour was allowed in essentially just a larger cell.

I've known many other inmates - before, during, and after incarceration. No one was keen on going back, but I don't know anyone who developed any significant PTSD from their experiences, and no one who would choose literally death over re-incarceration.

I did know one guy who got PTSD after being shot 7 times by the police for trying to drive away from them. None from being in jail for a few months, though.

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Re:At $75K, housing a prisoner in California now costs more ... by mbostleman on Friday March 22, 2019 @09:42AM (#19462404)

The pot prohibition was unfortunate on many levels. It appears like it's falling apart rapidly at this point. I hope that continues.

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Re:At $75K, housing a prisoner in California now costs more ... by conanbatt on Friday March 22, 2019 @09:59AM (#19462537)

This is actually a missed point in modern times. If people could ask to get lashes or prison, I bet a very large number would choose lashes.

So which punishment is more humane? Turns out we are picking for the experience of "the innocent" not for the rights of the "guilty".

In these lines I have commented before: the main moral issue of modern prison systems is that they don't value liberty, so merely taking away someones liberty does not quench the thirst of revenge that pays off for the politician rhetoric.

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Re:At $75K, housing a prisoner in California now costs more ... by lostapathy on Friday March 22, 2019 @09:01AM (#19462095)

Unfortunately if you go to prison in the US, odds are you will also get beaten and shamed.

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