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Re:Entrepreneurs in Prison by chasing on Friday May 04, 2012 @11:37AM (#3928851)
First, it's prison. So, y'know, punishment on some level. In addition to rehabilitation. So my gut reaction is that I'd rather see more educational programs going on. Especially since a lot of "entrepreneurship" is really just either scammy behavior or flat-out fantasy (my start-up's the next Facebook!). Especially when the education isn't in place.

That said, I'm not entirely opposed to the idea. But, as a tax-payer, the idea that someone is getting free room and board on my dime while they make a good income grates a bit. What does it cost to keep someone incarcerated for a year these days? $40k? If the inmate were to repay this -- the sort of rent and bills every other entrepreneur has to pay -- then the idea would be more palatable.

Re:Entrepreneurs in Prison by jisaacstone on Friday May 04, 2012 @11:58AM (#3928966)
I had a friend in prison some years ago. He said the worst thing wan there was nothing to do. Most people slept 12+ hours a day & when they got out they couldn't adjust.

So yeah, I feel any productive activity is a damn good idea.

Re:Entrepreneurs in Prison by itmag on Friday May 04, 2012 @03:33PM (#3929954)
Hmmm... Instant brainstorm mode... What startup ideas involving prisoners can we think of?

Maybe some kind of Mechanical Turk esque web site where their earnings get paid out to them upon release?

Or some kind of Learnable tailored to inmates?

Any ideas, people? :)

Re:Entrepreneurs in Prison by d_jackson_kf on Friday May 04, 2012 @03:51PM (#3930046)
It's very true. By far the worse thing inside is the boredom. When you see it on TV/movies all you see is the drama. You don't see the endless hours of _absolutely.nothing.to.do_ It's mind numbing. So you try to sleep as much as possible to make the time pass
Re:Entrepreneurs in Prison by ojbyrne on Friday May 04, 2012 @12:12PM (#3929048)
I'm pretty sure that in the US, some kind of room and board charge is deducted from any income an inmate makes.