Should prisoners be forced to pay for their expenses

[ShyGuyInChicago]

I ask this because people often complain about how prisoners are living better lives than people in society. They say that prison has free healthcare, education, TV, and food at the expense of the taxpayers...things that many law abiding citizens struggle to get. Some people say that because of conditions of prison it is not enough of a deterrent because they can get necessities for free. So I wonder should prisoners have to work to pay for their necessities otherwise they go without them? Should taxpayers have to pay for these things?

Plus even with all of these things prison is not a good place by any estimate.

[huginnmuninn]

yes they should have to work in prison

[enzenzz]

they should be working but what kind of work can they do? those in maximum security might be too dangerous to put to work. also, what is their motivation for doing a good job?

[Amnesiac]

We already know prisoners do both community service and work around the prison. There's not really much more we can let them do without endangering the public.

No matter what, taxpayers are going to pay to maintain prisons. You want a safe society, you pay for the facilities to keep it safe.

[INFERNO]

That may be fine for certain prisoners but for those in maximum security prison, in forensic psychiatric facilities (not criminally responsible due to mental illness) and prisoners who suffer from a physical disability, they're not likely to be employed. Some prisoners can receiver intermittent parole, where they work on the weekdays and come back on the weekends plus late Friday but not all prisoners can get this. So for those who cant get this, they may be unable to pay for health care, food and such while others can pay for that. Unjust, unfair and dehumanizing. It goes from one extreme (having TV, food, clothing and health care) to the other extreme (no TV, no food, some clothing and no health care).

Taxpayers are going to have to pay for maintaining the prisons. Some prisoners can work while on parole or probation but there's no way a recently convicted child murderer is going to be allowed to work in McDonald's so he/she can get proper facilities in prison.

[ShyGuyInChicago]

That may be fine for certain prisoners but for those in maximum security prison, in forensic psychiatric facilities (not criminally responsible due to mental illness) and prisoners who suffer from a physical disability, they're not likely to be employed. Some prisoners can receiver intermittent parole, where they work on the weekdays and come back on the weekends plus late Friday but not all prisoners can get this. So for those who cant get this, they may be unable to pay for health care, food and such while others can pay for that. Unjust, unfair and dehumanizing. It goes from one extreme (having TV, food, clothing and health care) to the other extreme (no TV, no food, some clothing and no health care).

Taxpayers are going to have to pay for maintaining the prisons. Some prisoners can work while on parole or probation but there's no way a recently convicted child murderer is going to be allowed to work in McDonald's so he/she can get proper facilities in prison.

I meant prisoners working in the prison

[INFERNO]

I meant prisoners working in the prison

The same thing applies. Certain security levels have individual cells where each prisoner cannot see the other within their respective cells, usually at maximum security or special handling unit (above maximum security). If all of them are to work, there's a definite chance of attacks and fights. Hell, prisoners have said the greatest threat or fear they have is of other prisoners when they make home-made weapons (i.e. knives). Although this risk exists at lower security levels, there often are people who did less severe acts so they may be less of a threat. But for the higher levels, if they attack each other, when one is wounded then they cannot pay for health services because they may be unable to work. The attacking one may be put into isolation and not be allowed to work for a bit with others, so they cannot get their pay either. It's asking for trouble to occur and trouble will answer.