On Monday, May 9, 2005, at 11:48 AM, wmmarks wrote:
Connie Beckers wrote:
I can't understand why weIt's for the safety of the guards and other staff. A prison riot is not a pretty thing and guards get injured and killed in prison riots.
care so much about the creature comforts of convicted criminals when they
clearly don't care about the comforts of those they victimize! Who cares if
they're sleeping on the floor?
WizardMarks, Central
Good answer by Wiz, but there are the broader considerations Minneapolitans take into account, such as rehabilitation versus punishment or both in some ratio. As we swing back and forth, we have seen great rehab efforts come and go and punishment mode take hold. It is becoming clearer the criminal justice system is due for change. Building more and more jails and prisons won't work. As a society we have more prisons than other developed countries and I believe Minnesota has more prisoners than other states. Lots of reasons for that but among them is our community sense of how we are to deal with criminality, investigation, conviction and punishment (with or without rehabilitation).
Over the long term this reflects who we are as much as it reflects the state of jails and prisons and how convicted criminals are treated. Crime statistics rise and fall on every watch of every elected official in every municipality. Its lucky to have a good run and its tough to get beaten over the head when the numbers go bad. But generally these statistics follow trends rather than lead them.
So they are predictors of future performance by elected officials, but not an evaluation of past performance. Unfortunately, we can't seem to build too many jails. It is a popular thing to do.
It is the duty of every household, through taxes, to support adequate public safety. Private funds put controls into the hands of a few, unelected persons. We will find that is not good for Minneapolis.
Best wishes,
Laura Como Neighborhood, Minneapolis
Laura Waterman Wittstock Minneapolis, MN 612-387-4915 www.laurawatermanwittstock.com http://laurawatermanwittstock.blogspot.com/
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