@Giggle: Um, hard labor, yeah right, they do not do hard labor at all. They work in the kitchen or similar places, they earn things like TVs and radios, they do not have it very hard when you compare it to what they did to get in there.

I oppose the death penalty. I don't have a solution to our overcrowded prisons, but I like the idea of removing silly laws that protect persons from themselves. I wonder more frequent use of house arrest would reduce the number of people in our prisons? Obviously this would be a solution for those with minor offenses.

I wonder more frequent use of house arrest would reduce the number of people in our prisons?

Christina, you bring up a very good point. Although I think the solution here is education. Most prisoners in the US Prison system are repeat offenders. If we required these prisoners with even just minor charges (IE: A drug charge, minor theft charge, etc.) to get some sort of education whether it be a GED or a college degree if they have completed high school I think they could live a better life outside of the system. And hence, they would not want to re-offend.

If you study the difference between per say Australia's prison systems and the US prison systems; Australia only has about 30% of there prisoners return to prison or repeat where as in America it is more than 65% in repeat offenders behind bars. This is because Australia believes that when they punish there prisoners the prison sentence is the punishment. When they go to prison they are REQUIRED to get some sort of education. Once they receive the education and also most of them develop a skill while serving their sentence they are 60% more likely to get a good paying job or at least a stable job on the outside.

Now, for those who are wondering, "Well I'm not paying for them.." Of course you are. Your taxes are. And if you want to help - than lets get them educated!

Interesting stat. I do think that the offenders need to be responsible for their education expense though. There's no reason why committing a crime should earn somebody a free degree! How about some kind of inmate loan program? I'm sure Uncle Sam would be happy to fund it!

Maybe instead of a loan program, why not a grant program for those who qualify? Some prisoners come from super poor families and never was giving much opportunity.

I think loans would be sufficient. As a conservative with libertarian-leaning views, I don't think the government should even be involved with loans, let alone grants with our tax dollars. If a prisoner or former convict wants a grant, he or she should be at no advantage over others simply because they served time in prison. To me, that is like rewarding criminal behavior. (Maybe this is what you meant...not sure.)

@Queenbutterly, in the UK prisons are also given the option to receive an education, however this is not compulsory, however my english teacher at college had previously been a teacher within a prison and at that particular prison it had been quite successful, however college here is always funded by the tax payers, otherwise I wouldn't support it unless the prisoner themselves were liable for the costs with a student loan.

The UK's repeat offenders are mainly those who are in to petty crime, such as criminal damage etc, crimes which yes do have a victim, but they generally aren't putting anyone at risk/serious harm, they are also those who receive shorter sentences. In the UK very old men and ladies have been sent to prison for not paying their council tax (around £1000 a year) because the services promised by their councils aren't being provided, now that is pathetic. Those who have sentences that are less than twelve months (and so automatically serve 6 months) have a 60% reoffender rate in the first 12 months after release, which is very bad.

I think we also need a better system for employment after prison, when an employer learns a candidate has been to prison, for whatever reason most will not employ that person, obviously in some jobs this is needed, but others there is no reason someone who has ended their punishment, should be denied jobs based on their criminal record. Those who fail to gain jobs after they are released from prison are also far more likely to reoffend in the 12 months following their release.

I'm against the death penalty entirely. A lot of these horrible rapists and murderers actually think they're winning when they get sentenced to die. Why? Because they don't have to sit in a cell for the rest of their lives. I've read that some of them feel that dying is their freedom, or way out of the punishment. I think that instead of the death penalty, they should be sentenced to life in solitary confinement, with no chance of parole. Let them sit there with no visitors, no tvs, only eating crappy meals, having a hard cot to sleep on, and think about what they did.