KC Could Get A College Degree In Prison For Free - Thoughts Please

[Starfish]

I think it should be like it used to be in prison you had
to pick garbage on the side of the road didn't have TV
and everything else they get to do now to me prison
is prison and you are there to do your time not a good
time while you are in there.

:clap:

I agree Linda, they need the striped suits, the ball & chain, & doing hard manual labor.

 

[Starfish]

No she should not get one for free!!! I am the same age as her and I am working full time and going to school. I am busting my butt to pay for schooling! It is so expensive!!

I did too Jin & its extremely upsetting to hear that someone in prison can get an education for free while you (a law abiding citizen) has to work your butt off & spend years after you have your degree paying off student loans! Wrong wrong wrong!

 

[elfie]

You're welcome, Elfie, and I agree with you but only when our entire population is given the same treatment. That's where my beef is. While I do agree with a program such as this, it's my belief that it needs better structuring & limitations, and also needs to coincide with a better promise for others that have never been incarcerated but wish to further their education. It's unfair to me that KC can get a higher college education but I will have to struggle in order to put my boys in college...if I can even afford it when that time comes. See what I'm saying? Our system is broken. Definitely. Just needs to be repaired.

It's beyond me, as well. It's not bad enough that it has become so horrendously expensive to attend the better schools, but the interest rate for student loans are in the 6.5 to 7% percent range (unthinkable!) and there is absolutely no reason that ALL of the money spent on an education at an accredited school (including room and board) is not tax deductible. Now THAT is a crime. I hope that changes come soon (and will stay in effect) that will help your boys get the education that they so deserve.

 

[OneLostGrl]

a sociopath with a degree who will never get out of prison. That's useful.

lol..

 

[reeseeva]

A sociopath with a degree who will never get out of prison. That's useful.

:clap::biglaugh:

Oh, Help me I'm crying on that on!

 

[Jersey*Girl]

:clap::biglaugh:

Oh, Help me I'm crying on that on!

A sociopath with a degree who will never get out of prison. That's useful.

Ditto (I hope) - and a waste of money.

 

[Boston]

Good point. Take away all the frills & it would be much cheaper. No books, no gym, no hot water in the shower, no tv's, NO NOTHING, just a cell, iron bars, a pot to pee in. Give them grits & koolaid & toss a vitamin their way. They broke the law and deserve nothing, are entitled to nothing. These people didnt care if they sold dope to your kids, robbed or raped you elderly grandma or killed their kid. Let them all rot...no medical no dental, no nothing. Think how cheap it would be then. Put that money into education, health care, housing & feeding those who do not break the law.

That's exactly how prisons are run in Turkey & Brazil

It leads to riots, murder, rape & assaults & a prison sentence is paramount to a death sentence

But if it saves the Taxpaying citizen money who cares?

Better yet...Why build prisons at all?

Instead of wasting all this money guarding them lets just execute them all the moment their convicted.

 

[momtective]

How's that gonna help her if she's dead? Why spend the time and energy to educate yourself when you know you will never be able to put your degree to use. I mean it's not like people are going to be visiting her in prison for legal advice unless of course it's other inmates. Personally, I think it's a huge waste for Florida tax payers to foot the bill for her to have an education she will never have an opportunity to use.
All the knowledge in the world is not going to save Casey's life...so why bother!

 

[akashana]

It is what it is. I think that educating prisoners can be a positive thing if the goal is rehabilitation for their eventual re-entry into society. It is an attempt to stop recidivism (sp?), which in theory at least, should be for thegood of society as a whole. The fact that the prisoner benefits is fine with me, as I do believe that many crimes are committed by people who have not had the benefits of a proper upbringing and an education. I live in Louisiana, where the illiteracy rate is staggering. We routinely graduate students who are more or less functionally illiterate. What choices do they have in the working world, really? Now I don't think KC is even close to this category of people; she had obvious advantages. I'm not sure that I even support educating prisoners who face LWOP, and I see no purpose in and many security risks associated with continuing education for those on death row.

But for the average joe prisoner doing time where release is in the conceivable future and he or she could still contribute meaningfully to society, teach them something they can use. Otherwise they will simply fall back on a life of crime. It's all about options, IMHO.

 

[Valhall]

Actually, we might get a return on investment on this one. After the first conviction Baez and "the team" will lose interest in their alleged "pro bono" work (or whatever it really is) and KC will be in prison taking her little law lessons and having way too much time to convince herself that had SHE defended herself in the first place...she wouldn't be in the spot she's in.

Then we'll round two - an appeal where KC represents herself. Pay-per-view TV. Reality TV gone wild.

KC: Your honor I intend to show that my conshtitutional rights have been violated.
Judge: You don't say?
KC: Absolutely. I mean look at me. I've butter-beaned up so much my right to bare arms has been taken away! *smooth hair, adjust bra, smooth hair, rub hands, smooth hair*

 

[countzero]

Actually, we might get a return on investment on this one. After the first conviction Baez and "the team" will lose interest in their alleged "pro bono" work (or whatever it really is) and KC will be in prison taking her little law lessons and having way too much time to convince herself that had SHE defended herself in the first place...she wouldn't be in the spot she's in.

Then we'll round two - an appeal where KC represents herself. Pay-per-view TV. Reality TV gone wild.

KC: Your honor I intend to show that my conshtitutional rights have been violated.
Judge: You don't say?
KC: Absolutely. I mean look at me. I've butter-beaned up so much my right to bare arms has been taken away! *smooth hair, adjust bra, smooth hair, rub hands, smooth hair*

:coffeecup::rolling::rolling: I need to learn to keep my coffee cup DOWN when I read these posts. This was just too funny, predicting her future. Thanxs for the morning laugh.

 

[jandkmom]

To all the attorney's/legal people here...could there be a lawsuit for people who are not in jail and paying for their education to sue the state that if an inmate's classes, books etc... are paid for then why isn't the state paying for everyone else? I don't think the state should pay for all students' education, but this irritates me since I am struggling to pay for my son's educatation with tuition and books and such and people are getting their education because they commited a crime.

 

[kaRN]

I think it's a waste of money isn't it? It's also a slap in the face.
Karla H obtained 2 undergraduate degrees at my expense. One in Psychology the other in Women's Studies. After she left jail unrepentant she married, had a baby and moved somewhere in the Caribean.
Bad example maybe because KH should be in jail, not flitting around the world raising the next PB. Point is, other than the joy of knowing she isn't down the street from me or a loved one, her degrees paid for by the taxpayer, are not benefitting the taxpayer.
Thousands of deserving kids don't get to go to college because they can't afford to. Thousands, millions maybe more are struggling well into their thirties to pay back loans for their education.
KC didn't even have the get up and go to get her GED, she'll rot in jail for life if AL doesn't spare her the needle and her education will be of benefit to nobody but her. If you're sending away a 23 yo for 10 or 15 years, then yes by all means educate them to function and contribute to society. But lets get real, KC won't be online going to school, she'll be on twitter. :behindbar

 

[Manny]

I think this has always been true. They do allow them to get a degree.. however I don't think I would want to put that on a resume.
Wonder if they can graduate Summa com laude? With honors? Top of their class? I guess most of them become Jailhouse lawyers.. hmmm wonder why?

 

[MAMABEAR]

From my limited knowledge of jail/prisons, some inmates has a "fund" that family or friends can put money into their account so they can buy things for themselves. These prisoners don't have it good by any means. If you think about it, they are in a cell for a good part of their day. They have no freedom. They can not eat what they want. They can not go places like we can. I'm sure they have many books that they can read, and so what if they have books or a tv. The fact is, they are stuck inside a prison all day and all night. They have NO CONTROL!! no life. I don't think there are any happy prisoners out there..

I do agree with you about the "normal" type of jail bird but KC isn't normal. She thinks she is being treated special. She doesn't look at the fact that she is in protective custody because she killed her baby and the other inmates might chock her to death---she thinks she is being treated like a Queen. She looks at the other inmates as below her. Scum even.

She has money to go buy stuff for herself and she didn't have to work for it. People love her so much that they send money to her. Does she even know where that money comes from or does she just get a receipt as to how much she has left in her account.

She gets to eat and am sure by now--that she has gotten used to the jail food. It is served to her in her little cubby hole and they pick up her used dishes. She gets to lounge and read all day. She doesn't have a snot nosed kid to bother with or a mother who constantly belittles her day in and day out. She even gets to snub her mother and knows it affects her mother big time and she loves it. She is the STAR. The SHOW is all about her.

She has the different guards pass by her cell and they smile at her and she smiles back---sometimes making small talk. She has lawyers coming in to visit JUST her. Ain't she special! She is just a shell that gets put on a different shelf thru her life and she gets accustomed to each shelf.

She will be put in prison and life will change again. She will adjust to that situation. She may not like it at first but she will find her little place there and soon, she will be Queen again. She will even have Big Bertha protecting her. I think she will do just fine. Susan Smith did. D. Downs did. She will find a small space in prison where she can "control" those around her. She will be "the belle of the ball".

KC doesn't look at life in a future kind of way the "normal" do. She doesn't look at life passed her nose. Only in 7 minute frames. I doubt if she was even depressed about the hearing the other day. She had her "day" outing. She got to dress up fancy and twist her hair and grin at the men folks.

Not trying to sound snarky here---just the way I see thru her eyes. Maybe I'm seeing wrong. When she gets to prison, she will get out of the "Lawyer" mode and move to what ever mode she fits in. Doubt if she will try for education.

 

[Searchfortruth]

I did some research on FL prisons and found a site that answered many questions about what inmates there have and don't have. This is part of a Q & A on FL prisons...Link at bottom.

What determines what prison you go to?

DOC does.

Can you smoke in prison?

Yes as long as you are not inside of any building. That goes for all forms of tobacco.

Can you have a television in your cell?

No. There is only one in each dayroom and depending on which institution you go to it could be the officers or the inmates that determine what you watch.

Do they offer college courses?

No. They have a few camps with vocational programs but good luck getting into one.

http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-400487.html

 

[JBean]

Good point. Take away all the frills & it would be much cheaper. No books, no gym, no hot water in the shower, no tv's, NO NOTHING, just a cell, iron bars, a pot to pee in. Give them grits & koolaid & toss a vitamin their way. They broke the law and deserve nothing, are entitled to nothing. These people didnt care if they sold dope to your kids, robbed or raped you elderly grandma or killed their kid. Let them all rot...no medical no dental, no nothing. Think how cheap it would be then. Put that money into education, health care, housing & feeding those who do not break the law.

One thing I think is forgotten is the the Correction's Officers in all this. While people want most prisoners to be denied basic human rights (not talking about school) the prisoners become less and less human and much more difficult to control and monitor. If you treat people like animals they become animals. JMHO of course.
I would think the job of a CO would become increasingly more and more difficult if inmates were treated the way many would like them treated and for that reason i have no problem giving inmates certain perks.

In CA prisons you can no longer smoke. Smoking has been banned in our jails for a very long time but was only banned in our prisons in the last few years.
I was talking to one CO and he said they were all dreading the change because imagine hundreds if not thousands of violent offenders all having to quit smoking at the same time! He said it was the most difficult time of his career. In the jails they let them keep what the cigs they had, but no more could be brought in. When it got to the end and a few inmates had kept a stash and other inmates couldn't get any more they became a hot item with fights and more escalating. they finally had to confiscate the remainder because it was too hard for the CO's to deal with.

My point is that the less we give the prisoners, the more difficult the job is for the CO's and I think that should be a factor for consideration when determining what inmates can and cannot do. Education may serve a purpose for some inmates but not others.

 

[cecybeans]

My sister lived for a long time in CA and was involved in victim's rights orgs after being forewoman on a murder trial jury. She used to tell me stories about how there are actually newsletters for inmates on how to handle their INVESTMENTS while in prison. Some of them get govt money for various things. It's just appalling.

KC never left home so really for her, this is more like being grounded or something, only without CA being there (and that she has to eat grits) and without having to babysit her own daughter (which is I'm sure how she thought of taking care of Caylee).

I'm sorry but I don't think we've proved that much rehabilitation takes place in prisons and I'd rather see any extra money spent on their comfort or their education being spent on restitution to victims. If our tax dollars are spent to allow them to get a higher education then they should be obligated to use that to give back to society.

Habitat for Humanity has prison programs in IL and CO in which inmates volunteer to make cabinets and walls or other wood items for the homes. Some even make dollhouses that are sold to raise money for the houses. Oprah had a show recently where Glenn Close talked about a program in NY I believe in which selected inmates spend two years raising and training service dogs for returning disabled war veterans.

Darn it, if we are going to house inmates for at least an average cost of over $40k per year (and that is not the ones with special requirements like protective custody, etc), then I think anything above and beyond three squares a day and a decent cell should come at a price to them. If we are going to pay for an advanced degree then I think they should be required to use it for community service of some sort. Particularly with law degrees; they should be required to assist attorneys on pro bono cases (writing briefs, doing research, anything) to help the unfortunate or victims of crimes.

There are people in this economy who have never committed a crime but who are forced to sleep in their cars and dumpster dive for food, some of them with minimum wage jobs, some of them old or ill. They probably look at a life in which you get to sit in a cell and get three meals a day, free medical care, time for a little exercise and free TV and the ability to spend your day lounging or reading books as a dream existence.

What's wrong with this picture??

 

[akashana]

I think it's a waste of money isn't it? It's also a slap in the face.
Karla H obtained 2 undergraduate degrees at my expense. One in Psychology the other in Women's Studies. After she left jail unrepentant she married, had a baby and moved somewhere in the Caribean.
Bad example maybe because KH should be in jail, not flitting around the world raising the next PB. Point is, other than the joy of knowing she isn't down the street from me or a loved one, her degrees paid for by the taxpayer, are not benefitting the taxpayer.
Thousands of deserving kids don't get to go to college because they can't afford to. Thousands, millions maybe more are struggling well into their thirties to pay back loans for their education.
KC didn't even have the get up and go to get her GED, she'll rot in jail for life if AL doesn't spare her the needle and her education will be of benefit to nobody but her. If you're sending away a 23 yo for 10 or 15 years, then yes by all means educate them to function and contribute to society. But lets get real, KC won't be online going to school, she'll be on twitter. :behindbar

The Homolka case was flawed on so many level I can't even begin to start with it! ITA she has no business walkng again in the free world and breeding. That case cried out for LWOP if ever one did. Her own little sister! What a shame that LE didn't have all the evidence before they allowed her to cop her sweetheart plea. But she's not a typical case, thank god, by far. I'm sure I'm more liberal than most on this board in that I do believe in rehabilitation, and that all but the most depraved deserve a shot at redemption. We know some criminals will never be anything but a terrible parasite on society. Then we have the Wilbert Rideaus who paid many hard years for their crimes and managed to contribute much to society even while behind bars. Rideau was the former (I believe) death row inmate from Angola who eventually was released. While serving his time, he became editor of the prison newspaper, The Angolite, and won many awards and did much to advance the literacy rate amongst his fellow prisoners. None of that negates that he took a life during what I believe was an armed robbery. He could have hardened himself even more and given nothing back. But he realized his errors and turned himself around, and then turned others around. So because there are Rideaus amongst the Bundys and KCs in prison, I will always feel that education and rehabilitation have their place in the penal system. And there will always be abuses, sadly.

 

[autumnlover]

A sociopath with a degree who will never get out of prison. That's useful.

:clap::clap::clap: ITA. Since KC is a sociopath it doesn't matter how many degrees she gets, she will never be rehabilitated. She couldn't have a worse prognosis.

Also, most of the prisons in Florida do not have air conditioning. I happen to love Florida. We go down at least once or twice a year. Believe me, during the summer, it's so hot it's unbelievable. If she winds up at Lowell, which houses Death Row, she's going to be awfully uncomfortable. Gee, what a shame!:boohoo: