Yes that was what I meant, but in their eyes it was BETTER, they were eating three meals a day, had a bed(if that is what u wanna call it, but better then a box I guess)..and some even told me they got treated better IN prison then in the world.. So where you and I wouldnt really think prison life was better, some do. Some were instutionalized, others free world life just realy truly sucked. Also IMHO there are also some inmates that NEED the structure and consistance of prison.
Mia G, I agree. (hey that rhymes...)
Having lived in JC for a good deal of my life, I have naturally encountered ex-convicts.
For those who don't know, the main maximum security prison for this state was in downtown JC, and only closed a few years ago. This is/was a huge stone walled complex within a few blocks of the state capital building. Also in the downtown area are many office buildings housing various state agencies. When I was working for the state, back in the 70/80's, some prisoners participated in work-release programs. These prisoners, nearing the end of their sentences, would be transported by bus to the offices to work in state jobs during the day, (or other businesses in town), and returned to the prison at 5pm. Some would then continue in the same jobs after being paroled. Also, low-risk prisoners, or trustees, would make up the cleaning crews who came into some of the office buildings in the early evenings, always fairly well guarded.
There were a number of other prisons in this immediate area back then....maybe still are, I was away in another state for 20 years....including a women's prison, a minimum security facility, and a work-farm facility. Some percentage of the prisoners settled in JC after release, or at least stayed a few years. So most folks who lived in JC back then knew at least one or two ex-cons.
Anyway, I digress. Several of the ex-convicts I knew then told me that people will return to prison because it's basically a "no-fail" life. In the "outside" world, if you are lousy at your job, or too lazy to work, you end up homeless and starving. In prison...NOT. They still feed you and house you, regardless. In prison, if you don't know what you're good at, or enjoy, as an occupation, they give you tests to help you decide. They move you from kitchen duty to the carpentry shop, to other jobs, until you find a job you're willing/able to do. They provide training and education, if you qualify.
In prison, you don't have to pay bills, shop for groceries, do your own laundry, make choices, etc. All those life chores are taken care of for you. Anyone who lacked the life-skills to take care of those sorts of details COULD have an easier time IN prison than out, provided they stayed out of the gangs, violence, trouble that, of course, is also available inside a prison. If you were able to resign yourself to the lack of freedom, or could rationalize that being fed, housed, clothed w/o freedom to travel, have a family, etc, was better than possibly/probably failing miserably at life outside, WITH freedom, then you'd be happy to stay in, or return to, prison life.
Alyssa is only 15, She hasn't had time to develop life-skills, such as finding and keeping a job, running her own household, etc. I don't know if our penal system has a program to teach those skills or not. I have to wonder if there is any correlation between age at arrest, and recidivism, that would indicate a need for training of that kind.
I knew one ex-con who was incarcerated from age 16 till 29. He didn't know how to unclog a shower drain or change a tire or get a home telephone. Without an outside support system, he'd have been back inside in a matter of months. He later alienated his entire support system and DID end up back in prison after a few years. He was on Danni's extensive list posted on thread 12 or 13.
Relating this to Alyssa, first, she needs to serve enough time to actually be punished for what she did. Second, she should never be released until there is a VERY high degree of certainty that she would never hurt another person again. (she now KNOWS what it feels like to kill someone, right? Doesn't need to wonder anymore.) And third, she shouldn't be released without a support system in place to help her through the ins and outs of outside life.
All the above is my experience and or opinion.
