chemcast scot (imported) wrote: Fri Mar 11, 2011 1:33 pm
I dont honestly see why prisons should pay prisoners any amount of money, even if it is only $12 a month but if that money was not paid, then how mutch could be taken off the prison budget.
The jobs keep them busy and more or less out of trouble. They want the jobs, because they can use the money to buy items from the prison store, often snacks and other food items. If they forced them to work without paying them, little work would get done, and they'd probably have to hire twice as many guards to keep them in line.
I ran a group home once. I paid the clients script, which they could use to buy cigarettes and snacks - which I stocked - for doing their chores. I never had to bug any of them to do their chores. It was well worth the added expense.
If you push people, they push back, whether in prison or not. If they followed your advice, the cost of running prisons would go up not down.