Weir thinking about it

How much does the average American know about the conditions that exist in our prisons?  Similar to the 'outside' world, there are gangs, religions, male and female type relationships, and business deals. A complex society in which there are rules and procedures, over and above those imposed by the warden and the guards, which must be followed if one is to survive until the end of the sentence. We hear about rape and other violent acts being perpetrated against inmates who don't have the power to fight off the organized groups which are in control of their piece of turf.

Because of political interference from the liberals on the outside, those who are paid to keep order on the inside are caught up in a daily struggle for their own survival. The bleeding heart elitists, who are overcome with guilt because people have been incarcerated for their crimes, do all that they can to make prison life comfortable for the little darlings who have been misunderstood their entire lives. These penology dilettantes fret about the poor unfortunates as they lift their champagne flutes to their lips, pinkies aloft. All they know is what they've read, and all they've read is hand—wringing pap from their leftwing colleagues. While all this concern is being given to those who have broken the law, none is offered to those who must keep vigil over the convicts, many of whom would cut a guard's throat for another helping of barbecued beans.

Recently, Los Angeles County jail officials began giving condoms to inmates. The thinking is, they're going to have sex with each other anyway, so we must protect them against HIV. Of course, California law, like the laws in other states, prohibits inmates from engaging in sex while in custody. Such behavior will be prosecuted and guilty parties will have time added to their sentences. Trust me, I'm not making this stuff up. The law enforcers are giving condoms to prisoners while telling them they will suffer additional penalties if caught using them for sex. I'll refrain from making jokes about the other possible uses for them. While this paradox is in progress, we hear from the National Abstinence Clearinghouse that there are numerous studies proving that condoms do not protect against certain sexually transmitted diseases. Hence, if any of these prisoners become infected, they will have a legal right to sue the county for subjecting them to a de facto 'safe sex' situation that wasn't safe. Have we all gone nuts? Isn't a prison supposed to be a place where people get punished?

The trouble with people who 'think outside the box' is that they don't have a clue about the thinking inside the box. Trying to empathize with a recidivist convict may make some people feel noble, but it shouldn't be enough to influence commonsense policy. First of all, those who have never spent time in an 8 by 12 cell can't possible relate to one who has. In addition, you can't feel the same set of emotions felt by one who has committed murder, unless you have violently taken a life yourself. Those people whose job it is to keep watch over some of the most vicious members of our species have a whole lot more understanding of what they're up against than some guy or gal who, from time to time, entertains a comfortable feel—good whim.

It always amazes me when I hear people talk about doing whatever is necessary to make society's transgressors as cozy as possible. Yet I don't see them offering their homes as a place to accomplish their goal. I'm not implying that a convict is unworthy of human rights; I'm simply saying he should not be coddled as if he had just won a good citizenship award. Furthermore, we should leave the punishment and rehabilitation of criminals to those who have had the proper training, and keep the know—nothing do—gooders on a long leash.

Speaking of coddling convicts, one of the strangest rules I've ever heard in connection with penology is the practice of giving time off for good behavior. Isn't good behavior something that should go without saying when someone is in prison? I believe there should be time added on for bad behavior, but good behavior should be expected. Someone facing a five—year stretch, for example, should know going in that if he/she acts up during that period, it will cost more time in addition to any other punishment.

Then, there are the prison gangs with their rituals, tattoos, and other nonsense that merely serves to make the job tougher for the sentinels, who must tolerate ever—growing threats to their authority. The reason there is so much violence, drugs, rape, and gang warfare in prison is because the people who stand guard over those who threaten the order of society have been discouraged from taking a strict approach to their assignment. Like many other area of American life, we have lost the ability to control the prison population. As a result, we will continue to produce more hardened ex—cons with less respect for authority and a greater propensity toward violence. God help the unsuspecting sheep who are unfortunate enough to come across the path of one of these wolves. Nobility doesn't carry much weight with a hungry predator.

Bob Weir is a columnist for The American Thinker. The author of 7 books, he is a retired NYPD sergeant, living in Flower Mound, Texas. BobWeir777@aol.com