/sen/ - The Senate

There have been talks recently about reforming the prison system. With the weapons bill passed, it is now imperative upon us to improve the living situation of prisoners. Currently they are overcrowded and overworked, with nonviolent offenders being forced to join gangs and engage in violent, primitive forms of tribalism and what can only be described as egregious degeneracy just to survive.

It is for this reason that I am urging the /sen/ate to vote yea on the following action:

Action: Prison Reform Bill
Prison Labor
Noting that for-profit prisons are not only immoral but actively contribute to high rates of incarceration, this bill shall ban private, for-profit prisons. All correctional facilities under /sen/'s jurisdiction shall be run entirely by the state. No private contractors shall be allowed to profit from prison labor of any sort; all prison labor profits shall go towards funding the criminal justice system itself, specifically any debts of the convict in question, with any potential overhead going towards upkeep of the prison at which they are incarcerated. This bill also specifies that prisons shall be inspected on a regular basis to ensure that all labor meets legal occupational safety and health standards.

Gang Activity
Prison gangs are a serious problem. Getting new tattoos (a prominent step towards gang membership) are already banned within prisons themselves, but the steps taken to remedy the situation so far have largely included segregating gang members from non gang members. This is wise, but I am recommending that as a part of this bill, each correctional facility have a dedicated tattoo removal program. All tattoos on a prisoner shall be documented upon arrival such that any tattoos added while incarcerated shall be immediately removed along with any other form of body modification received, so long as removal is possible. Gang members from the same gang outside of prison shall be segregated not only from non-gang members but also from other members of their same gang.

Solitary Confinement
Although solitary confinement is already taken as an extreme measure, it has been shown to be a resounding failure which can bring about signs of mental deterioration and illness. This bill will attempt to remedy solitary confinement by requiring that prisoners in solitary confinement be allowed at least one hour of socializing per day (ideally face-to-face communication with non-guards, but socialization could also mean approved phone calls or internet communication), noting that all socializing shall be done under surveillance for the duration of the hour.

Weapons
Most makeshift weapons in prison are produced from objects provided by the prison such as razors and toothbrushes. As an alternative to providing prisoners with razors and plastic toothbrushes, this bill requires that prisoners be actively shaved on a daily basis by a third party, allowing for facial hair and individual styles (to a point, noting that anything presenting a hazard or distraction will not be an option) while preventing prisoner access to razors. Any pens used to write with must be returned at the end of the day, and plastic toothbrushes will be replaced with rubber ones.

These reforms will not be enough to improve prisons to such a substantial degree that change occurs overnight, but addresses some of the primary issues facing prisoners on a daily basis, with further reforms possible in the future.


AMENDMENTS


Prisoners will be paid competitive wages relative to legal day laborers in similar fields, though their earnings will be distributed by the state itself, with respect to the priorities already laid out in this bill.

Parolees can either be in a work program attempting to find them work in the private sector, or continue their manual labor as a government employee for a period of time not exceeding half of their parole, so as to allow for adequate reintegration into the work force.

Private entities are banned from profiting from prison labor. All cleanup crews must be on public or government-owned land such as sidewalks and parks. Any construction work will be for public transport and will be restricted to non-essential manual labor so as to avoid any possibility of sabotaging of public works. As a rule, during the hours in which convicts cleaning up or working, the area in question will be off limits to the general public for their safety and to avoid potential prison breaks.

>Also, I'd like to amend this to require all prisons to have soap on a rope and guards in the prison showers themselves. Gross business, but necessary. It's funny until you're taking it up the ass from a 300-pound wall of muscle nicknamed "Tiny."