Prisons Part 3.

I've written a little about prisons and retirement homes before.  More ideas tonight.

We've already determined that prisons are very costly and don't really ready the person for a non-criminal life outside of prison.  How can we change that?  Let's brainstorm.

We want to cut costs.  Do we need to build new prisons?  A lot of abandoned building in various cities, Detroit leaps to the top of the heap.  Put a big double fence with concertina wire around it maybe with some guards and K9s patrolling it, an inner "moat" made of concrete will prevent most people from digging out (or in) and a rooftop garden to grow food in.  What the hell, pour concrete and rebar in the entire first floor (try and dig through 8 or 9 feet of reinforced concrete.  They can use the area between the fence and building as a garden.  Let them do some aquaponic gardens to increase efficiency and output; the more they grow the less that has to be bought and brought in.  The less traffic in means the less chance for subterfuge and contraband.

Speaking of contraband, the most common way for that is through the guards.  My first thought is why do we even have guards?  Nope, you have to have guards or else it would become an "Escape from New York" or "Lord of the Flies" situation.  Would it be possible to have the guards come in and change in the prison and then when they leave they change out of their uniform?  Or would unions say that it dehumanizes their people?  Doesn't bringing contraband into a prison dehumanize everyone else?

Can we use a gray water system for toilets?  If not, why not? Cut down on water usage, may even cut down on illicit stills.

Can some engineer figure out a way to connect a generator to stationary bikes?  Yes, it's been done.  Can an engineer figure out a way to connect a generator to a weight set?  I'm thinking it could be done with a set of machine weights but I don't know how with free weights.

Some sheriff in the American Southwest put his inmates in pink clothes and has them sleep in tents outside.  I've heard they wear pink because he got a batch on sale.  Did he?  does it matter?  What's the cheapest?  Jeans and t-shirts should work, cheap and easy to get a hold of.  They could sleep outside in Texas or most of the south.  You get right down to it and they could sleep outside anywhere.  Eskimo's proved that you can live in the frozen north and various tribes in the desert proved that you could live in that heat.  Let them make igloos or tents.  Give them the materials and let them do it.  How many homeless that can't get into a shelter do the same thing?  Our military does it for training.  Why can't the people being punished actually work for a bit?

I know that various groups would be outraged if these actions took place but may I say that if the person didn't do something wrong they wouldn't be in a place that has more "freedoms" than when my mother was in a nursing home.