Is life in prison better than being homeless? Any sites to reccomend for credible info?
596503
jail is better than being homeless because  u get everything in jail, jail is like heaven to a homeless person, they ge food the can watch tv, they can work out, they can play basket ball, they can go to school, so ya
562978
http://prisonactivist.org/pipermail/prisonact-list/2004-March/008873.html
650917
To the guy bitching about all the "luxuries" inmates enjoy....I'd like to know.... What prison have you been visiting? I'd like to arrange for a cherished friend to be transferred there! The top notch medical/dental care I'm always hearing about would be nice!He had a small cavity in one tooth and the answer was to pull the tooth, he needs to see a doctor to renew a prescription for a chronic condition (no, it's not a drug with any recreational potential, it's Prilosec) but can't see the doc because he is not bleeding, and when he does get that script renewed, he'll be paying for it or rather either his mom or I will be doing so. The situation has gotten so bad with prison health care that a federal judge recently ordered the whole department into recievership.\nHe shares a 6 x 12 cell with one other man, and counts himself lucky that there are not 3 in that cell due to the amazingly overcrowded state of the facility, he gets to leave that cell about 4 hours a day, including shower, chow, dayroom and yard time... and THAT is when the facility is not on lockdown due to drastic understaffing, courtesy of a hiring freeze imposed by the Governor...on lockdown, it really is in the cell, 24/7, food passed through the door, etc the only thing that keeps going is the mail (and by the way, I send him paper,envelopes and postage, unless it is a letter to one's attorney of record AND there is no money on one's books, the prison does not pay for letters)....the educational programs, IF an inmate qualifies AND if there is a slot available in the class.....and surely you see the need to try to educate these people to improve the chances of their becoming productive citizens upon release?\nThe showers are hot and reasonably clean, but inmates buy their own soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc.\nThe food is a joke, and is barely legal in quantity and quality... most inmates get VERY creative with the top ramen that is available at the commisary...\nWhat Gym/weight room are you talking about? My friend does an aerobic routine in his cell each morning and spends about half his time in the yard running his usual 3 to 5 miles, but there's no equipment available...I'm not complaining about that, but I'd like to know where you get your information.\n\nAs to other recreational activities, if there are video games, it has not been mentioned to me... Television in the day room where what to watch is decided by vote...any TVs or radios in the cells were not provided by the state, either the inmate or someone like me purchased them and like quarterly packages and phone calls (collect and incredibly costly) they are a privilige that is EARNED... Surely you can see the value of rewarding good behavior?\n\nBy the way, my friend is what they call a model inmate, he has had no disiplinary problems inside.\nI could go on and on, but I really want to know what prison all these stereotypes of fun and games are based on, because it sure as hell is not in California!
948456
there's going to be a documentary on the discovery channel on prison life....coming soon....check your local listing\nlooked interesting
1135250
"the departments of corrections and labor\noperate a vocational development program open to\nall prisoners. Corrections officials in Montgomery\nCounty, Maryland, run a transitional facility where\ninmates can live during the last six months of their\nsentence and plan their return home. These two programs\nalone suggest the range of approaches government\ncan take to help people become ready for life\non the outside. And research is beginning to demonstrate\ntheir value: inmates involved in both programs\nhave been less likely to be reincarcerated than people\nwho did not receive services before release.2\nWhile there is much to discover about the effects\nof pre-release programs, enterprising officials in a\nhandful of states across the country continue to\nexperiment, convinced that common-sense services\nsuch as job training and development, help securing\npersonal identification, referrals to community\nhealth services, and family-focused counseling\nenable inmates to take better advantage of whatever\nsupport and supervision they receive in the\ncommunity or, in the absence of such services,\nnavigate better on their own.\nThis paper briefly describes their efforts—strategies\nthat could be modified to work in other jurisdictions.\nIt ends with specific suggestions for planning\npre-release services, including considerations of cost."\n\n"Baltimore County turns inmates into ‘Winning Fathers’\nBy Charles Taylor\nSenior Staff Writer\nWhen 27-year-old Karl got out of jail, it wasn’t a question of "if" but rather, "when" he would resume paying child support for his young daughter. "It’s 100 percent important," the Anne Arundel County, Md. resident said by phone recently.\n\nOne of the lucky ex-offenders, he had a job waiting for him but needed transportation to get to it. That’s where Baltimore County’s Winning Fathers program helped. A joint effort of the county’s Department of Social Services and Department of Corrections, the program provided Karl free bus tokens - one of the many services it offers. Able to get to work and with his income restored, he caught up on support payments to his ex-wife for their 2-year-old daughter, making a $5,500 payment a few months ago.\n\nPerhaps much more important than bus fare, Winning Fathers helps inmates find jobs while still incarcerated and provides them up to three months of support services after their release to help them stay employed and support their children.\n\nThe program expanded on an existing relationship between the county’s Social Services and Corrections departments. For more than 10 years, they had worked together to help Baltimore County Detention Center inmates transition back into the community. The departments collaborated on workshops in pre-release planning, anger management, parenting from afar and job readiness.\n\nWinning Fathers began in 2003, adding employment development and case management services - with the goal of increasing fathers’ roles in their children’s lives and encouraging non-custodial dads to pay their child support. It was funded with a $91,200 state grant from the Maryland Department of Human Resources.\n\n"What we know is that when men leave the detention center, employment is a very important piece to them being successful," said Marci Van De Mark, assistant director of Social Services. "The idea was, if we could try and identify employers who would hire men while they’re still incarcerated, that would give them a leg up in terms of being employed when they leave the detention center."\n\nThrough April 2006, the program had reached more than 900 men, helped 90 find jobs and funneled about $150,000 in child support payments to former inmates’ children, according Van De Mark. "We have 93 children who were not being supported by their dads - because their dads were unemployed or they were incarcerated - who are now being supported by their fathe
85737
What state is that in? Please add details and I'll find it for you...meanwhile, visit the appropriate state forum at http://www.prisontalk.com and I bet someone there can answer your questions without your needing a list
1133619
I've never been there as a prisoner, but I have volunteered as an ex-offender advocate. Sometimes, that has involved going to the site of their incarceration before release. That is a great idea. Also, children of incarcerated people are a very often overlooked "need" group. Good luck to you.
1057231
You DON'T need to commit a crime to survive. You can job a new job or two, get help from homeless and religious organizations, get  free or inexpensive counseling from the hospital or the county health department, and  food from food banks and non-profit organizations.\nIt's all out there for you. Start looking. Good luck.
272195
Wow...What prison have you been visiting? I'd like to arrange for a cherished friend to be transferred there! The medical/dental care I'm always hearing about would be nice!He had a small cavity in one tooth and the answer was to pull the tooth, he needs to see a doctor to renew a prescription for a chronic condition (no, it's not a drug with any recreational potential, it's Prilosec) but can't see the doc because he is not bleeding, and when he does get that script renewed, he'll be paying for it or rather either his mom or I will be doing so. The situation has gotten so bad with prison health care that a federal judge recently ordered the whole department into recievership.\nHe shares a 6 x 12 cell with one other man, and counts himself lucky that there are not 3 in that cell due to the amazingly overcrowded state of the facility, he gets to leave that cell about 4 hours a day, including shower, chow, dayroom and yard time... and THAT is when the facility is not on lockdown due to drastic understaffing, courtesy of a hiring freeze imposed by the Governor...on lockdown, it really is in the cell, 24/7, food passed through the door, etc the only thing that keeps going is the mail (and by the way, I send him paper,envelopes and postage, unless it is a letter to one's attorney of record AND there is no money on one's books, the prison does not pay for letters)....the educational programs, IF an inmate qualifies AND if there is a slot available in the class.....and surely you see the need to try to educate these people to improve the chances of their becoming productive citizens upon release?\nThe showers are hot and reasonably clean, but inmates buy their own soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc.\nThe food is a joke, and is barely legal in quantity and quality... most inmates get VERY creative with the top ramen that is available at the commisary...\nI do not think prisons should be "luxurious" but I'd like to know where you get your information.\n\nBy the way, my friend is what they call a model inmate, he has had no disiplinary problems inside.\nI could go on and on, but I really want to know what prison you're basing your statements on, because it sure as hell is not in California!
591949
look into yahoo, where it says search type in prisons, ok.
619920
http://prisontalk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=372\n\nThere's a wonderful resource for exactly that circumstance.\nGood luck....and welcome home.
74310
http://www.lifeandliberty.gov/
282241
Please visit\n http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/index.php\n\nand check out the "Legal help" and "American Indian" forums....this place is a gold mine of useful, helpful information...also, the ads on the edges for post conviction relief firms might be just what you need...Good luck!
219656
Below are some links I think will benefit you!\n\nGoodluck, friend.
434991
And if you need information that the official website does not provide, look here http://prisontalk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=606
367229
Your best bet is to go to your local library and get a book of the HISTORY OF CORRECTIONS.  I know the library is not the most technical way to do research; but finding a book on the Correctional System's History will provide you more info, and in a easier chronological form to follow.\nHere is some basic info though:\nThe first Prison in the U.S. was WALNUT STREET.  prisons started as Houses of Reform, and their purpose was to make sure the inmates found religion, and turned from there evil ways.  They were often cruel exposing inmates to different psychological stimuli's which often caused permanent trauma (i.e. complete isolation for extremely long periods of time causing psychosis).  We have inevitably progressed, and switched our focus from reform to the protection of society.  Prisons now focus on keeping criminals away from society; however, still offering resources to better themselves should they choose (i.e. GED courses, vocational training, religious services, etc.).\nthe Federal Prison system turned 75 years old in 2005, and would be an excellent correctional history to report on.
670455
I agree, prison is not always the answer, for some it just makes them worse!