From: Brian D Williams (talon57@well.com)
Date: Thu Jun 17 1999 - 14:21:55 MDT
From: Chuck Kuecker <ckuecker@mcs.net>
>>It seems to me that if this can be substantiated, it would be a
>>very cheap tool for reducing the long-term crime rate (by
>>enabling ex->prisoners to re-integrate with society more easily).
>>I'm a bit more pessimistic, however, about the idea of teaching
>>useful vocational skills in a prison environment; we're moving
>>out of the industrial mass-production era, and unskilled or
>>semi-skilled labour just isn't in that much demand. Teaching a
>>con how to work a drill press or lathe isn't really going to help
>>them get a job as a waiter or a taxi driver ...
>There is still demand for manual skills such as construction
>workers - if we could get the unions to allow it...
Get us to allow it? Many Unions including my own have programs in
various prisons already. We of course limit/select the number of
participants. Economics 101.
>Perhaps courses in courtesy and how to live in a polite society
>would be of use. Teaching the inmates how to speak clear standard
>English would also help them gain entrance to many low level jobs.
High School diploma minimum.
>I have a vision of the prisons becoming such effective training
>facilities that released criminals would be in higher demand than
>unskilled non-ex-cons, promoting a wave of petty 'crime' for the
>express purpose of gaining an education..
Not a bad vision...
Brian
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