Prison Reform Committee (Polnut TNF and Cranberry Elected)

[Cranberry]

I'm currently putting together some information and some proposals for private discussion with the rest of the panel. I believe the three of us need to present a united front and proposals.  

This could be wise yes. I had guessed no harm would come if I publicly posted sources and a summary of those sources, but the actual discussion on what to include in the report and how to word it is probably better done in private, you are right with that.

[Cranberry]

No further input here?
I will try to come up with something this weekend...

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

No further input here?
I will try to come up with something this weekend...

I haven't finished with the work I've been doing. I hope to get it to you and TNF this weekend.

[Cranberry]

No further input here?
I will try to come up with something this weekend...

I haven't finished with the work I've been doing. I hope to get it to you and TNF this weekend.

Okay great. Sorry for my impatience, it just seemed to me that nothing was going on here.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I will be presenting a set of options and ideas this week.

[Cranberry]

Oh my, I totally forgot about this!

Good, I will try to come up with something as well.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Chair? Where are you?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Well... these are my views and recommendations. I've been working on these over the past few weeks.

1. The Demographic Challenge.

Firstly, our prison system is fundamentally broken. Any system where you have an prison population that does not reflect those who are committing the most crimes, we need to acknowledge a serious problem exists.

African Atlasians and Latinos constitute a significantly higher proportion of the prison population than their representation in both the general population, and those arrested. Which means, minorities are more likely to be given custodial sentences, even for minor crimes. This situation has created generational issues in these communities, with social and economic impacts.

The next issue presents both an overlap and an additional challenge. The connection between the quality of justice a person receives and their socio-economic status, is alarming. Those in the lower quartile of household incomes, when dealing with the criminal justice system, are at much higher risk of incarceration, again, even for minor crimes.

The lessons of this are clear. If you are poor and/or a minority in Atlasia, you are more likely to be imprisoned for your crimes than someone who who does not fall within those categories.  The important point about the connection between arrest and being poor or a minority does not fall under the purview of this committee. It is not that poorer or minority Atlasians are committing the most crimes, they just happen to be the ones more likely to end up in prison - this is a fundamental challenge.

2. Prison Governance

Everyone who has worked in regional government recognises that prisons are very expensive to run. During the 1980s and 1990s the idea of putting private businesses in charge of the regional incarceration systems, due to a misplaced idea that the private sector is always more efficient, became more powerful. It was also a creative accounting trick, it enabled the governments to shift expenses from one side of the ledger to the other.

But we have seen marked increases in the prison population across the nation, at a time when the crime rates are dropping and regional governments have undertaken to remove a number of 'victimless' crimes, such as prostitution and drug use and possession of the books. Why is this? Because the private prison industry have deep pockets and are influential when it comes to public discourse. It is easier to tell people that the issue is too many criminals and the answer is bigger prisons and more people in them.


3. Who should be imprisoned?

One issue is of considerable importance here. What kind of crimes, putting aside the demographics of who is imprisoned, end up seeing a custodial sentence? Now, no one suggests that those who undertake offenses against the person, such as murder, rape, assault etc should be free in the community. But we need to get a much better grip and have a deeper conversation about what our society expects.

Is it 'right' or does it aid our community to have people who have undertaken minor crimes, that caused no damage to person or property in the custodial environment ?

The other issue is how we treat minors, or those who commit serious and minor crimes under the age of 18 years old. One thing the data tells us is those who are placed in an adult custodial environment are more likely to re-commit on release, than those who received some other form of punishment or intervention. There is a reason why prisons are called Universities of Crime. Imprisonment cannot be just about punishment, particularly for the young, where rehabilitation is possible, other options that are used end up with more positive outcomes for inmate and the society.

---- Recommendations to follow----

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Recommendations

1. The Federal Government to put more resources into supporting existing communities affected by large-scale incarceration.

2. The Federal Government to put more resources into the public legal system, up to and including direct subsidies for private legal bodies to participate in public defense processes.

3. The Federal Government to make legislation to remove prisoners placed into incarceration under Federal laws, to be removed from for-profit-prisons - also that for-profit-prisons to be banned under the Federal legal system within 2 years.

4. Support to be given to the regions to enable them to transition back to systems controlled and run completely by the regional government. This will end the private prison system, within a reasonable time-frame.

5. The Federal Government should undertake a full stock-take of crimes, and identify crimes that should be treated under rehabilitation and other practices that do not include incarceration.

6. The Federal Government should put in place legislation to ensure that minors are not placed in adult detention, under any circumstances, and that those who commit crimes under the age of 18 are not automatically placed into adult detention without a complete assessment (with the exception of extreme crimes against the person).

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Senators...

[Cranberry]

My deep and sincere apologies, this near complete absence on my side should not have happened. I thank you, Senator, for doing all the work alone, and congratulate you for producing such formidable work; yet this does not away with my inapologiable inactivity here.

If I may say so, it looks great, though. I like that you take into consideration every issue mentioned, from minority rates in prisons, the correlation with income, the problems with the private prison system, to the rising of the question on who exactly should be imprisoned. Your reccomodations are sensible to me, I especially like the reccomodation to outlaw private and for-profit prisons.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Senator TNF??