Convicted criminals are put in jail for a reason. They have been found guilty of a crime and the justice system of our country has put them into a jail facility to house and rehabilitate them for life after prison, if applicable. But these criminals are still human and they should be treated as such. The conditions that Ms. Graham described are unacceptable. No matter what these people's crimes, their punishment is that they no longer have independance and the ability to do as they choose. Being housed in a jail away from their family, friends, and the life they are used to is punishment enough. Not being provided basic medical services and being forced to live in overcrowed cells is inhumane and goes beyond the neccessary punishment.
Alabama does not currently focus enough money on their prison systems. More time and money needs to be dedicated to updating and re-doing the current jails and to building more. These prisoners do not deserve to live like this, no matter what crime they commited. With the exception of those on death row, they were sentanced with jail time, not death. Yet many of them will die before they could be released due to the inadequate conditions.

I believe that if one is in prison he or she is there for a reason...obviously. Yes, they should receive medical attention as soon as possible, and they should not be all bunched up in a cell with 2 other people all day. But we cannot begin turning prisons into Holiday Inns. People are there for punishment not leisure time. If we begin giving people everything he or she wants then they will not be afraid of returning to prison for more time. This will lead to more overcrowding and once again no money. So all we have done is landed ourselves back to where we are now--one big circle. We need to be humane to these criminals, but we cannot worry about turning their cells into their own little hotel rooms or dorms if you will.

Personally, I was very shocked and apalled to hear about how these criminals are treated in prison. I had no idea that the prisoners were not being medically taken care of or were made to live in such inhumane atmospheres. What if that was a family member who was in jail for a stupid crime they committed years ago, and they were diagnosed with cancer and not given the proper treatment and therfore died. I do not know about anyone else, but i would be extremely furious and be out to sue. These criminals are paying for their crime and deserve to be treated for medical problems. Granted, they should not be pampered or anything like that because by no means should they be living a comfortable lifestyle existing of hanging out in a cell watching t.v., sitting in front of a fan. But these Criminals are living people and deserve their constitutional rights.Ms. Graham pointed out that nearly 170 prison cells were without airconditioning or fans and a generous person donated the amount of fans needed, this gave me an idea. Maybe this is the direction they need to go to get the changes made that are crucial to making things better. Find people who stand strong and firm for these changes and are willing to contribute to the cause, instead of raising taxes....AGAIN.

I think that the inmates should receive medical treatment, but about the other issues of cramped spaces and hot cells I do not see as big of a need for attention right away. I know this might sound cold hearted, but they committed a crime and these are their consequences. About the medical treatment, they should not have to suffer in prison with a medical condition that can be treated. Being ill and in small, cramped spaces leads to the spread of the illness to others, which is not a good thing. The fact that Alabama is limited on money does not mean that they should not ignore little crimes or any crimes at all. Ignoring committed crimes would influence people that it is ok to commit a crime, when it is not, just because we do not have enough money to accommodate them.
Ms. Graham suggested that they should analysis more careful who is sent to prison and who is not. What I understood from her is that they would just let people off without punishment, and I asked myself the question “What are you going to do with the criminals then?” I think that criminals should be sent to prison for their committed crime, even if the space is cramped. They should have thought about it before they committed the crime.

I tend to agree with Courtney Bascom and John Bussman. These prisoners are in prison because they broke the standard laws that people follow in order to be accepted in society. I don't like the fact that tax money is being used to uphold prisons, but I know that there would not be enough money donated to prisons to keep them in working order if taxes were cut. I do believe that these people deserve to have the basic needs of humanity. I think if any prison reforms were made it should be based on the severity of the law they broke. The conditions of an inmate serving five years should be better than the conditions of an inmate serving a life sentence. Overall it just seems wrong to me that people who work hard for their money have to send some of it to help take care of people who broke the law. I'm not sure if can describe why I feel this way, it just seems irrational to give your money to those who have legally proven themselves unfit to live in society.

As a senior in high school, my theology class went into a great deal of detail about the situation in the Alabama prisons. I believe that there is no easy solution to overcrowding, bad facilities, and lack of medical personal. The easist way to get a "quick fix" would be for the Alabama voting population to realize that without a tax increase there will be no money to fund the necessary improvements to the prisons, roads, schools, etc. But beyond that I believe that despite the fact that these men and woman are on death row or simply in prison that they still deserve to be treated as human beings. I believe that the local universities around the prisons should encourage medical students to volunteer their time at local prisons helping the prison's medical staff with check-ups, etc. I truly believe that if the United States would illegalize drugs such as marajuna and loosened up on the fight aganist drugs that prisons would not be as overcrowded. The government could place a large tax in marajuna and use the proceeds to fund prison improvement projects. The federal and state governments should also take a look at lowering the penality for drug possession and trafficing. Our jails should not be full of druggies but members of society who can cause harm to others. By lowering the jail time for drug offenders and increasing the fines associated with drugs trafficing/possession, prisons would be less crowded and their would be an increase in incoming cash. The United States government should also take a second look at the death penality and its usefulness. It has been proven that the death penality is not a deterant for crimes, it cost more to execute someone then to house them in prison for life, and in a few cases men and women who have been executed have later been found innocence (a little late for that huh!?). Overall I believe that if the government would abolish the death penality, lower drug crime jail sentences and increase fines, and encourage volunteering of medical personal at prisons we could improve Alabama's jails.

I know this sounds a bit apathetic, but I have never really thought about the current situations in prisons. It's not that I don't care, it's just that I have never HAD to think about it. It is just not something that I am faced with everyday. However, I was completely shocked at the statistics that Ms. Graham presented during her lecture. Most made me physically sick inside. I don't want to slam anyone or anyone's opinion in this web log, but I am appalled at some of the reactions. Yes, people in prisons are criminals, but first and foremost, they are PEOPLE. Perhaps I'm just a crazy liberal. I mean, I think that crimainals should spend time for their crime. But in those conditions? It truly is a humanitarian crisis.

On another note, I know that I have never spent time in a prison so I really have no idea how bad it is. But I remember visiting the Marshall County prison my Jr. year in high school. It looked pretty nice to me. They had cable t.v., computers, and 3 square meals a day. (And the food looked pretty good.) I have to agree with Chris Stallings on the fact that there is something wrong with this picture. How is money being spent on luxuries when inmates are dying due to lack of medical attention? I guess the main thing that needs to be done is a reveiw of the allocation of money in prisons. Prisoners should be punished, not rewarded. If I was a repeat offender that lived on the streets, I would rather live in a free room, watch free t.v., and eat free food, than remain on the streets.

So it looks as if I am on two completely different ends of the spectrum here. I have one argument that claims prisoners are being treated inhumanely, and another that they are being treated too well. I don't know the true situation, and perhaps it is a mixture of both. I am glad, though, that I have been enlightened on the issue. I hope that I, and others, can continue to research and form not only opinions on the issue, but SOLUTIONS.

When listening to Ms. Graham speak about the situation of Alabama prisons, I could not believe what she was saying. I was aware of the problems with overpopulation in the jails, but I had no idea about the lack of proper medical attention and the lack of basic amenties. I think the first step in correcting the prison situation is to pinpoint the blame. It is the government's responsibility to provide adequate funding for the prisons. I understand that prison is a punishment, but I think the punishment should fit the crime. I don't think a person, no matter what their crime, should be subjected to such poor medical aide. In my opinion, just being in prison and living in a cell with no freedom is the punishment, the government should not add insult to injury by making inmates suffer through 120 degree heat. The government should monitor the prison conditions more carefully, and have more people working there who care about the general health and safety of the prisoners.

I feel strongly about this topic because I believe in basic human rights for everyone. I am fully aware that people in jail have done something terribly wrong (otherwise they wouldn't be in there), but just because they are criminals doesn't mean they aren't still people. Now don't get me wrong, I am by no means saying that these inmates deserve private rooms with a view and breakfast in bed. All they need is healthy food, reasonable cell accomodations, and medical attention. I don't think that's asking too much of Alabama's government. I guess the point I am trying to make is that prison should be a punishment, not a death sentence. Those who are sent there should serve their sentence without luxury, but also without over-inhabited quarters and unhealthy treatment.

While I don't believe that prisoners should have more "cushy" living conditions, there is something seriously wrong with the way they have been housed and treated in the past. No one deserves to live the way or go the pain that these prisoners experienced. Ms. Graham made a very good point in saying that the poor treatment of these is illogical and impractical; if the prisoners' health, morals, drug addictions, and etc. remain untreated, they infect society and continue the same cycle, ending up back in prison. If Alabama is going to be so strict on drug laws, they should be able to give drug counseling and treatment. If so much money is going to be spent to house a prisoner, wouldn't it make sense to do everything you could to keep him from having to come back.

Tuesday’s Provost Forum with Grace Graham was very interesting and informative. Before hearing her lecture I felt that since the people who are in prisons are very “mean” people that they should suffer for what they done to get into that situation. I had never considered that some of the prisoners could have health problems that need constant attention or living conditions that are life threatening.
After hearing the lecture I realized that I was being a hypocrite, because true Christians believe in love and above all grace. It’s really not our job to punish people for doing wrong and in a way we are torturing prisoners instead of helping them learn from their mistakes. It also frightens me that one out of every eight African-American males are in prison. I believe Alabama has some serious problems with their prison system along with a lot of other issues. I also think that it is unfair for prisoners to be put into five-star hotels, but they should be taken care of health wise.

I thought that what Ms. Graham said was really sad and alarming. I don't really believe that because someone committed a crime they should be practically killed with the heat or bad conditions. Even criminals don't deserve to live like animals. I don't really know what to do to change this though. I don't think that the American people should have to give their hard earned money (taxes) to pay for the prisoners. So, maybe the inmates should pay for themselves I don't really know how. They can all work while in jail and get paid for that or they can be forced to take money out of their savings accounts or something like that. Hunamitarian groups could go a long way towards inproving the conditions if they wanted to. If they gave a certain amount of money each year then the prisons could afford to take better care of the inmates. Also perhaps we should have people who actually care abour other people working inside the prisons because al l of the doctors and people she was talking about did not appear to care if they lived or died.

I was shocked by the information that Ms. Graham presented on tuesday. However, I am not sure how the living conditions that the inmates are experiencing should be fixed. I think it is wrong to have people's taxes go to the prisons if they are not being used wisely. While criminals should be punished, they should not be tortured day in and day out during their daily routine. Prisoners usually have a hard enough time doing time, that they shouldn't have to worry about the temperature or space they live in. I find it especially wrong that they don't get correct medical treatment. I think taxes should be allowed to pay for these things, but they don't seem to be. If it's a matter of lack of money, then I really don't know how they could fix it. They could reduce the number of people in jail by having less serious crimes stay in a rehibiliation center and help them get jobs within reason. If they had better treatment, they would probably have a better chance of reforming and becoming a better person. I don't know how they would be able to provide funds for these things without a tax increase, but something should be done. No matter who the person is, no one deserves to live and be treated like an animal.

After Grace Graham's lecture, I was appalled by the state of prisons in Alabama. I think that while the prisoners deserve to be punished for their crimes, they still have certain rights that should be protected. I think that the prisoners derserve adequate medical attention and humane living conditions. Like Ms. Graham, I believe that anything else would be considered cruel and unconstitutional. Even though they are criminals, the prisoners are still people, and deserve to be treated like such. I think that Ms. Graham's suggestion of sending drug offenders to treatment programs rather than jails would be one way to help with the overcrowding and budget problems. Education oppurtunites for inmates would also help prepare them to readjust their lives when the return to the "free world". While these things may appear to cost more money, in the long run they will be more beneficial as they would help reduce the number of repeat offenders. Also, I think that shorter sentences for smaller crimes would be effective as the offender still gets punished, however they are in jail for a shorter period of time costing the state less money and eventually reducing the number of people in prisons.

Immediately after Ms. Graham started presenting the facts, I started to agree with her in terms of this being a humanitarian crisis. Regardless of the fact that these people have committed crimes in their lives, they still deserve to be treated like humans. They should be provided the basics like comfortable living temperatures and medical treatments. I was a little surprised at the facts Chris presented about cable and computers in the prisons. The money that does go into the prison systems should go first into their medical care, food, and living conditions.

However, this still doesn’t solve the main problem of overcrowding. I do agree that people should serve time for committing a crime. However, the sentences seem a little bizarre. Should people who stole $150 worth of goods really spend 20 or so years in prison if it is their offense? It seems like everyone should be given a second chance, maybe after paying a large fine and possible community service hours and/or spending time in some type of correctional classes at their own expanse. I think that the punishments should be adjusted more towards the crime. Murders should be punished by time in prison, but the idea of three life sentences is crazy. However, if a murder is committed by a twelve year old, should he stay in prison his whole like for a mistake he made in his youth? It seems like after a certain time in prison, he should be sent to more of a correctional facility, where the rules of society are taught and some extensive training helps him slowly adjust back into society. Also, I think that the start of using alternative drug treatments and rehabs to prison is a much better idea, in that it seems more logical. If a person in drug related crimes spends time in alternative drug treatment centers, the person may be able to stay off drugs and go back to a normal life. If the offense is repetitive, then prison does seem like the proper way to go. Furthermore, I think cases of mental illnesses should definitely have alternative options. A schizophrenic case should be looked into more in that the person involved can be helped with proper medicine. To ensure the person continues taking the medication, the person should be well educated about the illness, since this is often left out, and possible check in with his/her doctor after a certain time frame. For other mental cases, our mental institutions should be well established and trusted for people to enter there instead of helping to overcrowd prisons. I’m not very familiar the prison systems and these are just suggestions I based on what I know. I just think it’s horrible for people in our society to treat others so inhumanly, regardless of their pasts.

Throughout the past couple of years, I have become more aware of how immates have been treated in prisons, especially in the Madison County Jail in Huntsville. With my dad being the sheriff, I have seen first-hand how prisoners are treated in jail. However I disagree with inmates having luxeries that an average citizen does not have. Most prisons in the state are over-crowded. The reason because of the over-crowding is the lack of federal funds used to build larger jails. Recently, the Huntsville City Police Department in North Alabama recieved funding to build a new jail. The jail cost 47 million dollars to complete and only holds 300 inmates. When the jail was opened, it was already over capicity. However, this jail is also a municipal complex. Madison County is now in the process of adding a new jail that will hold 1200 inmates. This project will end up costing close to 42 million dollars. The jail itself will cost only 12 million dollars. Due to lawsuits from the inmates, prisons and jails throughout the nation have to follow strict codes such as hiring a nutritionist to design menus for the inmates. Prisoners also cannot be denied health treatment while they are in jail. Last year, my dad recieved a lawsuit from an inmate stating that he was denied his rights because he did not recieve his mail immediately. Lawsuits such as these cause prison systems to lose millions of dollars each year.
I disagree with the fact that prisoners should recieve certain luxuries while they are in jail. Inmates are in prison because they commited an inhumane crime. I disagree with the fact that some felons will commit a crime in order to recieve a specific surgery for free. Taxpayers around the country are paying for felons to recieve special treatment after commiting a crime. I think that it is extremely sad that inmates recieve better healthcare than the policemen that protect our citizens from these inmates. Some of the immates live in better conditions than some of the prison guards.
I agree with the sheriff in New Mexico. He makes every inmate sleep outside in the desert in a tent. The inmates also have to wear pink underwear and socks and the original black and white jumpsuit. These prisoners still work in the chain gangs busting up rocks in a quary. If anyone was to ask the prisoners if they would commit their crime agian, a majority would say, "NO." Some of the living conditions in Alabam's state prisons are terrible. However it is not the police department's faught. Lack of funding is the main problem. Prisons today are built eith less than half of the given amount of funds. Prisoners should not enjoy prison. They commited a crime and deserve to be there, especially ones who commit murder. Prisoners on death rowe should not recieve luxuries. They should regret everyday the crime that put them there. I disagree with Ms. Graham. Prisoners are not a humanitarian crisis. Why should prisoners be treated with a life of luxuries when they took a life away from someone? There are other problemas ariund the world that should be discussed. If I was to argue about something, I would argue for better pay for policemen. Policemen are underpayed for the duties they perform.
If an inamte recieves better healthcare and living conditions in jail than outside of the jail, what lesson is being taught here? Inmates who recieve better living conditions in jail will not want to leave. They will commit more crimes in order to stay in jail. Prisoners should reformed to not commiting crimes that a inhumane to others. Prison is not a desirable place to be, so why should we make it this way?