Would You Go To Jail If You Were Paid For It?

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Prison guards lack 'common understanding' on basic human respect for inmates

It strikes me as actually dangerous for a prison guard to treat prisoners without a modicum of respect for their humanity
  • Profile picture of the author hardraysnight
    Originally Posted by thunderbird View Post

    Prison guards lack 'common understanding' on basic human respect for inmates

    It strikes me as actually dangerous for a prison guard to treat prisoners without a modicum of respect for their humanity
    so should prisoners be expected to treat prison guards with respect - or is that different
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    • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
      Originally Posted by hardraysnight View Post

      so should prisoners be expected to treat prison guards with respect - or is that different
      Prisoners do, in fact, show more respect towards prison guards who treat them with respect, to the extent of even saving their lives from attacks.
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  • Profile picture of the author t3cn1c0
    Maybe most of the time this is true. They think that if a person is convicted, he is automatically less humane. Life is not fair. With our current imperfect system. We don't really have a choice but to accept and wait for changes which is illusory.
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  • Profile picture of the author socialentry
    Originally Posted by Ken_Caudill View Post

    Just out of the army, I was desperate for a job. The prison at Michigan City, Indiana was hiring guards. I drove out there, took one look, turned around and drove back home.

    If I was a guard, I'd let them all go.

    If we did empty the prisons, I don't think it would make any real difference to society.
    What a strange opinion. What made you reach this conclusion? :confused:
    isn't that a bit too far?
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    • Profile picture of the author Thomas
      Originally Posted by socialentry View Post

      What a strange opinion. What made you reach this conclusion? :confused:

      isn't that a bit too far?
      The United States has 5% of the world's population, but 25% of the world's prisoners. So, either Americans are ultra-violent, dangerous psycohpaths... or there are hundreds-of-thousands, if not millions, of them who have no business whatsoever being behind bars.

      Personally, I think the notion that the way to deal with people like non-violent drug-users and the mentally-ill is to lock them up alongside murderers and rapists probably has alot to do with it. And then you have the rather suspicious situation of increased sentences for much lesser crimes coinciding with the rapid growth in the use of prison slave labour... can't have the prison corporations losing their valuable workers to society! :rolleyes:
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      • Profile picture of the author Kay King
        It's an opinion article with "most probably" and "apparently".

        Seems to me that anyone wanting to do such a "study" should spend a few months working as a prison guard before writing about it.
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  • Profile picture of the author LarryC
    In the U.S., prisons are a huge industry. When it comes to how guards treat prisoners, it goes beyond people simply being sadistic or not having respect for others. The institution itself has an effect on people. This was proven in an experiment that was made into a documentary.

    Quiet Rage: The Stanford Prison Experiment | Watch Free Documentary Online
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      The institution itself has an effect on people.
      Exactly.

      What I don't believe is that you can look at a profession or an institution from the outside and analyze its faults and habits.

      You have to be on the inside of jobs before you see the daily grind, the pressures, the unique stresses that are part of that job description.

      Of course there are abuses and mistreatment and disrespect on the part of some prison guards. There are also many prisoners with nothing to lose and nothing to do but make trouble.
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      Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
      ***
      Please do not 'release balloons' for celebrations. The balloons and trailing ribbons entangle birds and kill wildlife and livestock that think the balloons are food.
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      • Profile picture of the author btchristopher
        I would not want the job. As far as respecting the prisoners goes, you have to realize who you are dealing with and the context of the relationship. Yes everyone is human and deserves respect, but in the prisoner/guard situation, some of the prisoners would misinterpret respect shown to them as weakness on the part of the guard. The guard must be seen as an authority figure and not a friend. Prisoners frequently manipulate guards for favors. Ever wonder how drugs get smuggled into prisons? These prisoners are also violent and dangerous many times, so a guard who they think is soft would be a prime target for attack rather than one who they fear.
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