Jails and Nursing Homes

Here’s the way it should be:

Let’s put the seniors in jail and the criminals in nursing homes.

This would correct two things in one motion:

Seniors would have access to showers, hobbies and walks.

They would receive unlimited free prescriptions, dental and medical

Treatment, wheel chairs, etc.

They would receive money instead of having to pay it out.

They would have constant video monitoring, so they would be helped instantly… If they fell or needed assistance.

Bedding would be washed twice a week and all clothing would be ironed and returned to them.

A guard would check on them every 20 minutes.

All meals and snacks would be brought to them.

They would have family visits in a suite built for that purpose.

They would have access to a library, weight/fitness room, spiritual counseling, a pool and education…and free admission to in-house concerts by nationally recognized entertainment artists.

Simple clothing – i.e.. Shoes, slippers, pj’s – and legal aid would be free, upon request.

There would be private, secure rooms provided for all with an outdoor exercise yard complete with gardens.

Each senior would have a P.C., T.V., phone and radio in their room at no cost.

They would receive daily phone calls.

There would be a board of directors to hear any complaints and the ACLU would fight for their rights and protection.

The guards would have a code of conduct to be strictly adhered to, with attorneys available, at no charge to protect the seniors

And their families from abuse or neglect.

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As for the criminals:

They would receive cold food.

They would be left alone and unsupervised.

They would receive showers once a week.

They would live in tiny rooms, for which they would have to pay $5,000 per month.

They would have no hope of ever getting out.

“Sounds like justice to me!”

Of course, what we have in mind is a romantic version of prison, not anything like the real one shown here:

Photo Credit: GOOD Blog

The truth is, we have more people in prison than any country in the world, even China which has more than 4 times as many people comes in at a faraway second. Our draconian, senseless, wasteful, ineffective, counter-productive War on Drugs has much to do with this. Our drug laws have created more criminals and fostered more crime than all the other offenses combined. ¹

Our drug laws have made drug dealing so lucrative, that Mexican drug gangs are now more powerful than the Mexican government itself. Unless we legalize drugs, we will see chaos and destruction along our Southern Border that will make Osama Bin Laden look like Pee-wee Herman.

Notes

(1):

Drug War Facts, Prisons, Jails & Probation - Overview

Number of sentenced prisoners in federal prison by most serious offense
Offense	2000	2008	2009		Share 2009	% Chg 2000-09
TOTAL	131,739	182,333	187,886		100.0%	+42.6%
Violent	13,740	15,483	14,773		7.9%	+7.5%
Property	10,135	11,080	10,913		5.8%	+7.7%
Drug	74,276	95,079	95,205		50.7%	+28.2%
Public-order	32,325	59,298	65,678		35.0%	+103.2%
Other	1,263	1,394	1,317		0.7%	+4.3%

- Violent = homicide, robbery, murder, and manslaughter (negligent and non-negligent).
- Property = burglary, fraud, etc.
- Public Order = immigration, weapons, etc.

Source:
West, Heather C.; Sabol, William J.; and Greenman, Sarah J., "Prisoners in 2009," Bureau of Justice Statistics, (Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, December 2010), NCJ 231675, Appendix Table 18, p. 33. http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/p09.pdf