I've got a bit of background in psychology but none with criminals or the prison system, but heres my prison idea based off the surgestion i made in teh previouse thread on conditioning.

It wouldnt be much use for short term prisioners.

You'd enter the system at Lv 0:
Level 0 you would have a plain simple room probally share, small undecorated no possesions, pictures, tvs or anything like that, no pool tables or activities. A strict lights out and wake-up call policy would be enforced, no choice would be given in food you'd eat what you were given it would be nutritiouse but purposfully bland. You'd work for a set period of time each day and get your manitory yard time. No letters or visits apart from important ones (laywers etc).

Lv 1:
After atleast a mandatory time at Lv 0, if persitant good behavior was conducted you would advance to Lv 1, you would be moved to a differnt wing/block. You would be allowd possesions, pictures, visists. You would still work but get money/credit for your work be able to earn other jobs and more money. With the money you would be able to buy cigerets, use the game room things like pool, get a small amount of small luxuraries. You food would be improved and there would be 2 or 3 options on the menu. You'd beable to wear jewlery and things like that you wernt before. You would have an amount of free time and access to further learning, studdy and tools to help better yourself

Lv2:
After a minimal set of time, if again continual good behavior was conducted, and an amount of credit/money was acumulated you could progress to Lv2. This is basicly the final level where you would have the greatest freedoms. You would have a wider menu again and would buy your food with your credit, your job opotunities would be greater, free time again increased, again better cells with the opotunities for tv, radio etc t it would also be the easiest place to fall from.

At any point if you break the rules, fight etc  you would regress down hte levels, bellow lv 0: would be a level of almost solitary confinement in extrremly basic conditions, apart from work and then again bellow that would be solitary, no work, no conversation or contact with anyone.

The levels wouldnt interact, contraband would be extreemly heavily dealth with and should bew easier to find in lv 0

There would be some basic monitoring of the money/credit system or it would be done totaly internaly so that you couldnt much other prison mates.

As you progress through the levels your would have increase oppotunities, free times and rewards

Now what about your ideas?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eos: Sornasian: Gregory Patell

Club Secretary Heroes and Heroines

We need to look at why crimes are committed, some ( few)are through boredom, many are inspired by inequality, perhaps if we did something about the inequality we'd remove a lot of the inspiration, which would leave us with the few who are criminals for the thrill or are psychologically inclined to criminal activities. These we could then send to Ian's island.

So ask yourself :

Why does a solicitor earn 5 times as much as a nurse and 6 or 7 times as much as a care worker?

Is an accountant really worth more than a police officer or fire fighter?

How can a computer game designer earn more than a farm labourer?

Why should I work 40 hour a week at £5.00 an hour (or less), when I can not work at all for the same and then steal or sell drugs for extra cash?

All of the well paid "professions" used in the examples above are actually completely useless to society,  while the lower paid ones are essential.

The stats I just got from google http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupDownloadFile.asp?GroupId=72723&ResourceId=462351" target=_"blank" class="SmlLinks">http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupDownloadFile.asp?GroupId=72723&ResourceId=462351 tell me that most offenders are unemployed, disproportionately without a permanent residence and in debt, more likely to have played truant at school, likely to be drug users, and 70% have at least two mental disorders.

That supports your assertion that we need to address poverty - I certainly feel that by addressing poverty, treating other root causes of crime, and treating people through rehabilitation we can effectively tackle criminality

I disagree that solicitors, accountants and computer game designers are completely useless to society.  If we didn't value their contributions in some way, they'd be far less likely to exist (in theory anyway).  Certainly games designers bring peopel fun and relaxation, solicitors represent people in disputes, and accountants make sure companies know what they can and can't spend, and enact effective financial strategies.

All of those things benefit society.

What you're talking about is fairness and how we allocate resources.  Pay tends to rely on demand and supply, supply will vary based on danger, difficulty, awkwardness etc.  I don't know of a better way of doing things that I would fel is both fair and effective...but then that's going a little off-topic.

The reason you shouldn't stay unemployed and steal from other people is that that is immoral behaviour.

However as staited abouve these arnt your crimminals (the majority). Why should somone work a 48 hr week and get £5 when I can work less and get more for less hours, because I worked hard to get where I am?

You cant just blanket it and say accountants games desginers get unfairly paid compared to a factory worker bause there are many things that influence this. Did the guy piss away his education that the taxpayer provided? Dose the person not wish want to aspire to better his position?

I dont think criminals sit down and think though the eco social situation and say hmm society isnt fair ill go rob, a large potions do it because of there imidiate position, lack of drive, morals and respect for other people they hit the quick fix.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eos: Sornasian: Gregory Patell

Club Secretary Heroes and Heroines