A comment on the blog Prisons

This is a comment on the post about Prisons, by Miss Demeanor. http://missdemeanor69.blogspot.com/2009/04/prisons.html

I already had the idea that prisoners didn't have the worst life possible. Reading about her experience only reinforced this idea. "[...] criminals got away with stuff and were treated as if they were in a cheap hotel; they have so many rights that they use to get staff over a barrel as it were, and they had TVs, video games, some had computer access, and just as I left free-view was installed into their cells. They had a constant supply of contraband, cigarettes, 'hooch' and drugs. " I am glad to see I am not the only one finding this ridiculous. In Holland, where I come from, it happens often that there are homeless people committing small crimes to have a safe night in prison. Even worse is that there are homeless people or even poor people coming from countries where living conditions are quite bad doing this. They commit crimes in Holland so their life, their life in prison in Holland that is, is better than it was for them back home. (of course, there is also the chance of being evicted after committing a crime).

Prisons should be there to punish criminals. Of course, some crimes are more serious than others and maybe it would be an idea to keep a difference between these two and base living circumstances and privileges on the severity of the crime. And even though freedom and independence is taken away from prisoners, I don't think that prisons in Holland (and I guess in the UK it is the same) can be considered as a real punishment.