Ramona asked this question on 5/10/2000:

In Tamms, Il, close to where I live, there is a super-maximum security prison. There 39 inmates are on a hunger strike that is now in its second week. The 39 inmates--down from the 168 last week--are protesting what they claim are arbitrary and illegal practices that endanger their mental and physical well-being.

Their lists of grievances includes claims of abuse of mentally-ill inamtes, ill-fitting shoes, and inadequate clothing. They also claim that they must become informants to win transfer back to traditional prisons--which endangers their lives. Inmates say that the guards often restrict their meals to a ground-up mixture called meat loaf and that the commissary extorts them for favors. They are locked up for 23 hrs a day.

Correction officers say they are reviewing the complaints. The lawyer for the imates says that previous intervention has accomplished nothing.

So, what do you think should be done? Do these inmates--and these are the worst of the worst, have no doubts that these guys got here by earning their tickets--deserve better treatment? The sort of life they live some people in poor countries like India would envy. Do we owe them better treatment when they would likely rape, murder, and steal every one and every thing they could?

jocon526 gave this response on 5/16/2000:

I don't know about the state of Illinois but I do know that in the state of Texas as well as many other states there have been great strives made towards prison reform. I believe that many of the allegations made by the offenders housed at the prison have probably been exaggerated or maybe only half-truths about the situation(s) that exist have been relayed. The reality of the situation is that prisons are bad places full of bad people, and bad things will happen no matter what. Most prisons are governed by state and federal laws which dictate what programs, services and privileges are available for offenders and prison officials can only do so much. Good management helps cut down on problems, but the government needs to help out too. You will always have some people that claim that prisons coddle offenders then you will have those that claim that we do nothing but abuse them. It is unfortunate but corruption happens in prisons just as it happens in any other business, but because of the nature of the business problems in correctional facilities tend to draw more attention. My best advice is to get both sides of the story, familiarize yourself in the laws governing correctional facilities in your state and compare them to those in other states. You'll find most prisons provide more humane treatment for offenders than what our senior citizens and war veterans receive in VA hospitals and nursing homes. Oh and don't worry, Offenders are monitored closely when on hunger strikes, & they will not be allowed to starve to death.

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