>This is probably a joke. I hope so. If I believed it could be sincere,
>I would respond with the following:
>
>-------------------------------------
>
>I may never stop screaming.
>
>I specifically boycott all goods made by prison labor, since it is
>exploitative of not only of prisoners, but more importantly of those
>working people who have NOT turned to crime as a lifestyle.
Thank you for a well worded response. It may have been a bit harsh, but
I concur with the concept. While prisoners growing food on prison owned
land for their own use is a good idea, I also am apposed to the use of
prison labor on commercial farms (organic or conventional), regardless of
what they are paid. Following are a few more points to consider about
prison labor.
A significant part of the prison population today are people who are
mentally ill. They really belong in a mental health treatment program
rather than in prison. But budget cuts across the country in mental health
programs has caused them to be abandoned to the streets or sent back home.
Eventually they become involved in criminal activity caused by their
illness and wind up in prison. Examples on request. Michele gave a number
in her response.
If any of you are like many rural residents, you probably buy items from
mail order houses. Be careful of which company you buy from. At least a
few of them use prison labor to sit in front of computer terminals and
process orders. Although precautions are taken, it is possible for one or
more of these prison laborers to copy down personal information and later
use it for their own gain. You give the order taker your name, address,
credit card number and type, and often, your Social Security number. Think
about what an unscrupulous person could do with that information.
--Dan in Sunny Puerto Rico--
dan.worley@mindless.com
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