We've tried this before and there was a reason we moved away from it.
Granted, we have not moved in a better or practical direction, but the whole point of those sweeping Prison Reforms was to move in a direction that ended less petty crimes, end larger than necessary prison sentences, and to lock up dangerous criminals only. That TRUMP supported.
I thought Republicans were warming up to the idea of rehabilitation, but this is suggesting moving backwards to "merit slavery". Only instead of giving it to people willing to work up the ladder, while they apply for citizenship for themselves or their families, we want to give it to violent criminals?
Rehabilitation means giving them more than just work but also an education that they can use outside of hard labor. When we had labor camps, it only increased petty arrests so that we can fill up hard labor as violent criminals were not eligible.
While this was a solution to the Civil War's compromise on slavery, it took us decades to realize that locking petty criminals and violent criminals wasn't such a hot idea. And the whole reason our prison system doesn't work is that it fuels this need for free labor rather than remove actual determents to society. Why more and more places refuse to hire ex-criminals because of their prior record and feeds back into the prison industrial complex.
Which roughly goes as follows:
They do a petty crime > They do the time > They get out > They can't get a living wage job > They are forced back into crime (possibly worse than before) > They do more time.
Look, I get it. I'm a lefty liberal scumbag. Despite being raised in a highly Christian/Capitalist, born in America, the Deep South, with many many Conservative family members.... but sure, I'm a lefty liberal scumbag.
Why NOT more education? Why NOT reduce times for petty arrests? Why NOT reduce petty arrests? Why NOT restore rights to people who were rehabilitated? Why NOT give people the tools for a second chance without exchange of free labor?
Why was the system before wrong? (and believe me, it was, but in your own words, how...?) And how is this better?
What you're looking for is some kind of exploitation. And I get it, someone needs to be exploited, but WHO? WHY? And for HOW LONG?
I get it, this isn't a place for answers. There is a reason why I left. But this whole "Slavery is good, mmkay," attitude reeks of Confederate bullshit.
