This self-centered, arrogant, hypocritical tirade is indicative of all that I find wrong with American society. "They're in prison, so they have to be horrible people, and don't deserve even the slightest human courtesy." Give me a f*#$ing break.
Let's just paint a nice little picture. Joe Brady is an upstanding citizen, but has a penchant for Drunk Driving. He of course gets caught (saw it coming... I know... but go with it). He gets sentenced to 2 years in jail (he's a repeat offender), or better yet, Joe appears before the judge when he's having a bad day. Now Joe has got a record, he's published in the local news paper, and spends some time in the slammer. Now he's totally screwed (yes, I am making a pun). And for his troubles, he gets diseases, and dies. But he's obviously a bad person, otherwise he wouldn't be in jail.
And what about parking tickets? Or tax evasion? Those are obviously hardened criminals that deserve no mercy.
If you have ever seen a jail, you know that we give them precious little decency to begin with. Talk to an inmate some time, not just some over nighter MIP, and your little world will be blown away. My guess is that this argument is espoused by some suburban spoiled kid (or at least mentally), with sociopathic tendancies.
Here's a novel idea (which I know the conservative people out there won't like), let's treat the person. Oh my god! I said it, that horrible idea that could never work because everyone in jail is worthless, and stupid, and won't ever change. They knew the consequences, they knew what jail was going to be like, but they're baaaaaaad. And this serves society how?
It's like some whole pedagogic power trip... the power of punishment! It will deter crime! If it works so well, why do we have the largest percentage of our population in jail in the entire world? (including China, which is saying somthing) We're obviously doing somthing wrong, maybe it's time to honestly reconsider our paradigms... I don't claim to have the answers, but this statement just shows how arrogant, and petty, and vendictive we have gotten.
K, I'm off my soap box... have a nice day.