Inmate Jail Search

Inmate Jail Search – Does Prison Reform Work?

The word penitentiary originates from the Pennsylvania Quakers’ belief in penitence and self-examination as a way of achieving salvation. The first American penitentiary was the Walnut Street Jail, established in Philadelphia in 1790. The structural pattern of outside cells, along with the central corridor, was introduced at Walnut Street Jail and soon became the major architectural feature of prison construction. Walnut Street Jail was also the place where solitary confinement was permanently established as a method of combating crime.

The new prison system operated on the principles of reform. Prisoners were segregated according to age, sex, and the type of offense committed. More than 200 years ago, this innovative method of reform was put into place. Since then, we have built hundreds of prisons. And we have filled those prisons more quickly than we can build them. In the U.S., our rate of repeat offenders is so high that we could easily place revolving doors at the front of our prisons. Our technology has advanced at lightning speed. Our methods of rehabilitation have not.

Does prison reform work? We need look no further than a few statistics to know the answer is absolutely not. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, of the 272,111 inmates released from prisons in 15 states in 1994, an estimated 67.5% were re-arrested within 3 years.

Prison reform has truly become an oxymoron. Most prisons are a place of brutality. Inmates live in a world of violence. The first-time petty criminals and drug addicts are tossed in with the hard-core murderers and rapists. Whether or not they were violent to begin with, they must become violent to survive. How can we expect reform given these conditions?

A 1996 Human Rights Watch report titled No Escape: Male Rape in U.S. Prisons, contains a multitude of quotes from inmates. Read only a few and you get a clear view of the ugliness inside a prison. Here are two examples:

I found out how people earn respect in here, you have to beat someone or shank them.

- J.G., Minnesota, 9/12/96

Most of the prisoners who rape are spending from 5 to life. And are part of a gang. They pick a loner smaller weaker individual. And make that person into a homosexual then sell him to other inmates or gangs. Anywhere from a pack of cigarettes to 2 cartons . . . . No one cares about you or anyone else. If they show kindness or are trying to be helpful, it is only because they want something. And if there offering you protection you can guarantee that there going to seek sexual favors. . . . When an inmate comes in for the first time and doesnt know anyone. The clicks and gangs. Watch him like Wolves readying there attacks. They see if he spends time alone, who he eats with. Its like the Wild Kingdom. Then they start playing with him, checking the new guy out. (They call him fresh meat.)

- J.G., Minnesota, 8/8/96

Rape, abuse, gang associations, fear, and rivalry are the way of life in prisons. These situations are not new, nor are they any more controlled now than a decade or two ago. In this sense, prison life only grows worse as overcrowding forces the inmates into tightly confined areas.

Inmates certainly should not be given private rooms, HDTV in their cells, and filet mignon on their plates. No one believes a prisoner should be treated like a guest at a fancy hotel. However, we must face reality. When we treat inmates like rabid animals, that is what they will become.

Darcia Helle
http://www.QuietFuryBooks.com
I have my B.S. in Natural Health and Nutrition. I spent several years writing articles for a variety of health-related websites. During that time, I also distributed my own bi-monthly health-related newsletter and did health consultant work. I am a self-published author of 2 fiction novels. I have another ready to publish and a few more in the works.

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Madoff’s Mansions On The Market

Marshalls are preparing to put Madoff’s mansions on the market, and victims of his ponzi scheme are hoping to cash in big time. Based on court records, the FBI is revving up to sell an estimated $30 million in real estate and property, all of which will go to his victims. The three homes on the way to market are a penthouse in Manhattan, a Montauk beach house on Long Island and a waterfront Palm Beach retreat.

Vacation real estate Madoff owned in Côte d’Azur that was seized by the feds back in March has since been sold. The chic three-bedroom Cap d’Antibes home netted $1.48 million noted the Justice Department. Funds from the sale are being held at the U.S. Marshall’s office.

Marshalls opened the doors to Madoff’s Manhattan luxury penthouse earlier in September giving the public a glimpse into the lifestyle of the previously rich rip-off artist. The two-story apartment was the location of Madoff’s confinement during his house arrest.

Four fireplaces, a baby Steinway piano, antique rugs, custom-made furniture and other fine furnishings must have made Madoff quite comfortable while carrying out his Ponzi scheme. U.S. Marshall Roland Ubaldo said that the Manhattan penthouse was the crown jewel of all Madoff’s properties seized by the government. It’s easy to see why with all the lavish decorations and furnishings.

A wraparound terrace provides a stunning view of southern Manhattan. His and her closets contain Madoff’s handmade Belgian shoes and boxes of designer clothing that are all packed away and awaiting auction. His den does not disappoint, either, with cherry paneling and a leather bull – his personal trademark.

According to court filings, the apartment was valued at $7.5 million by the FBI. One New York appraiser has his doubts about the appraisal. Miller Samuel appraiser, Jonathan Miller, said that what he’d seen of it so far would be considered fairly modest, in his opinion. He cited that it was not actually a Park Avenue duplex, which is what the press coverage had been calling it. Its address is on 64th Street and it sits a block east on the corner of Lexington.

The Montauk beach house with 3,000 square feet of living space sits on a one-and-a-half acre prime lot atop a bluff overlooking an ocean beach. It sits closer to th
1000
e water’s edge than would be allowed today due to earlier more lax zoning regulations.

Feds estimate its worth at $7 million, but tax assessments indicate its value at $3.3 million. Regardless, one real estate agent noted that the history and high-profile of the home may cause it to sell for as much as $10 million. Purchased in 1980, the Madoffs originally only paid $250,000 for the home.

Listed under Madoff’s wife’s name, the Palm Beach hideaway is valued at $7.5 million. Featuring a pool, 8,753 square feet of living space, five-bedrooms and seven-bathrooms, the two-story home sits on a waterfront half-acre plot. Included in the property is a boat dock where Madoff parked his now-seized yacht, the Bull. It is a 55-foot fishing vessel reportedly worth $1.5 million.

Well shaded by lots of large trees and a large second-floor veranda, the house sits just down the shore from a location where Madoff lured in many of his victims, the Palm Beach Country Club.

Madoff is making amends in his not-so-luxurious jail cell and the hope is that the victims he left as carnage will be reimbursed for some of their loss and suffering.

By: Dane Smith

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Ki lives in Central Austin. He works in the Austin real estate market. His website lets people search the Austin MLS. His site also has information on Austin real estate as well as a search for Homes in Pflugerville

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Ok so you might find the next few links interesting. These are from around the web, just random snippets that I’ve picked up in my reading, but I found some very cool information in them. You might too. Here goes…

Inside KRISTV.COM

Trevino, a former inmate, said while he was in jail he would often be transported to the Kleberg County Courthouse. He said because there were not enough …   Read More…

Jail escapee waives hearing

An inmate who escaped from Clearfield County Jail last month waived his right to a preliminary hearing yesterday at centralized …   Read More…

Mexico Inmate Found After Hiding 60 Hours in Closet

His absence was detected in the count of inmates at the Reclusorio Oriente jail on Saturday, which set off the search to find him. One guard was detained on …   Read More…
That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

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