Nicely said, Sentient.

It isn't so much the profit motive that irks me (unlike a lot of folks, profit alone doesn't trouble me) - it's pure corruption within any system. Stories like this are blatant examples:

www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13...3judge.html

However, what do we properly do with men like that?

I am all for positive suggestions in prison, but I dont think they need to be subliminal or deceptive. They can be open and blatant positive messages. No deception required.

Prisons have an inherently authoritarian relationship structure. The prisoners cannot be equal to the guards or warden, or they would simply choose not to be there. This is an issue that is certainly controversial within Anarchist circles.....in a less than ideal situation where you have true psychopaths (Serial rapists and thrill killers) it comes down to a moral dilemma of principles, where one option (Prison) relies on coercion and control and the other options (Murder of the attacker as collective self defense) or simply letting them continue their killing spree unhindered have their own down sides. Many, even among Anarchist circles may prefer rehabilitation centers to simply executing people, especially for border line crimes or for people with psychological trauma. In other instances, maybe simply killing the rapist on the spot would be the method of choice in some circles.....In my opinion, choosing to either do nothing and let the victims fend for themselves or try to find justice on their own without assistance, or relying on nothing but banishment for even serial murder is totally naive and not practical. Some form of organized self defense on the community level must be implemented....Yes, you can live outside of a collective and be responsible for your own defense, and even in a collective we should be able to protect ourselves individually, but I support collective security guards run by the communities for the communities, who answer to the people and are accountable for their actions.

What needs to be different though is that in the current system the police are not accountable to the people....they are accountable to judges and other people who are separate and higher than the common people, and they are above the law themselves. This leads to classism and abuse of power. Second, there are victimless crimes....who the fuck are you to tell me that I cant get stoned in my own home? The idea that we should punish people for choosing what to do with their own body, whether its "illegal sex" or use of drugs or whatever, is absolutely absurd. That needs to end.

Prisons need to be more humane. The goal should be protection of society and rehabilitation. In my experience prisons make people worse than when they came in, not better. They are also torturous places which harm people emotionally and physically. Despite all this, prisons are not an effective deterrent to crime. Crime rates have not fallen with all this "tough on crime" bullshit. What has happened however is that petty criminals and non-violent drug users have been cheated out of their lives by a system which exploits them.

The people need more direct control over their societies in general. Things are fucked up, but most of it is hidden from the masses. If people knew the reality I think they would support change, but so far the propaganda machine is winning.