prison gospel (revised)

I think prison should be like this:

All prison should be is a place like a studio apartment and a system of gps ankle monitors that ensure the inmates don't go where they aren't scheduled to be. There are no locks confining inmates to one area. Socialization and visitation are not forbidden, but in excess they may lengthen the inmates sentence, because they will detract from the main focus of this system, which is study of holy books.

They will be provided with 2 hours of entertainment per day, like a television and gaming console. There will be designated recreational areas near the housing in case the inmate would rather spend those two hours outdoors.

They will be assigned a job that they must report to for 4 hours, 5 days a week, to pay off their debt to society at fast food places or retail jobs, that don't require extensive education or training. Their salary will include enough money for their food and maybe two beers at the end of the work week. The state must pay a fair wage and collect any money left over after their meals are paid for, for restitution.

Housing and administrative costs should be paid for by taxes, which would still be less of an economic tax burden than the current prison system.

The main focus however is the books they will be provided with, which they must study, including the holy bible, these sanatan dharma (hinduism) texts:

, Vedas:

The earliest Hindu scriptures, the Vedas, provide a foundation for moral principles, including the concept of dharma (duty).

Upanishads:

These philosophical texts delve into the nature of reality and the path to liberation (moksha), influencing ethical considerations.

Puranas:

These narratives offer moral lessons and stories of deities, emphasizing virtues like compassion and righteousness.

Bhagavad Gita:

A core text within the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad Gita presents a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, exploring moral dilemmas and the path to dharma.

Ramayana:

This epic highlights the ideal of dharma through the life and actions of Lord Rama, emphasizing virtues like honesty, loyalty, and righteousness.

Mahabharata:

This epic explores complex moral themes, including the consequences of actions (karma) and the pursuit of dharma.

Dharmaśāstras:

These texts, like the Manusmriti, prescribe specific duties and rules for different castes and stages of life, outlining ethical conduct and ritual practices.

Panchatantra:

This collection of animal fables uses stories to teach moral principles and social conduct to children.

And these key Moral Concepts:

Dharma:

This concept encompasses righteous behavior, duty, and the pursuit of what is morally right in a given situation.

Ahimsa: The principle of non-violence, encompassing respect for all living beings and avoiding harm.

Moksha: The ultimate goal of liberation from the cycle of rebirth, achieved through spiritual practice and understanding.

Jnana: Wisdom and knowledge, crucial for understanding dharma and achieving moksha

Other books, including The buddha dharma, and a book describing shinto cleansing rituals to them to cleanse their apartments with soapy water once a day. This is to cleanse the bad spirits that hang around because they may be hated for what they've done.

There will be group studies as well as individual readings, classes will be provided to assist with those who are illiterate. People with mental illnesses or intellectual disabilities will be handled differently as they shouldn't be in prison to begin with. There will be a lesson plan and assigned reading and inmates who do well and learn at a faster pace can either shorten their sentence by advancing in their studies by delving deeper into the texts or earn additional free time.

When a person can demonstrate they have understood all the texts to a reasonable degree, they have paid off their debt and they will be free and they will suffer no more.

In case someone is unwilling to work, they will not be allowed to choose their own meals, they will still be provided with meals and a place to live, but they will lose privileges like the 2 hours of entertainment.

If a person is unwilling to work or study, then their sentences will be extended indefinitely and their privileges will be curtailed.

I realize this system puts more of a burden on the uneducated and undereducated, so they must be provided with educational resources above and beyond what other inmates receive.

Maybe it's not perfect and I'll admit there is room for improvement and studies must be done on the effectiveness of such a program before it is universally implemented. I'm open to contributions from anyone. Please email me at cottrellgeoffrey@gmail.com with any ideas, feedback, or criticism.

Feedback from someone who has been incarcerated and my responses:

    "Your vision is adorably innocent of what prison is like and what its all about.

    Its a culture that one can not understand if they haven't lived it."

    If I were to reform the prison system, religious texts is not where I would go. I would begin with:

    1. Separating inmates by criminal typologies; putting a sex offender in gen pop is just fucked up; as well as putting young people with older, predatory inmates.

    2. Increase accessibility for mental health, drug treatment, sex offender treatment, etc. The programs are trash; they're not individualized, often not intense, and run on a "cookie cutter" approach.

    3. Active programs to facilitate family healing, such as "living room" type visitation where families could spend time together during visits with some resemblance of "normalcy".

    4. Aggressively address the inadequate medical care received by inmates in prisons. It is deplorable.

    5. Similar to #3, family counseling, especially prior to release. 

1. I think is more than fair and could be easily implemented. I have a very strong stance on reducing violence against sex offenders, that is practically the main inspiration for this undertaking.

2. These are all good suggestions, but personally I don't think prison was ever the right place for mentally ill people. I realixe that in America prisons have become the largest provider of mental health services, which is just wrong. I am also very profoundly against mental health detainment like psych wards. I don't believe in them at all. I've been through it 30 or 40 times and it entails a gradual curtailing of your rights that is almost inescapable. Drug treatment is of course necessary, stealing and killing to get high is probably one of the most problematic crimes to address. I believe the texts, especially buddhism with its emphasis on desire being the cause of suffering would be very applicable to these people's lives. Perhaps there should be a 6 month rehab, detox program before one can progress yo my system where they could get clean as well as get a jump start on some of the concepts from the texts like dukkha (suffering and the desires thst cause it) and ahimsa (nonviolence). Sex offender treatment is similar in that coping strategies including these concepts of suffering and desire as well as some core Christian tenets like Matthew 5:28 would be brneficial. I think people have a problem with the idea of forced religion, but imo it is necessary for people to lay the foundation of morality. Secular humanism just does not have any strong motivators or inspiration behind it. People need to know there are consequences beyond what they will experience in this lifetime to tske seriously the moral hazards of wrongful behavior.

3. I think open visitation is a welcome thing, especially if the incarcerated person's family are helping them slong the path of understanding the texts and becoming rehabilitated and responsible. Like I said if it detracts from their studies, that is more time they spend incarcerated. Keeping people from exploiting this open door/open visitation policy to get drugs will have to face consequences, regular drug testing is necessary, and failure could mean reentry into a drug treatment program and loss of privileges.

4. They should receive the same medical care that someone with medicaid/medicare would receive. I think medical care should be a human right that isn't exclusively for those who can afford it.

5. I think family counseling as well as programs where victims can be the focus, i forget the name of these programs, but basically they allow victims a chance to explain to a person how they made them feel.

Finally. This is not the only way I believe society needs to change. I think this program can only function if it goes hand in hand with a massive overhaul of how the world works. I don't believe in capitalism and I think we have to find a way to implement a global community where everyone has everything in common and the needy are prioritized until a basic level of human rights and prosperity and equality are achieved by everyone. I think money should all go to the churches and they can bear the responsibility for feeding and clothing and sheltering everyone. I think I could call it church-centric socialism. I believe it could succeed where socialism has failed in the past due to its denunciation of religion.

I think the war on drugs needs a real solution as well, it is clearly a failure and a harm reduction/decriminalization model that has been proven successful in certain countries is the way.