Just this morning, a local judge rendered a verdict.
Local conservative pundits are up in arms about this verdict. They say that the judge is giving an “O.K.” on the way the prison system works.
I’m not sure about that. It seems as if this judge was telling the cold, hard truth. It seemed like more of a snuff at conservatives who would be saying “I can’t believe he didn’t get the death penalty!”
My brother has recently served some jail time. I was talking with him yesterday. He said that he isn’t going to go back. It’s quite a different tune than he was singing a few years ago. He told our mother that it wasn’t that bad and at least it’s free housing.
If a few weeks in jail can even make my brother say “I don’t want to go back”, it must be bad. I can’t imagine prisons being much better. Yes, they get “recess”. Yes, there are T.V.’s. . Yes, there are some perks that maybe shouldn’t be allowed to people who have committed heinous crimes.
(Sidenote: In Kentucky, there’s been a recent uproar over the food served in prisons. I found this amusing because at my alma mater we had a contract with ARAmark that ran out at the end of my junior year. In so many words, the student body told them to go pound sand. It was horrible food [service]. I lost 15 pounds without trying during my first semester. At the time, it was known that they also provided subpar food to prisons as well. I’m amazed they are still in business.)
However, you’re dealing with a bunch of people who are at their lowest. Some of them know they are never going to get out of there alive. It’s not like it can get worse for them.
This judge stated a simple fact “It’s going to be hell . . . ” and his days will not be easy. Especially due to the fact that he killed a child. Those people aren’t looked at too kindly behind bars.
So, I wonder, is the judge wrong in saying what she said? Should she have sugar coated it?