o on both the national and state levels. Road crews could be used to build and repair roads. National and state parks always need manpower to build and improve on their lands. The possibilities are endless. Where would these criminals be housed? Since they will only be working in an area until the work is done, they could build their own temporary shelters or stay in tents. Texas is currently implementing this by putting hundreds of inmates to work on land owned by Texas Parks and Wildlife (AP 24 Nov. 1994). It could be argued that this would take jobs away from the public. Actually work programs would create jobs. The prisoners would not be skilled at building roads, buildings, or whatever so they would need almost constant supervision by experienced workers and the final work would have to be done by skilled workers. Extra security would also be needed to preserve the guard to prisoner ratio, therefore creating even more jobs.What would the violent offenders be doing while non-violent offenders are out improving communities and supporting themselves? They would be working towards self-support as well by farming their own food, doing prison maintenance, and getting psychological help for their rehabilitation. However, they would be allowed no extracurricular activities, no television, and limited contact with the outside world. Having prisoners farm their own food will not only save money, but also teach prisoners that they can have productive lives. Prisoners already do prison maintenance such as laundry and food preparation. This should be continued and increased to keep the prison costs down and keep the inmates busy. Both violent and non-violent offenders would receive the psychological attention necessary for rehabilitation. This will help ex-convicts to become productive members of society and increase their chances of staying out of jail.This proposal is also economically beneficial. On average, it costs over $20,000 to incarcer...
