ure crimes. The problem is that prisoners who do not work lose any hope and are more likely to be hostile and later be rearrested. (Brownstein 179) Many experts agree with this view. Ron Humphrey said that prisoners need to work so they will not go nuts. Minnesota had one of the lowest rates of prison violence in the nation when the inmates were working. (Let the Prisoners Work 14) Maybe if we concentrate on keeping the prisoners from returning, we would not have to worry about our jobs being taken. Sometimes prison labor is not a good idea. Some issues like security problems, high turnover, lack of skills, poor work habits and remote prison locations can make prison labor more expensive. (M. O. Reynolds 58) Another problem includes prejudices. Chain gangs are supposed to be well integrated, but in Alabama it is common for a chain gang to be ninety percent black. (Brownstein 179) The prison commissioner of Alabama thought about putting women in chain gangs after male inmates filed a federal lawsuit claiming discrimination. (Great Moments in Penology 207) She almost lost her job because nobody else wanted women on chain gangs. One way people are trying to stop chain gangs is to prove that they are unconstitutional. Some people believe that chain gangs are humiliating and degrading page 7 to inmates, which is against the eighth amendment, preventing cruel and unusual punishment. (Brownstein 179) Many prisoners are illiterate and have lower Intelligence Quotients (IQ), which poses a problem. Some of the jobs that inmates would do require a higher intelligence. Most people in prisons did not make it far in school so they do not know how to do much. Some prisoners with high IQs including counterfeiters, kidnappers, and drug smugglers may be alright though. (M. O. Reynolds 58) The jobs inmates do vary, but long hours seems to be common. Last year in Alabama over seven hundred medium security prisoners were forced to work ten hours a day break...
