A blogger made a comment on another blog about the conditions in jail, from what they had seen on a movie. From what the blogger has written, I don't think they have much experience in jail.

I have been in jail. Many, many years ago (far more than I care to count), I "did my time", and I have to say that the conditions in jail, even in "the hole" are far better than is deserved by most of the inmates. In fact, the housing that many of the poorer among us have to rent is far less than the standard in jail. And the food in jail, while institutional, is usually adequate.

But should it be? Should we spend so much concerned with the comfort of those who have committed crimes against society? While there are people who are incarcerated because of "consensual crimes", the majority of crimes that mandate a lengthy incarceration are crimes where there is a clear victim and a clear motive to harm. Are we doing a service to ensure that these criminals will not reoffend if we house them in comfort because we're concerned about their physical well being?

Cable TV in jail should be the first casualty. In fact, ALL TV should be nixed. There's plenty of print media for those who needs sports scores and current events information. And it just might enhance the reading skills of those inmates who don't tear up the newspaper for rolling paper.

Kill all windows to the outside world. If an inmate is allowed to be outside, it should only be in a grey walled courtyard, where they can get sunlight, but where they're not allowed to turn in any direction and forget where they are. Remembering where they are just might remind them why they're there.

The food should be the same food, day after day. Give them enough to be healthy, but variety is a privilege many in the Third World don't enjoy, and neither should our prisoners.

Make jail a miserable place. Maybe then people won't want to be there. And they just might rethink their actions to avoid being placed there.