Womens Prisons...
By twoey68
@twoey68 (13627)
United States
December 27, 2009 2:12pm CST
The other day I was watching a comedy show that a female comedian was doing in a woman’s prison. I know some celebrities do it as a way of giving back to the community, boosting their image or just as a charity type thing. It was all right for a little while but then it kind of went the wrong way…at least for me.
She talked to several inmates and asked them things like what were they in for, how long were they in for and what they’ve learned from being in prison. Most were pretty standard but one woman she talked to kind of stunned me. She asked her what she was in for and she said attempted murder, then she asked for how long, the woman replied “145 years and I’m facing the death penalty in another state if I ever get out of here”. I was stunned, obviously she had to do more than attempted murder to get that kind of time and the death penalty in another state.
Anyways, a little later in the show she makes some comments to the woman in the audience about how crazy that kind of sentence is and how the judge had to be nuts to give her 145 years. Then the show starts to turning towards how society has thrown these women away and how they are still vital parts of society and how they just made a mistake. In other words it turned into a kind of pity party for the inmates.
Now, I’m not saying that no one ever gets more time then they deserve, I’m sure it happens but obviously some of these women, like the 145 year sentence woman, did something so horrendous that the judge felt she deserved 145 years. How many times do we see news articles about women murdering their children, their husbands, cutting babies out of women they’ve killed, hiring someone to murder their husbands. I can remember off the top of my head the news story about the woman that murdered her friend and the friends four children all so she could have the friends b/f. From everything I’ve read, women can be just as dangerous, malicious, calculating and merciless as any man.
Do you think the prisons should allow these “pity party” type shows? Would you want a criminal, man or woman, living in your neighborhood? Do you think that the women in prison should get more compassion then the men b/c their women? Would you ever go for a visit in a prison just to see what it is like?
[b]**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~[/b]
6 people like this
17 responses
@DavidReedy (2378)
• United States
30 Dec 09
Very excellent discussion you've raised! Like many, I think, one's honest answer is largely influenced by one's current mood. Some days I'm mr. compassionate, and some days I'm pretty adamant about "justice" and protecting society (from itself).
I don't know. I can't feel any more sorry for a woman for killing than I can a man... On the other hand I don't believe in "hate crimes" laws either. Equal under the law, I say. I do think that there are too many potheads in prison, and addicts (who've not committed violent crimes) who should be getting treatment not time, and I do think it sucks that quite often those who commit crimes involving large amounts of money get more time than violent offenders... There I've said my speel. Carry on.
@GardenGerty (160700)
• United States
27 Dec 09
With you, I think the pity party is out of line. Sounds like a political statement to me. I do not think there should be preferential treatment for either gender, but I probably would be okay with someone who has served their sentence being in my neighborhood. At least I would know what they were capable of, whereas the random person next door could very well be just as guilty, just not ever been caught.
1 person likes this
@ErrollLeVant (4353)
• United States
28 Dec 09
I go to prisons occasionally, to minister and encourage. There are many reasons why these folks need to be locked up and stay locked up. It days gone by they would not still be alive and cared for.
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
28 Dec 09
Well, in fact, I have visited people in prison. Three of my children are in jail at this time. Yesterday I visited my daughter and on Christmas day visited with my sons. There shouldn't be preferential treatment for any gender. But, I do feel that they need to be treated like human beings. They need to be given the opportunity to heal themselves, learn to become good citizens. Not every criminal has committed a violent crime. There are many criminals who are released back into society and become model citizens. Some of the crimes that have been committed and the sentence they receive can be very harsh. I am not saying that a murderer deserves a slap on the hand, but those that have committed a non-violent crime needs a lesser sentence and more rehabilitative services.
Okay...off my soapbox for now.
@celticeagle (167015)
• Boise, Idaho
29 Dec 09
That is weird. I don't think this comic did anything to help the mood there at all. I think she did alot of harm. Prison or a serious deal, not a play object for some comic. I wonder if that is her thought pattern. Feeling sorry for these women. I can recall several black widow stories too. It sounds like this was must have been a high security facility too by the sounds of the offenses. I wouldn't want a known felon living in my neighborhood. No, I do not think that woman should get more compassion. I think they should be treated just the same. I have gone to visit someone in prison and was astounded by how this person was treated. It was quite a wake up call for me and caused me to do some heavy research on the subject.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
31 Dec 09
I think that a criminal, any criminal should be treated as such regardless of whether they are male or female. I don't think that there should be more pity because of the fact that so many women prisoners are also mothers, they still are not right to commit whatever crime they committed.
I also don't think that I would go to visit a prison just to see what it is like, even though I would arrange to be able to visit the local fedral prison. For me, it is just not something that I would want to do.
@carolbee (16230)
• United States
28 Dec 09
I am a firm believer if someone does the crime they should do the time. Really doesn't matter if it's a female or male. To get 145 yrs. for attempted murder seems a bit bizarre so I wonder if there was something else she did in order to get that kind of sentence. I do watch many shows about prisons and various investigations and pity parties are thrown all the time by the men as well. No inmate ever did anything wrong to get them tossed in jail if you listen closely to their story. I do think everyone deserves a second chance. I wouldn't particularly want a criminal living in our neighborhood but if he/she has been rehabilitated and is not a menace to society, it would be fine. Also depends on the crime(s) the individual was accused of commiting. I would love to visit a prison or jail to see the actual living conditions and listen to some of the prisoners. The one inmate I would never ever have any reason to visit or see how he exists would be Charles Manson. He is the most bizarre individual I have ever heard in an interview. Made my hair stand on end the one interview he did for television several years ago.
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
28 Dec 09
I am not really sure if I would have more compassion for a woman in prison or not. I am a woman and I do know alot of women these days are just as bad as men when it comes to crime.
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
28 Dec 09
There are statistics that show that women get much stricter sentences for crimes they have been accused of committing than men do for similar crimes. But that does not mean that women who do commit heinous crimes should be praised. This is a little like the fund-raising in school issue you brought up earlier...schools and prisons, I think, should do what they were chartered to do and not introduce all sorts of other things. I do not approve of interviewing prisoners and giving them free publicity.
@enola1692 (3323)
• United States
28 Dec 09
I am not sure about the woman you are talking about but my uncles friend had known about a woman in jail an my aunt asked me to write her cause she was down she got life for murder she was walking home an a pickup pulled up along side her an 3 guys raped her an left her on the side of the road she saw one of the guys again an killed him so even though my uncle said she is a sinner he is from a bible belt cause she took a life I did write her an kept in touch with her of course it was like a two way street the men in the family were saying hey she should just get over it an I dont' know what I would of done in the sittion she got busted because she did the killing after the fact now if she even killed the 3 guys while they were raping her then its self defense an its ok
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
28 Dec 09
I feel sorry for people that have gone so far off the path that they are in prison but I understand that there are some people that need to be put away for the good of everyone, including themselves.
Will Rogers once said something to the effect that you should have an open mind but not so open that your brains fall out. I think a lot of people have let their brains fall out! Prisons protect society and supposedly act as a deterrent, at least they used to. They are no longer dreaded because a criminal has access to good food, exercise, books, education, entertainment, their own televisions, etc. I don't want anyone treated inhumanely but c'mon, prison is supposed to be a deterrent--a lot of prisoners live better than I do.
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
28 Dec 09
If they do the crime they should do the time, man or woman, it doessn't matter. I think they all have it way too easy in prison. I really don't feel sorry for any of them. They should have behaved themselves.
@ronnyb (6113)
• Jamaica
27 Dec 09
With regards to it being a pity party ,I dont know but I do know that this is the only fun some of these women get to have and as such they would welcome and opportunity to interact with the outside world .Like you said this women was in for 145 years and this means that there is no chnace she is getting out any time soon.
With regards to the justification of the time this lady got ,I cannot say because I dont know the reasons why she was put in there but I do know that many women are as heartless as men and I dont believe that they should get reduced sentences because they are women.They shoould get time based on their crime
@Kashmeresmycat (6369)
• United States
27 Dec 09
This is kind of an iffy subject for me.
I've seen many shows (48 hours, 60 minutes) where the women in prison got ridiculouly high prison terms, where the men didn't, and they did the same type of crime. It's very confusing, and I think that men should get the same exact sentence. This has been going on for years already with women and I just don't get it.
Women can be just as dangerous, sometimes even more than men, but the sentence should be exact. And no, I don't believe in pity parties in the least, and if you do a crime, you should pay for it, period. This woman probably deserves her sentence, but there are many who are kept in prison for long periods, where the men are let go. That doesn't make any sense to me. Would not want to visit a prison, nor ever want to be in one.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
27 Dec 09
hi twoey I think this female comedian or her bosses should have stuck with some female with a light sentence. otherwise it sounds like its anything but funny and I would not have wanted to listen to that.i know some people do get railroaded into prison but thats a small number. most are there because they killed. I would never want to visit a prison at at all. lifes too short for miserable things like that. I think women that murder deserve no more pity than men who murder, maybe even less as some are just so horrible. nope I want to be next door to no criminals.
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
27 Dec 09
I think for one I would be to scared to go to a prison to visit, even if I was a comedian. I think that while maybe not everyone has a fair sentence that is sitting in the many prisons across the world, that they, however, did do something horrendous enough to land them in there, and that if it helps to rehabilitate them, or if it just keeps them away from society, they should be in there.
I realize there are cases of women and men alike who have been falsely accused, and yes I believe these people should be profusely apologized too and done right for because of the judge's or jury's misjudgement... but I also know we just don't know who in those prisons are more innocent then the next, and that if we're going to give pity we need to first know the whole story of all the inmates. I would not want a criminal living in my neighborhood, and as for who should get more compassion I think that should be considered through what crime they committed.
