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Bill: Prison Work Act
Details
Submitted by[?]: Revolutionary Socialist Alliance
Status[?]: defeated
Votes: This is an ordinary bill. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: November 2123
Description[?]:
| The RSA thinks it is unnacceptable for what is essentially a 'slave labour' trade. People in prison commit crime, and have been punished for it. Jail is their punishment - so why should they be forced to work? There is a human rights violation in here somehwere i'm sure. Having to work during the day for nothing builds more resentment up, and is not in the best interests of anyone. It is not rehabilitation! Many of those in jail may have been the main earner for families, and cutting them off from their income altogether is scandelous. Free work is deplorable - prisoners mwho choose to work should be paid for their duties, and these can be used to subsidised their families. It is only the prisoner who did wrong - don't let families suffer either. We call for an end to exploitation of prisoners. Just because they are detained does not mean we should take advantage of them. |
Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change Prison policy concerning prisoner labor.
Old value:: Able-bodied prisoners have to work during the day.
Current: Prisoners can do certain jobs in prison, voluntarily, for a small wage.
Proposed: Prisoners can do certain jobs in prison, voluntarily, for a small wage.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | 16:37:40, October 06, 2005 CET | From | Revolutionary Socialist Alliance | To | Debating the Prison Work Act |
| Message | Any thoughts? |
| Date | 18:24:21, October 06, 2005 CET | From |  National Party of Baltusia | To | Debating the Prison Work Act |
| Message | I would agree with this. To a point. That is, the jobs are by no means fulfilling and the wage by no means sustainable on the outside. |
| Date | 19:14:29, October 06, 2005 CET | From | Democratic Socialists | To | Debating the Prison Work Act |
| Message | We believe that the prisoner work clause is one of the few surviving laws from 2039, when Baltusian democracy was established (many of the laws are curently the same as were passed in 2039 and around then, but were since changed, and then changed back, due to the Crimson Entente). It was part of the Justice Bill proposed by the Democratic Socialists (now New Democrats), and the bill, and debate on it, can be viewed at the following archive: http://82.238.75.178:8085/particracy/main/viewbill.php?billid=1793 The provision for mandatory work was added in order to gain support for the abolition of capital punishment from the National Socialist (later Totalitarian Nationalist, now defunct) Party, and the Democratic (defunct) Party. At the time, the Democratic Socialists felt that the trade of forcing work was an acceptable trade, as it led to the ending of the death penalty, the votes for which did not exist without Democratic Party and National Socialist support. Now that Baltusian politics are somewhat more liberal, and there is no serious risk of the death penalty's return (we are aware that minor fringe parties advocate it, however they have no hope of mustering the votes in the Senate), we are certainly ready to support discussion of alteration to more liberal penal reform. Prison should not, however, in our view, lead to reward for those inside. The bill description accurately notes that many in prison were the main 'breadwinner's for their families, in which case we would support their work rearding the family who has done no wrong. However, many in prison have no dependents - would they be allowed to keep their gains? Would they be able to access them whilst in prison, or only after they are released? If they are allowed to access their money whilst in prison, how will they be prevented from misusing this? (e.g. bribing other prisoners, purchasing illicit items smuggled in, etc). We are prepared to support this measure, but not until a concensus has been reached on these issues, and any others raised during this debate. |
| Date | 03:22:25, October 07, 2005 CET | From | Txurruka/Aperribai/Mayoz's OPX | To | Debating the Prison Work Act |
| Message | Its also rather unreasonable to expect taxpayers to support lawbreakers. Those who end up in jail do so because they've committed a crime against the community. They then take that community's money to pay for their stay. It is unfair on the community to therefore give them *more* money to pay for a small wage. The current law is the way of ensuring that a criminal's debt to society is truly paid. |
| Date | 11:47:47, October 07, 2005 CET | From | Revolutionary Socialist Alliance | To | Debating the Prison Work Act |
| Message | It isn't really - surely crimes against the community should be punished by community service etc? The fundamental point here is that those who break the law are punished - in Baltuia it's by going to jail. However, being forced to work, akin to slave labour, is not part of the punishment, and is also not going to have a good affect on the prisoners. The purpose is to rehabilitate, and we at the RSA believe that the best way to serve this goal is to offer the freedom of choice, the freedom to work themselves out of poverty, the freedom to do something constructive and actually see the rewards for themselves and their family. We think that it is important for this Bill to stand. |
| Date | 13:14:47, October 07, 2005 CET | From | Txurruka/Aperribai/Mayoz's OPX | To | Debating the Prison Work Act |
| Message | "It isn't really - surely crimes against the community should be punished by community service etc?" Perhaps but not at the excessive expense of the community. "However, being forced to work, akin to slave labour, is not part of the punishment, and is also not going to have a good affect on the prisoners." Clearly, slave labour is actually part of the punishment. How is rotting in a cell or earning a wage going to help? "The purpose is to rehabilitate, and we at the RSA believe that the best way to serve this goal is to offer the freedom of choice, the freedom to work themselves out of poverty, the freedom to do something constructive and actually see the rewards for themselves and their family." The purpose is to punish and rehabilitate. You cannot commit a crime and have the same rights as when you were free, otherwise where is the punishment? I don't really think that many criminals actually care about their families, otherwise they wouldn't commit crimes - they would get real work. That's assuming a significant number of criminals even have families... |
| Date | 17:44:51, October 08, 2005 CET | From | Revolutionary Socialist Alliance | To | Debating the Prison Work Act |
| Message | Human rights are regardless - you're using the same argument that has been put down for the death penalty 'no freedoms' etc. 'Real work' as you describe it can often be hard to find. This is mainly down to the cycle of poverty, and this government has taken no measures to break this at all. If the government honestly cared for proletarian issues there would not be scandelous privatisation, leading to unemployment and poverty. |
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Voting
| Vote | Seats | |||
| yes | Total Seats: 95 | |||
| no | Total Seats: 154 | |||
| abstain |
Total Seats: 217 |
| Random fact: It is the collective responsibility of the players in a nation to ensure all currently binding RP laws are clearly outlined in an OOC reference bill in the "Bills under debate" section of the nation page. Confusion should not be created by displaying only some of the current RP laws or displaying RP laws which are no longer current. |
| Random quote: "If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin." - Charles Darwin |