SHEsaysWITHaSMILE.blogspot.com

Doin' Time as understood by (me!) ~tops

and so i had to go over it one last time with my sexy

"just want to be sure," I said with a smile, "that I've got this write:

* you don't have to pay rent, or any bills of any kind

* you get free air conditioning

* free water for your showers

* someone else does your laundry  -and you pay no fee

* you have access to gym equipment you didn't buy, or earn..

* someone else does the shopping, paying and meal preparation..
        and provides you THREE FREE MEALS A DAY..   and cleans up after you

* you have access to FREE PHYSICAL/MENTAL HEALTHCARE upon request  -you do not have to pay for medical insurance.. or pay for any of the health services you receive, not even a co-pay

* you have FREE recreation time   -pizza and popcorn nights, where movies are played on a 48" flatscreen tv    -and you don't have to pay a cent for the pizza, the popcorn or the movie,  or do anything special to earn it as a privilege...

   -so, just to be sure...    you dont pay for anything, food, rent, healthcare, tv, air conditioning, water/shower...

do I have this write?   this is what it is like for people in jail? prison?   -this is what it is like, ~doin' time?"

and my sexy once again reminded me how,  -back in the day, criminals at least had to make their beds to earn recreation time, but no such criteria has to be met anymore.   -something about it being 'inhumane'   -that inmates should be required to do anything..

and my sexy reminded me again, how..  once upon a time, the inmates were at least required to show respect to the officers,

but how now..   they can spit at, hit, cuss at, yell, scream, taunt, chronically provoke and even physically assault officers; but they lose none of the amenities mentioned above   -  they don't have to make their beds, they don't have to show any respect, they don't have to pay for anything; earn anything...  

and officers are held responsible for the behaviors of the inmates  -they have nothing to leverage; and the 'unnecessary force' policies/procedures  -while they may have been initially written with good intention; have created a gigantic disincentive for law enforcement officers to respond to anything...

   -when I add all this up..

and so, I asked my sexy..    "like, what is the very least crime you can do to get yourself inside jail..  because, when I look at this growing homeless population here in san jose...

the idea of getting three free meals a day, a shower, and some pizza/popcorn...     clean clothes... shelter..  

and I am quite serious about the trade up there... "  

but the other thing..

I mean   -if you are serving three or five or twenty years in jail..   and for three or five or twenty plus years you haven't had to hold a job, pay for anything, make a bed..   do your own laundry, shopping, cleaning..

if essentially you haven't had to do a thing that is in fact required in the outside world; if you haven't had any self accountability/responsibilities

and your time is up..

and you are suddenly set   -free.

under the current system   -you have been literally set up to fail in the outside world.

and that is exactly what is happening over and over again..

but as homelessness, and jail reform are not my personal calling   -I will just pray "thank you!" for every dangerous criminal that is removed from our streets, "thank you!" to every law enforcement officer doing their job in highly restrictive and hostile conditions..      "thank you!" to my sexy for his 26+ years of noble service.... and move on..

***
in Jesus name,   ~amen.

posted by SHE @ 9:15 AM