Crime and punishment

In the battle to reduce crime, there seem to be two schools of thought. One, focus on rehabilitation and make prison a livable place. Two, focus on punishment and make prison so horrible that nobody in their right mind would want to go there.\nOne of the groups that subscribes to the rehabilitation model is Amnesty International. According to its Web site, this group's mission is "to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity." \nThis sounds all well and good, but at times, it has the effect of softening criminal punishment.\nFor example, a report Amnesty International released Nov. 30, 2004, was concerned with the use of tasers in the United States. The report detailed an incident that occurred here in Monroe County about the tasing death of James Borden.\nI think everyone can agree that was extremely tragic and needs to be investigated so it never happens again. However, Amnesty International used the incident as evidence to support a complete ban of tasers in law enforcement.\nI'm sure Amnesty International has good intentions, but the organization should look at things from the view of a corrections officer. Imagine going to work every day in a place society has chosen to put those who break the law. Imagine that you're outnumbered by these people and not allowed to carry any weapons other than your fists to defend yourself. Try imagining these things, and you'll see why the taser and similar weapons are invaluable inside prison walls.\nIn an August 1997 report, Amnesty International claimed ill treatment of inmates existed in Maricopa County, Ariz., jails. Among the allegations were excessive use of force and poor inmate treatment through various prison programs.\nMaricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio brushes off such claims. He says he's preventing recidivism by making jail so unpleasant nobody would want to come back. Making jail a very unpleasant place is the heart of the punishment model. Few would commit crimes if they knew a horrible place awaited them.\nArpaio has used his reputation as "America's Toughest Sheriff" to stay in office for more than 13 years. His record-setting 85 percent approval rating shows that many of his constituents support the reforms he has made.\nSo how has Arpaio made jail unpleasant for inmates? According to the Web site of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, 1,200 convicts live in tents set in the Arizona desert and the cost of feeding each inmate is less than 45 cents per day.\nHowever, Arpaio's reforms go beyond the cost-effective.\nOld-school black-and-white-striped jumpsuits, along with pink underwear, are the inmates' uniforms. The only channels inmates receive on TV are Disney and the Weather Channel. Coffee, cigarettes and pornography are all forbidden. Corrections personnel still use restraint chairs and tasers.\nArpaio has not only made his jails safer for the staff, but also unpleasant for the inmates. I don't know about you, but I certainly wouldn't want to be denied coffee and porn.\nThe biggest problem I have with the soft-handed approach to crime is that it often wouldn't provide adequate incentives for reform. Tasers aside, why should inmates be comfortable? Jail is a place for people who have screwed up and broken the rules. It shouldn't be a place you actually want to be.\nArpaio and I believe the same things. I support every effort to make prison a horrible place where nobody would want to go.\nIf this were done everywhere, why would anyone commit a crime knowing the consequences?