August 25, 2010
Your government at work
The Washington State Department of Corrections (you know, the folks who run the prisons) has
received a grant from the Oregon Zoo to rehabilitate an endangered species of frog that lives in the Pacific Northwest. The staff and offenders at Cedar Creek Corrections Center have had a higher success rate at rearing the Oregon spotted frog than zoos and nature centers in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia.
The full press release is
here. If this is a belated April Fool's prank, I am not the prankster. You can see the headline on the
DOC's press release page.
Then again "rehabilitation" is synonymous with "correction". So rehabilitating frogs is not inconsistent with the agency's mission.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at August 25, 2010
01:04 PM | Email This
1. Well...hmmm...I don't know about others, by my greatest concern is about recidivism.
To quote a famous American (I presume), "It ain't easy being green."
2. The project may connect prisoners to nature, but in no way does this reduce prison costs.
3. Ah, if only those poor prisoners could help us enact our environmental laws and save the planet, maybe then they could feel like they're part of our 'commune-ity' again. As always, look at cost and follow the money.
Help get homeless, indigenous salmon onto the light-rail! Comrades...we're almost there!
4. There are much worse things the DOC could do than receive a grant to rehabilitate frogs?
5. This does indeed sound goofy to anyone (Stefan?) who doesn't bother to read the entire press release.
6. Bruceburger? What's a Bruceburger?
Oh yeah, a patty of 100% prime nasty Seattle sanctimony, topped with a special sauce of snottiness wrapped in a bun of fluffy liberal idiocy.
7. So should the frogs be allowed to vote (1) only after paying their fines and restitution, (2) after being released from DOC supervision, even with unpaid obligations, or (3) never lose voting rights for felony convictions?
8. I don't think prisoners should be waterboarded, but I do think they should be working hard, with no TV or perks. If prison were a lot less fun, then maybe more would-be criminals would think twice before committing their crimes.
9. JeffB, I've never been inside a prison, but I am curious where your "If prison were a lot less fun..." statement comes from. What evidence do you have that prison is any fun at all? What do you know about managing or rehabilitating prisoners? (I know "rehabilitating" is a loaded word but, if the prisoner doesn't have a life sentence, what is the best way to protect society upon the prisoner's release?)
10. Good luck with "rehabilitation" Bruce. Recidivism rates are high. Many enjoy their time on the inside and enjoy the structure of that world vs. having to function in our world. I have a good friend who is a teacher in the WA youth correctional system. He has seen it all. The kind of kids that are screwed up by the loose social policy and relativistic morality celebrated by the Left, are the same ones that end up in the State Prisons as they get older.
TV in prison is ridiculous. Put them to work in chain gangs. Ever see Cool Hand Luke? That's much more civil world than what we live in today. How did your dad make you in to a respectful contributing member of society? My dad taught me the value of hard work and made me do a lot of manual labor which humbled me and taught me discipline and respect. If we did that more often, we might have a chance at rehabilitation.
Whatever we are doing now in prisons is obviously not working. Maurice Clemmons.
11. Uh-oh. I bet the sneaky criminals plan to superglue the frogs to the bottoms of their shoes. Then they can jump over the walls.
12. Uh-oh. I bet the sneaky criminals plan to superglue the frogs to the bottoms of their shoes. Then they can jump over the walls.