Photos: Female Inmates Share Their Stories

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Posted By: mercedez34 @ 01/27/2009 5:14:47 PM

INCARATION IS THE NOT HE SOLUTION FOR SEXUAL ABUSE, DRUG ABUSE, SPOUSAL ABUSE OR MENTALLY ILLNESSES. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH MOST OF THE WOMEN THAT ARE LOCKED UP IT'S DUE TO THE INFRACTION I MENTIONED ABOVE. DOES ANYONE GET THIS? DOES ANY GET THAT LOCKING UP THESE WOMEN ONLY COST SOCIETY MORE IN THE LONG RUN? THINK ABOUT THESE WOMEN KIDS, AND LOOK WHO PAYS FOR EVERYTHING "US " TAX PAYERS. MY HEART GOES OUT TO ALL THE WOMEN THAT ARE IN NEED OF HELP...I AM PRAYER FOR YOU. I JUST WISH THAT THE PEOPLE IN CONTROL OF OUR COURT SYSTEMS WOULD JUST GET A CLUE.

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Posted By: Panapada @ 12/16/2008 5:51:46 PM

I used female state prisoners at the place I was employed which was next door to the women's prison. They got paid minimium wage and part of the money went to pay the cost of their prison, part went to their family and part was placed in a savings account for when they got released. No one ever said they were not guilty of the charge they were in prison for. They also told me that behide bars, they all had a "wife" to keep them from being bothered by other inmates and to have someone to love and to be loved. I was 6"3" and 230 pounds and there were a couple of inmated that scared the hell out of me; I would not want to meet either of them in a dark alley. Don't get me wrong, they were always respectful to me and I treated them as any other employee. It was just the fact they looked so harden that it would be easy for a jury to vote guilty just based on their looks. DRUGS and MEN were the root causes of almost all of them being behind bars.

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Posted By: willem1234 @ 12/16/2008 5:26:53 PM

When you see how people are being dumped int the street from hospitals, because of no medical insurance, America shows its true colors. Even the wealthy realize, the price of health care is astronomical, and yet show a blind eye toward what it is doing to society in general, because they can afford it. Most of us cannot anymore, and so we have people dying in the streets, at tripple the cost to the tax payer.
People who are incarcerated for using drugs is irrational, and from an economic standpoint, absurd. The 3 strikes law should have been enacted for the violent offenders only, and people like Lisa Conway have no business being in an institution burning up my tax dollars.
The only reason this entire mindset goes on, is the pious and stupid egocentrics, running our justice system, and the idiot lawmakers who make the justice system a joke.
Hell these very same people are now creating prison corporations, while making sure of a steady flow of prisoners, and making money off of the scheme.
Penologists have come out and said our drug lawsare a failure and should be thrown out, in favor of treatment, or even medical supervision, in a humane and ethical direction. All you have to do is look at the track record of the Netherlands and how they deal with their addicts, at a fraction of the cost of incarceration. Lets lock up the violent creeps, child molesters, and most of all crooked politicians for a long time, and empty out our prison systems, approx. 70% for just plain using drugs, while committing no crime, but to themselves. It time we grow up, start managing our entire federal system at a fraction of what it is now....
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  Posted By: hammerofthor @ 12/16/2008 5:48:47 PM
  
  Too many people profit off of incarcerating drug offenders now to stop this any time soon. Just like the bailouts to wealthy bankers, the people who control our society will not give up that control without a fight. People need to wake up and take a good look around them, instead of turning away from the rampant injustices throughout our society. No one seems to care about anyone but themselves anymore. This is the United States of America in 2008. Some union this is. Wealthy people preying on the weak, stealing your retirement funds and throwing you in jail for non-violent offenses.
- Posted By: hammerofthor @ 12/16/2008 5:48:16 PM
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  Too many people profit off of incarcerating drug offenders now to stop this any time soon. Just like the bailouts to wealthy bankers, the people who control our society will not give up that control without a fight. People need to wake up and take a good look around them, instead of turning away from the rampant injustices throughout our society. No one seems to care about anyone but themselves anymore. This is the United States of America in 2008. Some union this is. Wealthy people preying on the weak, stealing your retirement funds and throwing you in jail for non-violent offenses.

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Posted By: Frank Courser @ 12/16/2008 5:06:34 PM

Lisa Connnelly was caught in the broad net of California's Three Strikes Law. Her priors came out of one case when a boyfriend she was with broke into 3 houses that day thus three strikes 5 years before three strikes was enacted.5 years later she is found with less than a gram of meth. That earned her a 25 year to life sentence. It's 100% time with no good time credit. 25 years to life is what California mets out for 1st dregree murder! She is into to her 10th year of her sentence and is bitter that she will serve more time than someone for murder.After more than $40,000.00 in legal fees she has exhausted all appeals. Is this America the free? Is this justice?

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Posted By: Frank Courser @ 12/16/2008 4:48:40 PM

Lisa Conney was swept up in California's Three Strikes Law. Her priors came out of one case. She was with a boyfriend who broke into three homes in one day. Thus three strikes 5 years before three strikes was enacted. Then ten years later she is caught with less than a gram of meth. Her sentence was 25 years to life! She is now into her 10th year of incarceration and is bitter about the fact that she will serve more time for drug possession than for a person convicted of murder! For a fraction of the cost of incarceration she could have been sent to drug rehabilitation. But that is the law in California and after $40,000.00 in attorney fees she is still in prison.How can this happen in a democracy, why do we show such a disreguard for a persons life in America. Is this what we stand for as Americans?