Letters: Angola inmates should have air conditioning

It is unreal that the prisoners at Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola have no air conditioning! Most of these men share overcrowded dorms, and the others sit in cells. Many go outside in the hot fields all day working, and come back to just fans in this 100-plus terrible humidity!

The animals at the animal shelter have air conditioning, yet we let thousands of inmates suffer in this unbearable weather. We spend money on everything else, yet we can’t help cool all these inmates?

I call that cruel and unusual punishment.

Janet Crouse

retired education public relations coordinator

Baton Rouge

Comments

1) Comment by Elderly Man - 16/07/2012

Actually, air-conditioning makes sense.

2) Comment by Elderly Man - 14/07/2012

Prisoners get toilet paper, pepper, coffee, and even tea. When will all this bounty end? A little straw for the evening and a good hosing with cold water ought to be enough.

3) Comment by InPVille - 14/07/2012

Tax dollars spent to air condition Angola inmate areas would of necessity have to be redirected from where the tax dollars are now being directed. . . even more money taken away from education and health care for the poor.?!

4) Comment by CountryBoysCanSurvive - 14/07/2012

To dmj..thats is the first intelligent thing you have ever said and I would love to be injecting the needle.

5) Comment by chem - 13/07/2012

First, there is nothing wrong with Ms. Crouse espousing her opinion. Calling her and idiot is hardly helpful, but I’m sure it satisfies some visceral instinct. I agree with DMJ in that rather than letting people rot in jail and then releasing them back to society, often being worse people than when they went in, resources should be allocated for training/rehabilitation. It would be a much better use of money and time. Of course, the real problem is that the U.S. incarcerates people at rate much higher than the rest of the civilized, industrialized world (probably higher than so-called 3rd world countries). And Louisiana is the king of incarceration in the U.S. Nonviolent offenders would be better off out of jail, working to make restitution to victims if that is called for. And drug users should not be in jail. Rehab would be much better and cheaper than prison. As far as other comments about executions, the fact that hundreds of people have been cleared of crimes with the advent of DNA testing, many of whom were on death row, should give any civilized person pause as to the application of the death penalty. I cannot think of anything worse than people being murdered by the state for something they did not do. Furthermore, executions diminish us all. Being as barbaric as the criminal does not do justice. It simply makes us like the criminal.

6) Comment by The_Host - 13/07/2012

IMO if there is any chance there could be a mistake or a frame job on someone they should not be given the death penalty. Now for people like that terrorist freak at Ft. Hood where it is no doubt no question about it he is GUILTY same for that guy in Arizona that shot Giffords and others. There is NO DOUBT, none what so ever as to who is guilty. They should have all of about 30 minutes for a trial and then be taken outside immediately after being found guilty and shot on the spot! When it is cut and dry who did the murdering the punishment should be as well. As for it being a deterrent maybe it isn't for other people but I can assure you that the person you are executing is never going to kill anyone ever again. Yes we are a civilized nation and people but we have those living with us that are not civilized and have so major defect that allows them to savagely kill others with no regard for anything. For these people the civilized society on which they are preying are well within their rights and would by foolish to allow it to only fester and to coddle the criminals to find out why they bashed in a old couples skulls with a pipe. I don't need to know that, I just want to know the guy that did it is worm fertilizer! Funny thing about criminals especially violent ones. The more you let them get away with the more they try to get away with. Darndist thing I tell ya!

7) Comment by nimby? - 13/07/2012

I'm not a christian but I do believe in an eye for an eye ...

8) Comment by DMJ - 13/07/2012

Nimby, I was responding to tradewins, who was calling for timely executions. The reason we have appeal after appeal is to ensure that we don't kill innocent people, which we still do, especially in Texas. I'm against all executions...not necessarily for moral reasons, but for logistical, practical and economical reasons.

9) Comment by warreni - 13/07/2012

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/07/12/156694483/electric-fans-may-do-more-harm-than-good-in-a-heat-wave?ps=sh_sthdl%3Futm_source%3Dfp&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=20120713

10) Comment by nimby? - 13/07/2012

"Besides, what's worse....life (as in the rest of your life) in prison with no hope of escape or a timely, painless execution? I know which I'd choose if given the choice" , wondering why appeal after appeal after appeal is filed , why it takes a avg of nearly 14 years between conviction and execution , why we are told that it cost more follow thru with a swift , timely execution than to keep someone alive 30 , 40 etc. years . truth in sentencing ....

11) Comment by DMJ - 13/07/2012

Seems like you've spent a lot of time thinking about this....but not enough, apparenlty.

12) Comment by tradewinns - 13/07/2012

"....with no hope of escape or a timely, painless execution? I know which I'd choose if given the choice". no hope of escape is baloney to start with. even james earl ray escaped from prison. murderers escape all the time so your argument there doesn't stand u to the facts. "....NOT a deterent"? how would you, or anyone know? since we "appointed" an activist liberal court, the death penalty has NOT truly been enforced. if you are executed today, you must be the biggest loser of a criminal in two decades or you have decided to stop all appeals on your behalf. that doesn't stop things, by the way, but does narrow the appeal track. you confuse "civilized" for society. too many people believe they are "civilized" when they are able to make the call on something that puts them on a God like level. neither they nor you are GOD. however, if you will sign your life to every murderer who is sentenced to life in prison, that if he/she kills again, you will join them on the stretcher for the chemicals, perhaps society can work something out. unless you are willing to lose your life if they cause another death, then don't ask others to do it without their blessings (that also includes other convicts). when theory becomes reality, things look different.

13) Comment by DMJ - 13/07/2012

Hate to break it to you, bub, but executions (which are NOT a deterrent) are going the way of the Do-do. We're the only civilized country that still does it and a fat load of good it's doing us. I predict that executions will be a thing of the past in 10 years....maybe even in Texas. Besides, what's worse....life (as in the rest of your life) in prison with no hope of escape or a timely, painless execution? I know which I'd choose if given the choice.

14) Comment by phil - 13/07/2012

Gee, I hardly ever run my air conditioning and I am not in prison and I seem to do just fine. I would add that fans might be the answer - that's what I use. Poor prisoners - you must be kidding! Maybe I should hire an attorney and file a lawsuit against my health insurance company and the BR sewer in Baton Rouge, just for a couple of examples, for raising rates every year and making it too expensive to live in BR while others are sucking up that tax money for their own purposes. Maybe that is really the cruel and unusual punishment

15) Comment by tradewinns - 13/07/2012

DMJ, i'd rather see executions than a/c. it would set a better example and IF ACTUALLY CARRIED OUT IN A TIMELY AND CONSISTENT MANNER, would work better.

16) Comment by DMJ - 13/07/2012

Everyone feel better about themselves after gaining up on someone trying to help others, even though they're inmates? What would Jesus do? (BTW, I'm not really concerned with providing AC in Angola either. I'd rather see job training and counseling)

17) Comment by spqr - 13/07/2012

I have more respect for the animals at the shelter. They need love and a home never having hurt anyone. Angola inmates? Even without air conditioning they have it too good. Janet, dear, letters indicate you are alone.

18) Comment by nimby? - 13/07/2012

I call it justice ; live and learn , maybe you won't want to go back ....

19) Comment by glee4532 - 13/07/2012

If you can't stand the heat, STAY OUT OF THE PRISON short, sweet,and simple

20) Comment by [e-mail] - 13/07/2012

Crouse, Crouse; you pay for it all if you feel so strongly about it.

21) Comment by The_Host - 13/07/2012

Wow what to even say. She must be one of those whacked out women you see on TV that get married to a guy with 4 life sentences for ax murdering a family of 4! These people are WORTHLESS to society. They are lucky they are still taking in air at all much less cool air conditioned air! Yes we need to give them all the comforts of home their ENTIRE lives and maybe they will live even longer and we can get to pay for them a couple more years too!

22) Comment by CountryBoysCanSurvive - 13/07/2012

Janet, you are a complete idiot. They are in prison not a luxury hotel. Prison is supposed to be so bad you don't want to ever come back. Besides air condition is a state of mind. When I was growing up air conditioning in homes was unheard of all we had was fans and if you were rich an attic fan. You never mentioned but do you want them to have colored TV and conjugal visits as well? Maybe you could volunteer. Get a life.

23) Comment by Whatnow - 13/07/2012

They have fans? Lucky them.