We recieved the following email from a person using the name David Watt. Because of its content, the Editor-in-Chief replied to it.
Sir/Madam,
After reading your web page I was shocked to learn about some of the conditions the prisoners had to endure while incarcerated in the state of Pennsylvania.
Then I started thinking about it more. There is a saying amongst most prisoners "don't do the crime if you can't do the time."
Going to prison is not supposed to be a pleasant experience, in fact its supposed to be a BAD experience that the person won't want to relive. These men and women committed crimes. There are innocent families on the street today who live in poverty and can't provide meals or homes for their children and you expect us to feel badly for convicted criminals?
Shame on you.
The taxpayers of Pennsylvania should be investing more money providing for the less fortunate spend even less on the prisoners.
Respectfully
David Watt
Dear Mr. Watt:
The only reason I'm answering you instead of one of the clerks is because I'm going to publish our exchange. From time to time we receive silly emails or letters like yours. I want to publish one answer to apply to all of those of your ilk.
Decent persons treat all persons decently. Foul persons look for excuses to treat some persons badly. You clearly fall into the latter group. A man's character is announced in everything he says.
Like many others you've decided what "should be" or "shouldn't be." Not what is. Your whole concept of prison is wrong.
A person isn't sent to prison to be punished. She's sent to prison as punishment. The lose of freedom is the punishment. Nobody should be treated badly, not cops, prison guards or even lawyers. Those are all the worst sorts of public enemies (about whom we have a whole department), but they deserve to be treated with respect and humanity.
Allow me to disabuse you of your fallacies. Prison is "supposed to be" civilized, humane and it's supposed to have an object which benefits society such as improving the convict.
Prison isn't "supposed to be a BAD experience." It's supposed to be society's way of "correcting" a miscreant so that upon release, she behaves the way the authority figures want her to behave. It's all about conformity to authority.
I don't want to imply that you're as dumb as a barrel of blighted badminton birdies, but more thinking and less vindictiveness wouldn't hurt you. You right-wing notions of taking revenge starts a cycle. If you abuse the prisoner, what will she do upon her release? She'll want to do what you've taught her, take revenge on you and on society.
You excuse your cruelty by asserting that these people (you mean persons) have committed crimes. So have you! You didn't get caught. Ever speed, cheat on your taxes, jaywalk, etc, etc, etc? I know, "but that's different." That's like the woman who won't sell her body for $5, but would for a million. She's a whore, either way.
We're very pleased that you took the time to read a little of our material. It's hardly a "web page." It comprises 1500 articles and 10,000 visitors a day. We hope you got a bit of insight from it. By writing you clearly were influenced.
I am:
Edgar Saint George,
Editor-in-Chief
esg@prisoners.com
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