Quote:
Originally Posted by Xist
I have never heard that jail food compares with McDonald's dollar menu. I do not know who would be happy to have a jail bed except the homeless and I am sure that we could provide comparable homeless housing without jail security for much less, except the hippies would want them to have free puppies and junk.
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McDonalds dollar menu is way more appealing than prison food. There is a reason why commissary food is popular despite inmates making only $2 /day for their labor. Of course, the menu varies, so some things are worse than others, but it's fairly poor overall. They are being fed for something like $2/day, which means most of the food is low grade and expired. This is how it should be though. The food needs to meet a certain minimum nutritional threshold and not cause foodborne illness, and that's about it. I gained 25 lbs by forcing down that slop.
Incarceration is better than being addicted to drugs and living on the streets. At least it forces a person to clean up, and any necessary medication is provided. It has a simplified structure that is pretty easy to figure out, which would appeal to those who struggle to navigate the complexities of freedom.
Homelessness is not really the problem. Those who are living on the streets generally have drug addiction and / or mental health issues. People with normal mental health and aptitude and no drug addiction who find themselves on the streets generally get off the streets very quickly. We need to address the mental health and addiction issues to tackle homelessness, not simply kick the can down the road by providing free shelter. People need to have some skin in the game. Free usually does more harm than good.
Criminalizing
addictive drugs may not be the way to handle the problem, but it certainly should not be legal. Being caught with illegal drugs should involve surrendering the drugs, and participating in rehab. Incarceration and fines is likely pointless.