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A very serious use for prison populations

danarhea

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The UK recently began a web site that takes suggestions for ideas that would help the economy. This particular entry really stood out.

In Victorian times, prisoners had to walk a treadmill or turn a hand crank before they were fed. Nowadays these devices could be made to generate electricity. This would save money by saving electricity bills for the prisons, and possibly even selling some back to the National grid. It would also make prison more of a deterrent, thus making criminals less likely to offend.

So, while we are looking at ways to wean ourselves off of Middle East oil, let's take a serious look at a source of energy that is right under our very noses.
 
slow day in Houston?
 
Considering there are so many people in prison for victimless crimes I think we need to first reform why people are sent to prison.
 
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Considering there are so many people in prison for victimless crimes I think we need to first reform why people are sent to prison.

Got some numbers? what percentage of prisoners are there for victimless crimes? What do you consider a victimless crime?
 
The UK recently began a web site that takes suggestions for ideas that would help the economy. This particular entry really stood out.



So, while we are looking at ways to wean ourselves off of Middle East oil, let's take a serious look at a source of energy that is right under our very noses.


What about gyms?
I mean, why aren't they using those to produce electricity?
Not that they'd produce much, but maybe enough to at least power the gym itself.
 
The UK recently began a web site that takes suggestions for ideas that would help the economy. This particular entry really stood out.
So, while we are looking at ways to wean ourselves off of Middle East oil, let's take a serious look at a source of energy that is right under our very noses.

Squirrel Power, baby. Its a viable solution. Presented by Standford University in 1978. As I recall (and I doubt the research will be on the web)their final analysis was that 3 properly motivated squirrels on treadmills connected to gears and motors could generate enough electricity to provide the house current needs for an average house.

Used it as an alternative fuels debate plan...
 
Got some numbers? what percentage of prisoners are there for victimless crimes? What do you consider a victimless crime?


Prostitution
Drug use


These crimes in and of themselves are victimless. They hurt nobody. It's their prohibition that creates crime by sending these trades underground.

The fact the government can punish someone for using their own body (sex) to make money is disturbing.

Some guy smoking weed or whatever in his own home shouldn't be a crime.

Statutory rape (in some cases) is a victimless crime. 18 year old senior sleeps with 15 year old sophmore. They're both High school students. They're in the same peer group. But he's labeled as a sex offender when he's no threat to the public. There's no real crime here.
Not all crimes should be crimes.

The US has one of the highest incarceration rate in the world.
 
On my rowing machine, it shows how many watts of energy you're producing while you row, like 100, 120, whatever.
I've thought many times that it would be nice if this energy could somehow be applied to my home energy usage, and lower my electricity bill!
 
What about gyms?
I mean, why aren't they using those to produce electricity?
Not that they'd produce much, but maybe enough to at least power the gym itself.

LOL That's the first thing I thought of. It could work. We keep talking about cutting out waste. Stop wasting all that energy!
 
It's a dumb idea. Aside from the fact that it's degrading and I don't believe that prisons need anymore punishment added, it's not like the benefit to the world is that huge.

Conservation combined with using local natural assets is probably more useful. For instance, in North America there are some areas capable of geothermal; other areas have high winds, so put wind mills there. It might not be the cure all for the entire country but some areas can still benefit.

Honestly, I really do believe that the energy sector is just dominated by the profiteering oil industry and they just don't want their monopoly to be broken. It's true that we cannot completely replace oil right now, but I don't see why that means we should be so opposed to using alternates in areas that are capable.
 
It's a dumb idea. Aside from the fact that it's degrading and I don't believe that prisons need anymore punishment added, it's not like the benefit to the world is that huge.

Don't they workout a lot anyway? Why not give them the option to generate electricity or not? Shouldn't they at least have the choice?
 
Don't they workout a lot anyway? Why not give them the option to generate electricity or not? Shouldn't they at least have the choice?

I'd be in favor of giving them the choice, but how likely do you think that would be given the cost to implement exercise-based generators that feed into the electric grid? It won't have benefits unless the whole prison population is doing it.

The prison system is already too bloated, with too many facilities being built and too many new laws that send people there to do free labour for the states. I don't like the idea of putting them to use even during the most basic of their daily activities. There has be some sense of decency, even for inmates.
 
I'd be in favor of giving them the choice, but how likely do you think that would be given the cost to implement exercise-based generators that feed into the electric grid? It won't have benefits unless the whole prison population is doing it.

The prison system is already too bloated, with too many facilities being built and too many new laws that send people there to do free labour for the states. I don't like the idea of putting them to use even during the most basic of their daily activities. There has be some sense of decency, even for inmates.

I have no idea what it would take to implement such a program in prisons, gyms, or homes. Maybe it's not feasible now, but maybe in the future.
Interesting idea though with all the talk of alternatives.
I somewhat disagree with what is or what is not a sense of decency toward prisoners. A feeling of worth or giving back is important to everyone.
People are being sent to prison as free labor for the state? please elaborate.
 
The UK recently began a web site that takes suggestions for ideas that would help the economy.

Kind of crazy. Especially considering the required caloric intake to produce a watt via human power. We'd probably end up spending more in food costs then what we'd get in energy savings. Humans are quite inefficent at producing electricity via hand. We're better off using prisons for cheap labor cleaning highways.
 
Kind of crazy. Especially considering the required caloric intake to produce a watt via human power. We'd probably end up spending more in food costs then what we'd get in energy savings. Humans are quite inefficent at producing electricity via hand. We're better off using prisons for cheap labor cleaning highways.
besides, the last thing we need is stronger criminals....
 
Prostitution
Drug use


These crimes in and of themselves are victimless. They hurt nobody. It's their prohibition that creates crime by sending these trades underground.

The fact the government can punish someone for using their own body (sex) to make money is disturbing.

Some guy smoking weed or whatever in his own home shouldn't be a crime.

Statutory rape (in some cases) is a victimless crime. 18 year old senior sleeps with 15 year old sophmore. They're both High school students. They're in the same peer group. But he's labeled as a sex offender when he's no threat to the public. There's no real crime here.
Not all crimes should be crimes.

The US has one of the highest incarceration rate in the world.

Now... how many
PRISON INMATES
are in PRISON for prostitution?
How many for personal use of marijuana (not trafficking, not PWISD)???

Are you aware there is a difference between JAIL and PRISON???
 
I'm aware of the difference. Jail is supposed to be for misdemeanors and awaiting trial.

But in many places due to prisons being crowded there are people doing their sentence in jail instead of prison.

In Massachusettes a felony is defined as any crime that carries a sentence in state prison as a punishment as opposed to other states where the max sentence is more than a year.

The war on drugs is putting too many people in prison. People are in prison for selling drugs and doing drugs and they shouldn't be.

The mistakes we made with the war on drugs as we saw in the 1920's is causing more crime.
 
Also many jails now are ran just the same as prisons.

In many states teens 16 and 17 are automatically tried as adults which is hypocritical bull****
 
Also many jails now are ran just the same as prisons.

In many states teens 16 and 17 are automatically tried as adults which is hypocritical bull****

Nothing bull**** about it.
Your adult enough to drive, your adult enough to take responsibility for your actions.

We have 14 year old adults committing armed robberies knowing damned well what they are doing, and why THEY are doing it (gang related, they don't get punished). This "aww poor children" attitude I see is bull****.

These kids know better.
 
Lulz. People don't get sent to prison for these things. On some rare occasions, they may result in a relatively short stay in county Jail. :roll:

While the number of people arrested is probably much higher than the number of those incarcerated, the figure for non-violent drug offenders in prison is very high.
 
While the number of people arrested is probably much higher than the number of those incarcerated, the figure for non-violent drug offenders in prison is very high.

How do you know if they are violent or not??????
 
How do you know if they are violent or not??????

They were not incarcerated for a violent offense. You can obfuscate all you like and try to make it out like they're all a bunch of gangbangers but the reality is that a huge amount of people are in prison solely for doing drugs and are not people anyone needs protection from.
 
They were not incarcerated for a violent offense. You can obfuscate all you like and try to make it out like they're all a bunch of gangbangers but the reality is that a huge amount of people are in prison solely for doing drugs and are not people anyone needs protection from.

Again, no.

Those in prison for drug offenses are there for Trafficking...Dealing.. that sort of thing.

Johnny Q. Pothead isn't in prison (this is the term we are using, which is vastly different from jail) for being a stoner. He is there because he got busted selling pounds of grass.
 
I'm an Aussie - means descendant of convicts - you know the ones that DID do the manual labour building half the colony? Those were NOT nice times.

But all that aside you really really really do not want criminal who, because they have been spending 8 hours a day on exercise bikes, being able to outrun the police. I mean do you?
 
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