Law Abiding Citizen

There’s an article in the paper today about a riot in a Victorian (http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/toothbrush-fury-triggers-prison-riot-20120119-1q73i.html)(as in, in Victoria, rather than in the 1800s) prison.  The article states that the reason is the switch from hard toothbrushes to flexible toothbrushes.  How would a flexible toothbrush work? I don’t know about you, but I’d be pretty miffed about have to use something akin to an odourless haddock to clean my teeth. 
 
I’m not sure it would drive me to sit on a roof for 12 hours but I know something that would.  Over-crowded living conditions.  The article touches briefly on this in the 14th out of 16 paragraphs.  Maybe, it isn’t a soon enough mention of population explosion.
 
Of course the comments raise a few eyebrows; broad sweeping statements with no facts to back them up, judgements on the types of people in prison and compassions of prison live verses the great outdoors. Of course this, and the fact my local shops were closed last night because there had been a stabbing, led me to think about how I would reform the prison system in a manner that made people think twice about committing a crime where they could end up there, thereby end population growth.
 
I would reinstate chain-gangs.  Make them work for their supper and toothbrushes.  After all, most of this country was built off the back of convict labour, it worked then, why wouldn’t it work now?
 
Why not get the prisoners working for society it has let down with their unruly behaviour.  Can you image the network of roads that would crisscross this wide brown land it we didn’t have to pay for anything except the materials.  And the surface of the existing roads would be awesome.  It would give them a skill and they’d be so tuckered out at the end of the day they’d be too tired to fight in the food hall and cells.
 
It wouldn’t just be the roads.  Railways, storm drains and parklands would get a much needed boost in maintenance.  For good behaviour and well performed duties they could then be rewarded with the good jobs about the prison (laundry, cooking etc.), then television and education.  I think anyone would tow the line with the promise of a good steak and a beer.
 
I understand the logistics of guarding them would be a pain, but we have GPS tracking these days, why not microchip them? Civil liberties be damned, they lost that right when they broke the law.  I know they could remove a microchip themselves if they ran away, but put it somewhere they wouldn’t want to dig at with a shiv.  It could be removed properly when they are released after serving their term.  Or they could just wear one of those tracking ankle bracelets when out working.
 
Of course I have absolutely no research to back up the feasibility of my ideas.  They are just pie in the sky ideas from a person with an over active imagination and a desire to smack someone naughty, why couldn’t they work?