The media have depicted many fruit and vegetable growers, dependant on foreign labour, looking ruefully at their harvests going to waste. Surely there’s an obvious answer.
Offer safe prisoners the work opportunity under supervision. The chance to get out into the open plus earn money would doubtless see no shortage of takers.
This exercise is already done with prisoners in certain circumstances and seems an obvious solution to the problem.
12 Comments
Couldn’t agree more. But they say the cost of security is too high.
I say shackle them together and make them wqork for their privileges and then we might see a little less recidivist offending.
I was once dealing with a minor (but very large and threatening) offender accompanaied only by a very small muscled person. When he suggested we may have trouble arresting him I ineffectively counter-suggested that time in the Big House for resisting arrest may not be his best option.
His reply: “I’ve been to jail and I like it there.”
(To his and perhaps my credit, he decided to cooperate.)
Thats a very good idea. Most jail is a excercise in expensive failure, as inmates learn nothing and quickly wind up back inside. This is a job they could do, and would relish the chance to be outside. Getting a taste of enjoying work etc is a good idea too. Our jail systems always seem to be hopelessly out of date. This kind of thing, plus other useful work-looking after abandoned animals etc, provides ecellent rehabilitation.
As to security-it can’t cost any more than it does now.
Great idea Bob.
Plus, introduce a “ work for the dole “ scheme.
Too many of Shane Jones nephs are laying on the couch, too damn lazy to get off their backsides because the many benefits they obtain are more financially attractive.
More money and no sanctions from Labour .
Just procreate, get more welfare money and remember to vote Red !
Some might dig their way to freedom in a potato patch – sounds Irish I know
Or the bloody pensioners sitting back with nothing to do. Baby boomers…a privaledged generation living off the earnings of future generations. Sorry Bobby my spelling is shitte.
We need to respect out older generation. Those who have worked their lives, paid their taxes, amassed their wealth, enjoyed public health care, receive state funded pensions, those able should now go back to work, and not enjoy the earnings of future generations.
The future generations just need to learn to be kind, suck it up, and work their but’s off. We’re all in this together, remember.
Ian this bloody pensioner worked and paid taxes supporting your free education which you obviously can’t have availed yourself of and learnt how to spell .How about you get off your own arse and fix this instead of insinuating we sit on our butts and do nothing .We unlike you had ,took and created our own opportunities and sure as hell ain’t living off the earnings of future generations whose attitude does on occasion give rise to dismay
Ian, I like Bob’s suggestion, but how many pensioners could cope with the physical demands of orchard and market garden work? After one major and one minor surgery in my early sixties I felt myself slowing down in my physically undemanding job.
Despite making a serious effort to maintain cardio and muscular fitness since retirement, I continue to slow down, and on those occasions where I’ve done hard, sustained physical work, it’s clear my body can’t cope the way it used to, even though my health is good.
Sorry this one is never going to work…Apart from the fact that it would interfere with their prison “education”, prisoners engaged in useful employment has always been steadfastly opposed by the unions for undermining workers rights and taking jobs away from the the community.
I don’t see the point of “slave labour” making the incarcerated work. The cost and hassle would be huge.
The obvious solution for me is to pay not a single person the dole in any region of NZ when there are picking/harvesting/pruning jobs available.
Criminals are criminals. Few will ever change. Getting the unemployed working reduces the chance of them becoming criminals and saves us money. Also breaks the downward spiral.
Seems a simple solution but this Govt doesn’t do obvious.
The question of personal responsibility is never even considered. Judith Collins suggested that folk should take more responsibility for their diet and exercise and, in that way, help both themselves and our overburdened health service.
Ardern, who’s never said anything interesting or original that I can recall, predictably replied that this was somehow the state’s responsibility. The vital discussion on the line between personal and collective responsibility went nowhere and was then dragged down to the level of the school yard by our appalling news media with “who are you to talk, fatty” type comments.
Our fellow Kiwis decision at the last election means your simple (and reasonable) solution won’t even be discussed much less implemented.
I agree – and microchip them so they can’t run away.