For almost 20 years, Reginald Walton could judge the tenor of his day at Maryland House of Correction by the deafening sound of inmates as he climbed the stairs into one of the country's oldest and most storied prisons.
The former correctional officer returned Saturday to take a last look at the sprawling, brick-and-stone Italianate structure that for 128 years housed some of Maryland's most violent predators. The state is preparing to tear down the antiquated facility, closed in 2007.
As he examined the 6-by-9-foot cinder block cells and walked through the dining hall where the inmates once protested their prison work wages, Walton said his memories were still vivid.
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8 comments:
Yeh , it really brings a tear to my eye. I can't imagine inmates without a college education , cell phones , paid wages , cable TV , athletic field , sex when ever they want it and all the dope you can get. Yeh really sad!!
Yeah, you're right. The heck with what the U.S. Supreme Court says.
Let's work them til they drop and pay them little to no wages.
No t.v. No gym. No books. Feed them bologna every meal. And plain water to drink.
Harass them day and night. Turn a blind eye when they are attacked by other inmates. Then the guards can get a few licks in as well.
They will surely regret coming to prison.
Then, one day they are released. Parole or time served.
They enjoy their new-found freedom. But they always remember the harsh times in prison. Makes them mad and mean. Meaner than they went in.
Now they want revenge. Now they want payback. Now they will hurt and murder the ones they rob. Even try to kill the police who try to arrest them because they don't want to go back to that harsh prison.
Yes indeed. I can see where your way of punishment is better for everyone. They come out worse than they went in, and still have no employable skills, still illiterate or at best, under-educated.
The cycle continues.
10:48
They are not treated bad now and when they come out most of them break the law again and go right back into prison. Maybe if we made it a place that was BAD they would think twice about breaking the law. If they are illiterate or under educated it is their own fault. We spent 13 years worth of tax dollars to educate them.
Not only do we have parents no longer teaching "consequences" to their kids, we also have the government teaching "no consequences" to the criminals.
Prison is not supposed to be easy!
But they do have it easy. Many of them will say they committed their crime so they could be put up with a bed and 3 square meals a day.
We need prison to be a "deterrent" to crime, not a welcome mat!
FOLKS, I spent 2yrs. working as a CO there beginning 3/1965 and let me me tell you one thing those cons earned their way then.They worked and had respect for the staff ot they got their assss kicked and lost privilages.They spoke with the [SIR] word.I remember the cut very well and it was a good training ground for new hires. I was transfered elsewhere and spent 40 yrs before I retired. I sure woint miss it. Now days they get a bible,TV,educated,and no blisters from the work they do.
I worked there from 1982 until 1987 as a CO. The "cut" still brings up memories good and bad.
First of all a criminal is a criminal is a criminal!!! I don't care what you do the majority come back. Do they deserve water and bread, no tv, no education and no hard work? indeed they do cause they deserve to suffer as much as their victims. I believe in an eye for an eye. They are 99.9% idiots and do not deserve anything except their cot!
Why didn't they consider making it an aged prison for those who are never going to get out and are nursing home material with constant care. The population in this catagory is increasing and badly needed.
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