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Ranchers add ladders to border fences (Texas)

Faster horses

Well-known member
That reminds me of when we lived in Deer Lodge (home of Montana State Prison). Everyone left their keys in their cars at night so if there were escapees they'd just take the vehicles and not bother anyone.

Interesting too that there NEVER was a prison escape from the old Territorial Prison downtown. 'Course that one wasn't nice enough any more.

If you are ever through there, take the time to tour the old prison.
It will give you the willies. And that's right where the prisoners should
be today. Dark and ugly with armed guards in the towers.

Not much like the Deer Lodge Hotel of today.
Thanks ACLU.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
They used to drop keys on a rope down from a guard tower to unlock the big gates (two sets- interior and exterior of the wall) of that old prison at Deer Lodge- and one set was always locked and every guard would be on the wall with a 30-30 Winchester, Thompson, or shotgun while someone was entering or leaving...

When you shut the gate it relocked and made a slamming noise that could be heard thruout the prison... Them boys knew they were in prison- I've had some wet their pants at the sound of that door slamming behind them... (Made me silently pray a time or two that they didn't get me mixed up with the prisoner)

Best thing I like about the old prison tour is they still have the hole in the wall of Max where the National Guards stuck the Bazooka round during the riot- they didn't play pattyfingers with them back then.....
 

Mike

Well-known member
Until lately the South used a different technique in keeping prisoners from escaping.......................

During the day they cut sugar cane or picked cotton.

At night they were too tired to leave. :lol: :lol:
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
The South has always run a better prison system than those up North.

Well, better for the citizen, worse for the prisoners and that's the
way it should be.

Chain gangs did a lot of good both for the countryside and the wanna-be
bad boys.
 

IL Rancher

Well-known member
When I worked in Chicago I was able to see onto the roof of the County Prison... I always thought it would have been more productive for the inmates to be cleaning up the neighborhoods that they in part helped destroy instead of playing basketbal on the roof of the building... Nah.... That would be demeaning...
 
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Anonymous

Guest
IL Rancher said:
When I worked in Chicago I was able to see onto the roof of the County Prison... I always thought it would have been more productive for the inmates to be cleaning up the neighborhoods that they in part helped destroy instead of playing basketbal on the roof of the building... Nah.... That would be demeaning...

When I was Sheriff one winter we had a rash of flu and colds in the jail- the Doc told one of them that they needed fresh air and outside exercise- so soon they were all screaming...Tight budgets kept us from building an outside exercise area, so I told the prisoners that I would take them for walks around town- they thought that was a good idea until I handcuffed them all to a chain and handed them all trash bags to pick up trash on their "walks"...They all felt that was demeaning and few ever wanted outside exercise after that... :roll: :lol:
The ones you could trust you could always find outside jobs washing cars, gardening, painting hallways, picking trash, whatever....Once in a while one would wander away for a couple hours or come back in with alcohol on their breath (courthouse is across the street from 2 Pubs)- but most trustees were pretty good.....
 

Brad S

Well-known member
The kind of prison that makes a criminal P1$$ themself has a chance of rehabiltating a criminal.

OT that's a great solution to provide exercize.I hope you used a nice 5/8 chain for security and extra exercize benefit. I'd like to see all prisons gently coerce prisoners to do work. Coerce by giving them only bread and water if they don't work. It would make prison suck and might make a criminal be able to keep a job if they get out. Among some social strata, one must go to prison to prove themselves. Let them pull 15 years in prison recycling trash at a landfill to get their hood card.
 

Frankk

Well-known member
Faster horses said:
The South has always run a better prison system than those up North.

Well, better for the citizen, worse for the prisoners and that's the
way it should be.

Chain gangs did a lot of good both for the countryside and the wanna-be
bad boys.

I don't think the treatment Union soliders received in the South's prisoner of war camps is anything to be proud of.
 

IL Rancher

Well-known member
Frank, to be fair the confederate soilders in the prison system in Chicago wasn't much better... Ridding the horse was not a pleasent ride in the country side and dog and rat was very much on the menu.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
We always thought the Montana State Prison ranch should be a showplace from all the workers available. Didn't turn out that way because the union doesn't like competition.

There is a lot of things those prisoners should be made to do or else...

Instead they can read law books and find out how to sue somebody and
the state can pay for it.
 

Badlands

Well-known member
When we were visiting Vicenza, Italy 10 years ago we drove by this nice place with high walls, tennis courts, swimming pools.

I aksed my brother-in-law (US Paratrooper) what it was.

He said, "The prison."

So, I'm like, "Oh that's real tough, swimming pools, etc."

He says, they even have a school in there.

Here's the deal though.

The pool, tennis courts school are for the guards kids.

They LIVE in the prison.

So, I say what is it like.

He says every morning about 4:30, they get them out of bed, they take a shower and have breakfast.

Then they go outside to stand, facing the wall, about 18 inches from it, on a white line painted around the prison. Arms length from the guy next to you, and no talking.

Then ABOUT 7:30 THAT NIGHT, they get them, feed them and put them to bed.

Very little incidence of re-offense.

Badlands
 
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