
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, May 20, 1995                   TAG: 9505220022
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

GIVE CHAIN GANGS ANOTHER TRY

IN SHACKLES, forced to work on the side of public roads, chopping away weeds and picking up others' trash - and watched every second by shotgun-toting guards. It's demeaning and, doubtless, uncomfortable.

But so was society demeaned by the crimes these convicts committed.

And so is society made uncomfortable, not only by having to worry about habitual and violent offenders, but also by having to bear the cost of prisons to house these criminals, and of food, medical services, cable television and weight-lifting facilities to serve them.

Bringing back chain gangs may not be such a terrible idea.

Alabama, the first state to try it, is now testing the concept: Putting medium-security, two-timers to work on chain gangs - meanwhile, denying them television, visitors and other privileges - may make prison life unpleasant enough that they'll think twice before becoming three-timers once they get out.

Ultimately, that may make more sense than waiting for the third offense and, under so-called three-strikes-and-you're-out laws, locking more criminals up forever with all of the above-mentioned taxpayer-supported accommodations.

Understand, we're not advocating denial of inmates' constitutional rights or a return to inhumane treatment and conditions. We'd much prefer that the focus be on prevention - dealing with the social ills of poverty, drugs, inadequate education and job opportunities, etc. - and finding ways to keep more young people from ever committing their first crime.

Hard labor isn't going to cure a serious drug addiction, or straighten out the psychological kinks that cause someone to commit sex crimes.

But hard physical work may be just what the doctor ordered for many prisoners, including those with precious little exposure to manual exertions on the outside. As Del. Robert Ball of Henrico County told Virginia corrections officials a couple of years ago, more work programs are needed outside prison walls. Prisoners, he said, need to help earn their keep, and should be required routinely to work ``until they get so tired they drop when they get back. Sitting around listening to that loud music all day isn't going to help them."

Chain gangs evoke nasty connotations: slavery, humiliation, cruelty. The public shouldn't and won't tolerate any of these. (It was largely public opinion that brought an end to chain gangs after the 1932 movie, ``I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang,'' depicted the brutal treatment of prisoners working on them in the South of old.)

But it's not exactly slavery if prisoners are paid. It's not cruel if they learn work habits and develop strong motivation to avoid a return to lives of crime. And it's not as though work, in itself, is a bad thing. Indeed, hard work can be redemptive.

Assuming that corrections officials would be more zealous now in ensuring that prisoners are not mistreated and that their rights are not violated - remember, if they're on the roadsides the public will be watching - the chain-gang concept is at least worth trying again.

by CNB