this morning we went to our little town, kaunakakai, to shop groceries. we ran into a friend who told us that the courtroom is full of people who are there for misdemeanor charges, and a few have to go to jail because they can't pay fines.

i know many of these people. there is much poverty and unemployment here and people do their best to feed their families. they are all good people who make simple mistakes. the whole idea of jail time to pay a fine is idiotic. who is in jails except the poor? what does this solve? do people come out "better" or "rehabilitated", having paid thier "debt" to society?

i suspect it is nothing but a job creation for those who work in the prison industry. when billions of tax dollars are being used up to jail people, taking them away from their families, plunging them even deeper into poverty, at least SOMETHING good ought to be accomlished.

and for what? smoking a joint, not being able to pay a traffic ticket?

i thought the "poor house" is a thing of the past.

has anyone ever heard of "encouragement" and "incentives"?