YOUR COMMENTS

Just to clarify,I am using a computer at the library.I have no internet connection or electricity at my apartment.I use the computer to look for work,sorry that I read the newspaper.
- Jerry, Claremont

I can't beleive the ignorance of the comments. The NH Judicial and corrections systems are big business all tied tightly to your pockets. Its not about punishment its about MONEY! Victims receive very little from the system. They receive assistance from advocates, prosecutors and a whole littany of professionals who get paid to insure the system wins. We push all classes' of people into prison creating a subculture that some of them will not recover from but these so called professionals are well paid to put them there. Most of you don't like paying welfare to people who don't work or commit crimes yet the system pumps these people out placing the burden on taxpayers somewhere else. Jail is not nice but living under a bridge isn't any better. Smarten up!
- Bobby Stack, Manchester

If you worked in the construction trade there's almost no work out there, add even a minimal criminal record and forget about second chances. No one will give you one. Not to mention that the state has become a big collection agency, insisting that former inmates w/ no work pay or go back to jail. Who ends up paying, families who don't want their loved ones back in jail We save NH taxpayers over $33,000 per year by supporting family members who would have stayed incarcerated and yes paying the bills they can't cuz no one will hire them, especially in a bad economy.
Make the jails & prisons more hellish than they already are? That has worked in the past, yea right. NH has the highest incarceration rate of ANY NE state. Even our DOC Commissioner realizes that incarceration is not the only answer. Maybe the taxpayers of NH should educate themselves about the real issues in corrections. MAYBE there is a more cost effective way to get at the real problems.
And for those of you who want to judge me, I'm a law-abiding citizen who has never even had a speeding ticket. I don't cheat on my taxes and yes I pay my way. What my family members did I don't condone. But I'm not so quick to judgment as some of you are.
Walk a mile in my shoes then pass your ridiculous judgments about those with records.
- CC, Hillsboro

Too easy on inmates? Jail isn't fun at all. It's really a nightmare and not at all preferable to life as a normal citizen regardless of economic climate. Jail is a nightmare.
- Dan, Manchester

Spike, so nice to hear from the compassionate conservative element.
- Sid V, Plano TX

Why wouldn't they want to stay in prison, roof over there head, cable, heat, clothing, education all on the tax payers. I forgot to mention free healthcare. Heck it sounds like the 4 seasons in today's economy. To bad my parent raised me with morals and ethics otherwise I'd of pushed out a few kids from different dads got addicted to something and gone to jail. I could read, watch tv, and work out all day, get free health care some plastic surgery done to help me fit in society better when I get out. That's what I'm talking about. In stead college full time, work full time, 2 part time jobs and a house payment. Since I'm not a pez dispenser I get no assistance, or help. Love america if your wealthy or a screw up it's golden, ethical middle class you might as well shoot yourself.
- Dee, Claremont

Since when does two letters in twenty eight years make a trend? Supt. Wright has probably dealt with thousands of inmates in that period and TWO letters make the news??? WOW - if only the press would respond so fast when our illustrious State Legislators CUT funding for the mentally ill and those with substance abuse issues - those TWO areas alone KEEP people incarcerated and in the system far longer
- Jamie, Lebanon

I have worked at Rockingham County Jail in medical. THEY HAVE IT VERY EASY. Jail is a vacation. They hang around...sleep..socialize... Its a joke.
- Nurse, Manchester NH

i think people should be put up by family people and friend's
- bill leighton, manchester

If these cons can see that being behind bars beats being on the street trying to look good to an employer, word will have gone out that the state's sternest punishment against violent crime isn't all that bad.

Bob of Bedford, Jerry doesn't have to move or adapt. Senator Shaheen stands ready with 13 more weeks of unemployment checks, for people who have spent a full YEAR on the suck. These would be the people who have not thought about how to win the competition for a job but find it easier to whine that "there aren't any"--an assertion that, relative to other states, is untrue.
- Spike, Brentwood NH

I'm sorry...I'm working 2 jobs and looking for a third just to keep afloat. I'm not stealing from anyone or breaking any laws. Why do people find it so hard to just do the right thing. Cut back and budget your money and live within your means.
- tracy, manchester

How's that HOPE and CHANGE working for you??
- Patricia, Raymond

Great and it's only just starting! How bout yaself?
- Jake, Manchester

I have to say it again because most of you seemed to have missed the real story here! We are far too easy on our inmates! Jail should be a place of absolute last resort - of misery - not of living free and easy while waiting out the job market!?!?! I can't afford a vacation for my family - why am I helping to pay for these criminals'?
- David, Manchester

How's that HOPE and CHANGE working for you??
- Patricia, Raymond

Yes, the economy is awful....for everybody. Yes,, there are fewer jobs...for everybody. I work in social services and have for 20 yrs, I am all too familiar with the folks that make a life out of bad decisions then expect that because time has been served, somebody (read taxpayers) should foot the bill for more services to make the transition out of jail "easier". What about the responsible single parent who hasn't chosen to commit crimes, doesn't feed off the system, and has to work 2 or 3 jobs to keep afloat...who makes it easier for them??? Suck it up. Stop whining...get rid of the TV, cable, internet, I-Pods, get rid of the $99 per month phone, use the booze and drug money for bills and be grateful for what you have.
- greta, somewhere in NH

If I was in their shoes, I wouldn't want to face reality either. It was easier to steal or break the law the 1st time around. I'd expect they'd break the law again... What ever happened to Hard Time? Yeah blame it on the libs but why aren't people screaming for that to come back into the "rehab" we're "offering" now...

Oh yeah, CB,,, stay on the cape it's safer there.
- Tim, Derry

Here's an idea, move to Mexico. It's warm, it's cheap, no winter clothing necessary. You'll no longer be a burden to NH taxpayers. Adios Amigos!
- kacy, concord

CB on the Cape,

And Massachusetts has it all figured out? Your ridiculous "tax and spend" economy has your state teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. Your MCAS scores reveal that more than half your schools don't measure up to federal guidelines. Your activist judges sentence pedophiles to community service. Behind California, MA is the biggest punchline of a state government in the union.
- George, Weare

CB

Cape Cod

Wow I guess Cedar Junction(Walpole), MCI Concord, MCI Bridgewater and MCI Shirley are all the result of the great public schools in MA.
If MA is so great why did a million native born residents flee MA since 1980?
- Chris, Merrimack

no wonder we have so much crime in NH and teens killing people for no reason etc.. the cushy jail life here in NH is better than most of these people have on the outside. so how is addison or the 4 teens from mt vernon being punished? they are given cable tv, video games and meals, roof over head etc... how about hard labor, NO TV, just enough for meals.. how about making prison really prison? maybe then we would actually deter people from going there....
- rick G, concord nh

So CB, are you just one of those high brow, Massachusetts elitists looking down your nose at the "uneducated masses" north of your border? If Massachusetts is such a great place, why does half of the state flee MA on Friday afternoons to head north? MA residents flock to NH to enjoy our way of life (Oh...and the MA legislators that passed a tax increase on you like to buy their booze here, too.)
Unfortunately, NH is becoming more and more like MA because so many of you are moving here to avoid all of the taxes. That's the real reason the jaw dropped on the "Old Man". Oh...and here's tidbit for you. NH was named the "freest state in the US" in a study done by Mercatus. MA was...well...43rd.
- Jim Powers, Bedford

Those that say that there are no jobs out there are correct. I have been actively job hunting since I was laid off almost 4 years ago. I am either under qualified, over qualified, too old or I don't hear from them at all. Just because there are help wanted signs out there doesn't mean that you're going to be the one that is offered the job. A hundred other people may be applying for the same job. I also know that my age-over 50 isn't helping me. I have been applying for many different types of jobs, even low paying retail jobs, with no luck. Also, single people with no kids don't qualify for any assistance but food stamps. I can understand why these 2 guys want to stay in jail. It shows how bad, and how screwed up, this economy is. It's high time that our government does something to stop all the jobs from being outsourced overseas to cheaper labor. How are people supposed to live?
- Cyndy, Goffstown NH

cb-cape cod Mass. Yes maybe NH needs to better educate us.. considering that most of the criminals in NH are from Mass... That is a very undereducated statement. Have you not paid attention to Wall St. over the last year? Where the highly educated CEO's have instantly become criminals?
- Kat, Lee

Hey - cb, cape cod mass, Your comment almost made me choke on my lunch it was so ridiculous. Words of wisdom from the geniuses that allow their state to be run by some of the most corrupt public state and local officials in the country, and rape the taxpayers for their benefits and salaries with no complaints from the apathetic sheep such as yourself. Yes, let's use the MA model for the efficient government, public service oriented, crime free, low cost, accountable to the public system it is. PLEASE....It is folks like yourself who think of your state in terms of what you would like to believe it is, rather than what it actually is. We are just fine thank you...
- Mike, Raymond

G8/Nafta and a dollar so inflated, its like a bottle of concentrated "Fail".

Seems the prison system has the socialist model, our current administration could only dream of for all us.
- Eticus, Rochester

To Jake of Manchester: Well since you live in Manchester and have more opportunities you wouldn't know about the Upper Valley would you? There are no jobs to be had here. Even the burger joints aren't hiring.

Oh and has anyone ever heard of going to a library to get online? Wow its free even. It might be the only place a person can read the news especially if they have no power.

I'm fortunate, I have a job. But I understand why people would be wanting to stay behind bars especially if they lived in this area of NH.
- Ray, Newport

If you are over about 30 and have work experience making over about $40,000, the places with low paying positions open don't jump all over your resume to hire you because they know that you are going to leave the second you are able to find a position with a similar salary. So don't assume that because you see help wanted signs, that it means just anybody can walk in and get the job. Being over qualified can be just as much a detriment as underqualified in this job market. Likewise, if you have a criminal background your odds of getting a job drop tremendously so it's not easy for that population either and they know it. And third, yes, alcohol and drugs come into play for many homeless people but nobody wants to spend tax money on funding of facilities that can help them overcome their addiction. And they can't get cleaned up enough to seek it and pay for it on their own. Solutions are seldom as easy as it seems to those who aren't direclty involved in the problem.
- Wendy, Manchester

The bad economy notwithstanding, this speaks volumes about the professionalism and humanity of the folks running this institution..
- Jack, Candia

Angelo (Manchester) this isn't new. One of the key factors of recidivism is some parts of the country is that once out, there are no options. This is no longer a country of paying the price of committing a crime and then being given a second chance after that payment. Once convicted - even in those cases that are overturned and acquitted - never again considered a contributing member of society. The biggest problem with this picture is that the US has the highest incarceration rate surpassing even Russia. I think the ratio is something like 1:1,000. Not very good odds!
- R, Raymond

Hey Jake from Manch - aren't like 99 percent of the job postings online nowadays? If Jerry "turns off his computer" and tries to get a job cruising around looking for "help wanted" signs he'll be wasting his time. Funny how the only way to find a job is to look online for one, isn't it? It is true - there ARE NO JOBS in NH, and even the few that are available have HUNDREDS of applicants. Jake must live in a dream world where people show up at his door and offer employment. Must be nice.
- Mike, Epping

Hey cb from the Cape,
Are you kidding me? You have the actual audacity to compare the great Commonwealth with NH? The Commonwealth I grew up in and which drove me and my family out with its high crime and ridiculous income/sales taxes. Your social services and education system are collapsing before your very eyes through bureaucratic/union favoritism and illegal immigration support. Go call California and see how all their social services are bankrupting them? The MASS unemployed work force not only have no jobs, but they also get no waivers on their steepening tax expenses. BTW, go walk through Manchester and see how many homeless people you trip over, and then do the same in Boston. Get real and enjoy your ocean view vista...
- max stein, Barrington, NH

For all the people out there who complain about not having work, losing their homes, having the electricity turned off, etc. (BMA, John), I have to wonder what your priorities are. I probably would have given up the luxury of a $50-$70 internet connection before I lost my home or had the lights turned off. Also, as others here have said there are help wanted signs everywhere. It just means you may have to lower your standards until things get better. If that means flipping burgers then that is what you have to do. I don't mean to put anyone down who does that kind of job its an honest days work and you aren't mooching off of the rest of us.
- Quinn, Bow

It is true, there are no jobs.
With its small tax base, New Hampshire can not afford adequate social services.
Fine, tout your no sales tax and no income tax status - it equates to no social services and a poor educational system.
If New Hampshire could properly educate its citizens, maybe these inmates wouldn't have ended up in jail.
- cb, cape cod mass

Does the jail have an internet connection? If not, tell O'Bam. Maybe the stimulus can make this right.. Oh, and next time you see a cop doing a flagger job, ask yourself why some poor unemployed guy can't do the job for $10 dollars per hour, you know, to feed the kids, clothe the family, pay the bills .. that sort of thing.
- tom, manchester,nh

Otis is that you?

I thought the whole idea of prison was to be a place so bad they would never want to go back...

What happened to the old saying, don't do the crime if you can't do the time?
It’s no wonder there's so much petty crime these days – it sounds like it's no big deal to be locked up.

Something is wrong with this picture.
- Angelo, Manchester, NH

I agree with Donna Raymond. I know some people who were homeless at this time last year, staying in a local shelter. Now they live in assisted housing and pay for nothing. I don't think either one of them has seriously looked for a regular, full-time job once since they got out of the shelter. Now they are letting other homeless people they know stay with them. There's old and young alike staying with them. The common theme for all of them, including my friends? Alcohol in large quantities. Somehow they always seem to have money for that.

As much as I care for my friends, I don't understand how they could be content to live off of someone else's dime with only the intention of changing their situation, but never any action to achieve that goal.
- DM, Hampton

Sounds like O'Henry’s The Cop and the Anthem.

Sad.
- Mary, Raymond

Jerry,

There are jobs....I see help wanted signs all over the place. Maybe you're just too good for some of them?
- Gary, Manchester

I'm in the same boat. I have 40 years of solid professional work experience and no convictions lifetime. I got laif off and cannot find a job after an everyday exhaustive search.

I'll be homeless soon and I have actually considered robbing a bank. If I suceed I have finances. If I get caught I have a place (jail) to live. I am so desperate that for the first time in my life I am considering these options. Where is this country headed?

I wake up terrified every morning knowing what I'm facing. It was real wise enacting NAFTA and sending jobs out of this country, wasn't it?
- BMA, Derry

This clearly tells you that prison is way too easy. We need to bring back the work camps. Prison these days is ideal for retirement, as you get free shelter, food, clothing and medical.
- Joel, New Boston

Poor babies. Might have to struggle to earn an honest living like the rest of us.
- Donna Raymond, Largo, FL

But but but......Obama said the "Stimulus" package was CREATING new jobs.....oh wait.....he lied. Nevermind. I'm sure he's really concerned with the plight of the useful idiots in Fly-over country while sipping champagne at one of his Wednesday night liberal elitist White House swarays.

Folks....when a government follows Keynesian economics rather than common sense we end up with what we have now...an America in decline. Worse, when we elect a socialist, elitist leader based on feelings and soundbyte rather than facts and experience, we end up with a rudderless ship. Things will get worse and there is no sign of getting better. Printing more money seems to be Obama's latest scheme/scam. Russia tried this in the 90s, remember? It didn't work. Since the great depression, there have been over 10 recessions. The ones fixed the quickest were fixed with broad based tax cuts and cuts in government spending. Don't hold your breath for that when democrats run the show. After all, according to them, we're too stupid to manage our own lives.
- Mike, Temple

I'm failing to see the New Hampshire Advantage(R) in this story. Perhaps the editorial board can point it out.
- JMA, Epping

I say great. Give em a transfer up to Concord State Prison and let em have 3 squares a day. As for Jerry in Claremont, theres plenty of jobs out there ..........your just lazy. You should spend more time looking for a job and get off your computer. Funny how that computer of yours works with the power turned off.
- Jake, Manchester

It's bad out here.I just had the electric turned off at the place I'm living.I thought about throwing a garbage can through a window or something.There is no help for men without kids.THERE ARE NO JOBS! I've been everywhere twice.Some jail until spring might be a relief.Wonderful country we live in.They used to say the the USA was the best,they lied!
- Jerry, Claremont

Of course the Fact that the Unemployment office is screwed up again. Even when out they can't get work. And if they do and get laid off. The phones don't work Kind of like tonight. Call to file claim and behold The phone system is broken. So now no one can file till Tuesday. So much for Lynch making it right. How do the expect Criminals to find jobs when the Incompetent People Lynch puts in charge can't even Run a Automated Bennifits line properly. Good for Democrats Screw the people if we don't pay what they need That will overfill the shelters and criminals will stay in jail.
- John, Manchester