Lawyer Brian Steel Says Every Judge, Prosecutor, and Police Officer Should Be Forced to Spend 4 Days in Prison, Twice a Year
I barely know who this Brian Steel guy is. I only recognize him as Young Thug's lawyer from when those videos used to pop up on my timeline every day. I always meant to learn what was happening in that trial. I'd see clips like this, and it always piqued my interest.
Yet, every time I tried to get caught up, I'd do 5 minutes of reading, my eyes would glaze over, I'd realize I retained nothing, then move on to writing a blog about a missing zebra or something.
However, I like where Brian Steel's head is at. I don't specifically care if judges, prosecutors, and police officers spend time in prison so they "know what it's like", just because sending people to prison is part of their job. That's a fine idea too. It's like the on-steroids version of cops having to be pepper sprayed at the police academy. But I like the idea of everyone spending a little time in prison. Mostly because I want to.
A 4-day vacation from real life? That doesn't sound too bad. A forced 4-day detox off whatever your current vice is (drugs, alcohol, nicotine, porn, fast food, sugar, etc.). Do some light journaling. Get started on that novel you've been talking about for years. Bet bags of Frito-Lay snacks in games of Double Deck Pinochle. Make cool prison TikToks with the homies. Join the prison football team and take on the guards. Have a terribly painful UTI cured by a magical fly-spitting death row inmate. Things of that nature.
That's the problem with Brian Steel's plan. I'm afraid his 4-day stretches of prison won't have the desired effect. Yes, the food sucks. Yes, beds are hard. Yes, the showers are cold. But if there's no threat of violence or the Big R, and you don't have a bad back (even if you do, sometimes sleeping on a hard surface can help, and have you ever heard of a cold plunge?) I think there's a surprising number of people who would actually look forward to that break from the real world a couple times a year. "See ya, kids. Daddy's gotta go read a book for 96 hours."
If Brain Steel really wants his plan to work, I hate to say it, but 1 in every 1000 people sent to prison needs to be… beat up. There has to be some looming threat of violence. Honestly, the threat doesn't even have to be "real". Just spread the rumor, "You know… during my cousin's friend's 4-day stretch, he was shanked. In the ass. With a dick."
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If there's no element of fear going in, it's just not prison. It's spending 4 days living as a monk. I don't hate your plan Mr. Steel, but it could use some work.