I am not talking about senseless work with no reward to the authorities, I am talking about pay back. Meaningful work that gives the tax payer back some of their cash
So basically, you're saying employers should hire prisoners (at markedly reduced rates, of course) to perform labor instead of hiring law-abiding citizens? Won't that lead to higher unemployment and, by extension, more crime?
"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything." - Friedrich Nietzsche