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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

The Vox Box

What?!

Okay this just seems a little nuts to me, but I guess it could be a sign of things to come...

On Tuesday it was reported that a man from Taiwan asked cops to send him back to prison (seemingly out of desperation). He was unemployed, and had been released from prison only two years back.

When police found the 45-year-old convicted arsonist lying on a street in a popular Taipei shopping district, he requested a return to life behind bars, nostalgic for the 10 years he had already served, the China Post newspaper reported.

Wang had also contacted police separately with his request, a spokesman said. Officers who found him bought him a boxed lunch but declined to send him back to prison, the police spokesman said.

"We advised him to keep looking for work," he said. "I don't know why he can't find a job. Maybe employers think he's not suitable or that he's too old."

The original article can be found here.

Frankly, I can't blame the guy. I mean, in prison, they get three square meals a-day. They have food, clothing, a bed, usually a room to themselves or maybe they have a cell mate. They even get time for exercise and recreation, including watching TV. In prison, life is pretty much worry-free as far as day to day living goes.

Keep in mind, this occurred in Taiwan and their economy is fairing poorly. But the US is just as bad off. Do you think we might start to see more instances of this? Will unemployed, ex-convicts request to return to prison? What about those who are just everyday civilians who are unemployed? What/where/who do you think they'll turn to?



In 2006, then-editor Steve Smith of The Spokesman-Review had the idea of starting a publication for an often forgotten audience: teenagers. The Vox Box was a continuation of the Vox, an all-student staffed newspaper published by The Spokesman-Review. High school student journalists who staffed the Vox made all content decisions as they learn about the trade of journalism. This blog's mission was to give students an opportunity to publish their voices. The Vox Box and the Vox wrapped up in June 2009, but you can follow former staffers' new blog at http://voxxiez.blogspot.com.