Today’s court and justice systems, as well as our prison system, are flawed and don’t do enough to not only hinder any further crime from occurring, but put those who may cause further complications in our society in jail. In the article “Why Prisons Don’t Work,” Wilbert Rideau, a murderer sentenced to life in jail, explains his reasons and provides evidence on why our prison system is counterproductive. According to Rideau, many of those who are thrown in prison, were convicted due to their unskilled, impulsive, and uneducated actions. Putting these men in prison may seem like a good idea, but there are underlying reasons why prisons don’t work. The majority of the time, those put in jail remain the same as they were before conviction, before the courts, before the justice system, and before they committed their crimes. …show more content…
However, with high crime rates in cities such as Chicago, Illinois, Oakland, California, and Compton, California, throwing someone in jail does nothing but give that person time to get tougher. Rideau uses Louisiana as an example. With a high lockup rate, many criminals are put into the prison system to live for the rest of their lives or however long the courts sentence them. With so many criminals being locked up, Louisiana should be a safe place. However, Rideau argues that this claim is wrong; Louisiana has one of the highest murder rates in the nation and putting people in prison doesn’t seem to be doing much, if nothing at