How would you feel if you were thrown in an American prison in the horrendous state they are in today? Many people are content with the prison system we have. In the essay, “Why Prisons Don’t Work,” Wilbert Rideau, an African American man who was convicted of murder at age nineteen, challenges this complacency with the system and claims prisons do not change the convict from the person they were when they committed the crime. Putting uneducated people who made silly, impulsive choices in jail is not the way to make a community safer. Prisons do not offer good rehabilitation programs for inmates.
This does not mean incorporating prison substitutes like house arrest or electronic surveillance bracelets, but giving high-crime communities the resources so they can succeed in society. Davis advocates for a shift towards rehabilitation over punishment, envisioning a future where prisons serve as centers for healing rather than institutions of revenge. The prison system has become so "natural" in today's social constructs that it is hard to imagine life without it, but Davis explores the alternatives and writes, "Demilitarization of schools, revitalization of education at all levels, a health system that provides free physical and mental care to all, and a justice system based on reparation and reconciliation rather than retribution and vengeance" (p. 107). By enabling this, schools would emerge as a better alternative to jails and prisons, and education would become a priority in societal progress, improving and expanding opportunities for the future. Currently, there are more people with mental health disorders in prison than in mental institutions (p. 108).
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.
First you hate them, then you get used to them. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them. That 's institutionalized.’ A prison should aim at retribution, incapacitation, deterrence and rehabilitation. I am very well convinced that prison has served its first three purposes by depriving offenders’ freedom, but the
Felons Need a Voice "6.1 million People in the United States (2.5% of the nation's voting age) could not vote due to a felony conviction" (Uggen).That's a pretty big group of the population that isn’t allowed to vote just because they have a felony. People against felons voting have rested on the fact that we put them in jail to keep them out of society, so we shouldn't let them vote. Or because they broke the law, meaning they gave up their right. And even more simply they’ve proven bad judgment; they shouldn’t be able to vote. But what about after they served their time, that’s the end of their crime.
Those who find themselves sentenced to time in a penitentiary, jail, or prison are at risk of either being broken or strengthened by the time they spend behind bars. There is a great debate of whether or not the prison system in the United States is positive or negative. The following will briefly highlight the positives, negatives, and possible alternatives for our nation's prison system. First, there is a long list of negatives that the prison system in America brings. The prison system is filled with crime, hate, and negativity almost as much as the free world is.
By the time an individual gets to prison, they have a wealth of knowledge through their experiences with crime. The prisoner can draw on this knowledge and use it to their advantage in a positive and productive manner. The prisoner can have a different perspective of themselves and can see the world through different eyes. Through education the prisoner has hope and can see the prospects of a
IV. What works? a) List who the prison system has worked for. b) Jail, rehab, community service, education, social services, Draconian
Death Row inmates are going to die anyway. Why not save the innocent lives of animals while also helping society and pay their debt to society by volunteering? Innocent rodents are being drugged and tested on against their will. All species have their own anatomy. The products and drugs that are being tested on the animals are unreliable for the human body.
Conditions in these institutions were really bad and they were also unproductive. This led to outrage in the late 19th Century which sparked the “reformatory” movement. This was a period when the prison’s role in society began to be restructured. The goal was to redefine the prison’s role as that of “reforming” inmates into model citizens that can rejoin normal society as functioning, productive people. In order to achieve this goal prison systems began providing inmates with education, work, and counseling.
Something will always need to be fixed in society because society is a reflection of us, and we are not perfect. Recently, there’s been many issues that have caught the attention of people living all across the world. Things such as police brutality, sexual assault in the workplace, and immigration law, just to name a few, but there’s also been an underlying issue that people are becoming more informed about, and that I believe matters - prison reform. Prison reform matters because in many instances, prisoners are treated inhumanely when they are locked up, and aren’t treated as humans when they have served their time. I believe we can bring about change in the prison system by changing the way we punish people who do commit crimes and focusing more on actual rehabilitation.
However, committing a crime comes with consequences. As a death row inmate they shouldn’t be content with living in a cell, but some are. Some are fine with getting fed three times a day, getting time to workout, and even making friends with other inmates. Being on death row should be a punishment, and unfortunately the animals are being punished instead of the prisoners. My opinion is that a murderer or rapist does not deserve to get off easy, and I personally think that being sentenced to living in a cell is not enough punishment.
The US prison population makes up 25% of the world’s prison population while the rest of America only makes up 5% of the world population. The cost of keeping these 2 million people in the US behind bars is an astonishing $80 billion. With such a gargantuan price, politicians, economists, and concerned taxpayers are struggling to find ways to reduce costs. Two ways have been identified as the most promising: privatize the prison industry or put inmates to work. There have already been successful implementations of both around the country, yet inmate labor is likely to be stifled and greatly discouraged due to its association with slave labor.
Over 2 million people are currently being held in United States prisons, and while the U.S. may only hold 5% of the world’s population, it houses 25% of its prisoners. In the past few years, America’s prison system has fallen under public scrutiny for it’s rising incarceration rate and poor statistics. Many Americans have recently taken notice of the country’s disproportionate prisoner ratio, realized it’s the worst on the planet, and called for the immediate reformation of the failing system. The war on drugs and racial profiling are some of the largest concerns, and many people, some ordinary citizens and others important government figures, are attempting to bring change to one of the country 's lowest aspects.
Specific Purpose Statement: To invite my audience to see the different viewpoints involved with life after prison in the U.S. Thesis: Those who were once in incarceration live with the title of being a former convict the rest of their life. I wish to explore their lives after incarceration and I hope to find the differing opinions some of you may have on those that have re-joined our community. Pattern of Organization: Multiple Perspective Pattern Introduction [Attention-Getter] How would you feel knowing you were standing behind a convict in line at a grocery store?
