Prison Abuse Essay

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According to current estimates, at least half of all female prisoners in America have experienced some form of sexual abuse during their time behind bars. Within the U.S., Prison violence is all too common. Prison abuse in America refers to the mistreatment, neglect, and violation of the human rights of incarcerated individuals within the country's correctional facilities. This can occur in many forms, including physical abuse, sexual assault, inadequate medical care, or denial of basic needs like food and water. Clearly, abuse in American prisons is abundant. Prison is a place people are sent to in order to fix their behavior. But when prisons staffed themselves behave inappropriately, how are inmates expected to not relapse their negative …show more content…

Source B goes on to explain the corrupt relationships between inmates and guards by stating, “the imbalance of power between prisoners and guards leads to the use of both direct physical force and indirect force based on the prisoners total dependence on guards for their basic necessities, but also the guard's ability to withhold privileges,” (Source B). it is important to note that the mistreatment by guards is a violation of human rights and is completely against the law. Prisoners, like all human beings, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect; taking away an inmate's basic necessities isn't equitable. Basic necessities are not a privilege, and inmates deserve to have them just as much as anybody else. Source C further explains the never-ending lack of accountability that occurs in many prisons, but specifically Florida's Lowell correctional institution; the state’s largest and oldest women’s prison. The source states, “in Florida, critics allege that there are numerous sexual abuses that never get reported at Lowell because inmates are put in confinement while their allegations are investigated,” (Source C). Inmates are being punished for reporting their mistreatment. The criminal justice system cannot improve with the way its problems are currently silenced. Holding prison guards accountable is essential to ensuring justice for the abused, but with the current system, it's nearly