Prisons Should be Designed to Rehabilitate not Punish.
I have been thinking a lot about prisons lately.
The topic got into my brain weeks or maybe a month ago when @stitchybitch mentioned I could blog about art rehabilitation in prisons. This idea got into my head and I started thinking of our prison system in the U.S. in general and the many ways that it is flawed.
Even if we put aside things like some people in prison having huge sentences for smoking pot while rapists often get off with a slap on the wrist there is an increidbly flawed system. Even if the people inside were all guilty of pretty bad crimes the system would make no sense as far as "rehabilitation".
Many prisoners come out of prison even more fucked up than they were when they arrived. In the prisons there is guard on inmate violence many times, inmate on inmate violence always, gangs, illicit drugs, all sorts of this crap and in order to stay protected you may have to do really bad things. If you endure many years of this you will get spit out of the prison system hardened, angry, callous, and with no idea how to reintegrate into society.
You better not return to a life of crime but good luck getting a job!
My roommate is a felon due to ancient pot related charges. Not even selling, just a small person amount. I guess they wanted to make an example of him. So now, at 44 years old he is still turned down for apartments he wants to live in and refused most jobs. He is a dishwasher. It is SO HARD for ex-cons to get decent jobs when they get out of prison and even can be hard just finding a place to live in a decent neighborhood. How do we expect these people to re-integrate when we make it so hard for them to function in society?
Prisoners should be treated like humans and should get mental help and education.
This is coming from a girl who was seriously a bused as a kid and tried to get her father sent to prison. (he died in the process, cancer) I still believe that once people are in prison they should be treated like humans, have livable environments, get educated, and have mental health help. Maybe this would be too expensive you're thinking? In my opinion, we would have a lot less people in prison if we stopped the harsh sentences on drug users and saved those sentences for violent offenders. I don't think it is too much to ask for these basic rights. Even prisoners are human beings and when they get out of those filthy, crime-ridden cells they end up in our streets. So, why would you want them to be abused and treated like animals? That leaves us with angry, jaded ex-cons that are roaming around unable to find jobs.
We have a lot of work to do with how we treat prisoners. Spitefulness and vengeance has no place in the justice system and is ultimately detrimental to all of society. Tormenting already potentially dangerous people for years before releasing them makes no sense. However, when the U.S. profits from the prison system it isn't likely to change any time soon. Not unless someone like us cares a whole awful lot...
Always an interesting topic. There is not 1 system for everyone. Some people cannot rehabilitate even.
Best case scenario is that every single person is judged uniquely and adequately to the crime and possibilities of rehabilitation. But that will never happen because it simply costs too much.
A better way to spend money is almost always in prevention though. So that is where the focus always should be.
well actually by rehabilitating an individual you are investing in society by introducing to it a renewed member to where he function and thus potentially contribute to the good of all. That goes also to every household where a member of the family is feeling loved and respected he will likely be encouraged to put his genius to work even if that is just conveying that same feeling of love to others thus encouraging them.
Yeah, that's another very complicated issue. Essentially we'd have to solve the crime rates in ghettos which isn't an easy task. I think we could afford to improve prison life right now if we were less strict with drug-related crimes and maybe borrowed from our mega bomb dropping fund?
But yeah, it probably won't happen. Just...wish it would. :>
Better education at school and programs for parents in these ghettos will help a lot. That's prevention as well. Kids need to learn that 'the streets' is not where you learn quality stuff in life. The streets is probably where people are that live according to very different rules and values.
Drugs? I'm guessing you're from the US? I'm from the Netherlands so perhaps you know we aren't that strict on certain types of drugs. I think the US can and must evolve in their way of thinking. There are several other countries in the world that have proven to have a better track record when it comes to drugs in society.
And the bombing.... yeah millions seemingly wasted there. Seemingly, because I'm sure it helps economies in one way or another, eventually...
Ahhh money....
I totally agree!
Pisses me of. Unfortunately the SAD truth is that prisons are a FOR PROFIT operation. It is one of the MANY diabolical aspects of this country, the highest prison population in the country. More prisoners more profits!
GROSS
Yeah I know that is why I said as long as it is a for profit system I don't see it changing. :( Definitely angering and sad.
Yes and thats why I said I TOTALLY AGREE! hahahahaha
Just trying to re affirm not correct you.
Cheers
I just thought you may have missed me saying that so was trying to say I agree. XD Many people skim my blog but I guess you aren't the skimming type. :)
Yea, its crazy. Most of my posts and most of the posts I see actually have about half the views as they do votes hahaha so lots of people don't even skim hahaha
Ugh true.... I get upvotes like the second I post things. -_- I'd rather them just not....
Yea...I don't know if I would go as far as to say I would rather NOT have an up vote hahaha but it would be nice if people read them or actually liked them and not just trying to game things.
Oh well everything has its good and bad. Steemit is still pretty awesome ;-)>
Well usually the votes I get the second I post a blog are just people with $0.00 votes that probably will leave some spammy comment. So, I'd rather not have it.
I definitely love Steemit! Any site where you make money posting is going to get some people that don't know how to use it and don't take it seriously, comes with the territory. :)
I think you would be very interested to read about the Norwegian prison Bastoy. It's situated on an island and has strikingly different conditions from what we imagine as prison; no cells, a natural environment, and various educational, craft, and leisure pursuits for the prisoners.
Most interestingly, it typically serves as a transitional prison, where people who have spent longer sentences at traditional maximum security prisons are sent for the last several years of a sentence. I think this is such a crucial thing that the American system is missing. Rather than the sudden jarring transitions of life to miserable subjugation and back, the qualities of imprisonment should gradually shift in a way that has prisoners functioning as healthy human beings with skills and prospectsbefore being released into society.
I think I heard briefly about it but couldn't remember the name of the place!! Thank you SO much. I have wanted to reference this idea when talking about this in the past but for the life of me could not recall the facts. I will now go learn more about it! :D
This is exactly the type of thing we need.
No problem! It was eye opening when I first heard about it, and if I wasn't already just clued in to the destructive and greedy nature of the prison industrial complex in the US, I'd wonder why we haven't implemented anything similar.
Prisons are considered nowdays a territory of terror where you are getting bullied raped hit by both officers and other prisoners (at least in my country). It should not be that way, we have to revaluate our system. But I do believe there should be some changes in our education system first then in social welfare then focus on jail.
We need to stop the reproduction of crime.
I agree...Decent education in poor neighborhoods would go a long way. When I grew up in ghettos I pretty much learned nothing in the schools. Kids formed gangs and beat other kids up and shit. So, the "schools" were just like a breeding ground for underage criminals. :<
The question is whether the system is sick or the individual...by rehabilitating the individual you are sanitizing the system in an effort to ultimately create a sound society something which the power holders dislike because then they won't have control over you through fear and violence.
This is a really interesting deep and controversial topic. In my opinion prisons are not reforming people, is kinda the opposite. And Even if you get out and lear your lesson, as you say is imposible to get back a normal life, trying to fit in the society. I think the main mistake is to put all the criminals together no matter what the crime was, this makes everything go level down. is just how society works.
Yeah it is definitely controversial and complicated. I just know it isn't being handled right.
True.
I totally agree with you thanks a lot for sharing and keep on posting ;)
Thanks. :)
I absolutely agree. We all make mistakes in life, (some people make bigger mistakes than others), but that doesn't mean that they don't deserve a second chance. Prison is meant for rehabilitation, but the reality of it is so sad. Thanks for this post, it's a great reminder of what our system could improve upon.
It's really better for everyone involved. Even us out here. We don't benefit by releasing them after they were in such awful places. I agree that people deserve a shot at living a good life. Many people who end up in prison are born into extreme poverty in crime-riddled neighborhoods. :<
Exactly. When people grow up in hostile environments, they may not know any other way to act. The other day I was at the water park, and I saw a mom yelling at her son. She was cursing and say all sorts of really offensive things to her son, and it was just the saddest sight to see. All I could think was that, that boy will grow up one day thinking that it is okay to talk to other people they way his mother talked to him. That's why the support of community is so important.
Your post is very interesting to follow, thank you for sharing .. success always for you.