1
Tasya Wise
September 30, 2020,
PHI-105
Processor Malloy
Prison Reform
Prison reform has a long history in the United States, and many have struggled to find
ways to punish criminals while preserving their humanity. In some states, prisons are well kept
and maintained, but what about prisons in New York, Louisiana, Mississippi, California, and
Indiana where the number of inmates exceeds the amount of bed space available (Campbell,
2016). Prison reform is another form of people fighting for fundamental human rights. Most
people look over criminals and feel that if you do the crime, you have to do the time. There are
two to three inmates stuck in a 6x8 cell for hours and hours every day; the water, electrical
systems, heating/air conditioning are all in horrible condition, mold, and no proper sanitize
materials available to avoid illness such as COVID-19. These are some of the underlying human
rights issues that prison reform is fighting to change. Prison reform is necessary because
prisoners should have their basic human rights protected and clean facilities, be a place of
rehabilitation, and lawmakers should push for a change in the prison systems.
The United States makes up five percent of the world's population, and about 25 percent
are incarcerated ("Criminal Justice Reform," 2020). There are roughly 2.2 million people
incarcerated, and about 85 billion dollars have been spent on prisons and jail ("Criminal Justice
Reform," 2020). Still, the conditions in these facilities do not reflect the amount that has been
spent. Incarcerated people face many challenges while inside, like being beaten, stabbed, raped,
, 2
and even killed. Health care is a basic human right that may prison do not property uphold.
Health is essential when looking at prisons because diseases can be shared amongst the
prisoners. Those with mental illness are often denied proper treatment and pushed to the side
(Loutfy, 2018). Inmates inside the Mississippi State Penitentiary posted videos of their living
conditions inside the prison. There were dead bodies, blood, no beds, dead rats and feces, yellow
water, mold on the walls, extreme gang-related violence, and contraband. There were videos of
riots, people fighting, and guards who engage in the violence, and a real chain of command was
basically non-existence. The prisons' conditions are extremely at a disadvantage, but so are the
rehabilitation process that most prisoners do not even receive.
Once former prisoners come home, they often bring some trauma either from things they
have seen or what was done to them. Some of these traumas include the death penalty, children
in adult prisons, wrongful convictions, excessive punishments, and even the conditions inside.
Incarceration is not meant to be a fun experience. Still, a combination of harsh sentencing,
budget cuts, and the philosophy of corrections has made the prison experience unpleasant and
much less likely to rehabilitate (Benson, 2003). Until the mid-1970s, rehabilitation was a
requirement of the prison policy, and prisoners were encouraged to develop occupational skills,
resolve psychological problems like drug abuse and anger issues (Haskin, 2017). Rehabilitation
took a back seat when it was decided to get tough on crime, and punishment seems to be the
prison's main priority (Haskin, 2017). "Three strikes, you're out" or "Truth in sentencing" are all
results of why the United States now has more the two million people incarcerated and another
four to five million people on parole or probation ("Criminal Justice Reform," 2020). Many
researchers have suggested that community-based individual approaches, properly implemented
work programs, education, and psychotherapy can ease prisoners' ease and avoid returning
Tasya Wise
September 30, 2020,
PHI-105
Processor Malloy
Prison Reform
Prison reform has a long history in the United States, and many have struggled to find
ways to punish criminals while preserving their humanity. In some states, prisons are well kept
and maintained, but what about prisons in New York, Louisiana, Mississippi, California, and
Indiana where the number of inmates exceeds the amount of bed space available (Campbell,
2016). Prison reform is another form of people fighting for fundamental human rights. Most
people look over criminals and feel that if you do the crime, you have to do the time. There are
two to three inmates stuck in a 6x8 cell for hours and hours every day; the water, electrical
systems, heating/air conditioning are all in horrible condition, mold, and no proper sanitize
materials available to avoid illness such as COVID-19. These are some of the underlying human
rights issues that prison reform is fighting to change. Prison reform is necessary because
prisoners should have their basic human rights protected and clean facilities, be a place of
rehabilitation, and lawmakers should push for a change in the prison systems.
The United States makes up five percent of the world's population, and about 25 percent
are incarcerated ("Criminal Justice Reform," 2020). There are roughly 2.2 million people
incarcerated, and about 85 billion dollars have been spent on prisons and jail ("Criminal Justice
Reform," 2020). Still, the conditions in these facilities do not reflect the amount that has been
spent. Incarcerated people face many challenges while inside, like being beaten, stabbed, raped,
, 2
and even killed. Health care is a basic human right that may prison do not property uphold.
Health is essential when looking at prisons because diseases can be shared amongst the
prisoners. Those with mental illness are often denied proper treatment and pushed to the side
(Loutfy, 2018). Inmates inside the Mississippi State Penitentiary posted videos of their living
conditions inside the prison. There were dead bodies, blood, no beds, dead rats and feces, yellow
water, mold on the walls, extreme gang-related violence, and contraband. There were videos of
riots, people fighting, and guards who engage in the violence, and a real chain of command was
basically non-existence. The prisons' conditions are extremely at a disadvantage, but so are the
rehabilitation process that most prisoners do not even receive.
Once former prisoners come home, they often bring some trauma either from things they
have seen or what was done to them. Some of these traumas include the death penalty, children
in adult prisons, wrongful convictions, excessive punishments, and even the conditions inside.
Incarceration is not meant to be a fun experience. Still, a combination of harsh sentencing,
budget cuts, and the philosophy of corrections has made the prison experience unpleasant and
much less likely to rehabilitate (Benson, 2003). Until the mid-1970s, rehabilitation was a
requirement of the prison policy, and prisoners were encouraged to develop occupational skills,
resolve psychological problems like drug abuse and anger issues (Haskin, 2017). Rehabilitation
took a back seat when it was decided to get tough on crime, and punishment seems to be the
prison's main priority (Haskin, 2017). "Three strikes, you're out" or "Truth in sentencing" are all
results of why the United States now has more the two million people incarcerated and another
four to five million people on parole or probation ("Criminal Justice Reform," 2020). Many
researchers have suggested that community-based individual approaches, properly implemented
work programs, education, and psychotherapy can ease prisoners' ease and avoid returning
