"Then we are committed to drop our boxers, lift our generals, turn around squat and cough. I can’t begin to describe the feeling of degression, but the worst part is that I’ve been desensitized to it after so many times."
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE CURRENT STATE OF THE PENITENTIARY SYSTEM?
The Problem: The current penitentiary system in the US has been flawed since its introduction in 1891. Initially, it has been established as an "industrial complex", aimed at benefitting politicians and the government rather than the rehabilitation of the incarcerated community. This is evident from the chronology of prisons in the US as well as their current state, and while this website is aimed at demonstrating the problem with the current incarceration facilities to the viewer from the eyes and anecdotes of an incarcerated individual, its main goal is to advocate for prison reform and transformation, for the mutual benefit of society and civilization overall.
Context: Modern prison facilities in the US have multiple issues that have been established over the concept's lifespan, they include overpopulation, abysmally low wages for labor, a complicated process for visitation, poor living conditions, an extremely low amount of access to betterment programs such as "Exchange for Change" which we participated in over the span of our course, as well as a high level of recidivism. Nevertheless, a large facet of the problem with the penitentiary system in the US are the stereotypes and prejudices that cloud the incarcerated community. These categorizations have been established by the same people and systems that use them today in order to fuel the prison "industrial complex" as well as to prevent prison reform. Only when one understands this, can one truly advocate for prison reform.
Recidivism & Family: It is important to understand that while incarcerated individuals in the US face a lot of suffering in prison, their families suffer even more, with one of their family members, and often the "breadwinner", leaving the family for an extended period of time. Moreover, once an incarcerated individual leaves prison, not only are they put at a disadvantage compared to the rest of society in terms of work and overall belonging, but they are also looked down upon by the "free world", often for the rest of their lives. This demonstrates that the current penitentiary system is flawed on all levels, and will require the incentives incarcerated individuals as well as the latter of society.
What can society (people in the free world) do?
Systems: In order to achieve penitentiary reform in the US, society must change multiple systems which make the current system what it is, including the political and governmental system, racism, stereotypes, as well as prison-privatization.
Advocate: Moreover, society must continuously advocate for reform on all levels of the penitentiary system, such as transformation of the visitation process in prisons as well as the incentive to provide a higher amount of access to betterment programs in prison.
Intertwine: In order for the penitentiary system in the US to truly change, the alteration of multiple societal and theoretical systems as well as the advocation for prison reform must work together to achieve the transformation of the way society views and contemplates prison overall. Only by changing the mindsets of people around prison can reform be established. Think of it this way, one day slavery seemed as much of a natural process as prison seems today.
What can prison reform bring to society and its social systems?
Democracy & Discipline: The reform and possible abolishment of prisons in the US has the potential to bring multiple benefits to society, for example, the alteration of the largest culprit of "discipline" in the US can bring an increased level of democracy to the country's society since by altering such a concrete facility in the US as prison, you will also undoubtably be altering the mindsets of people and the way they think, ultimately demonstrating that a lower level of discipline and prejudices is not only possible, but is necessary, therefore creating the potential for a higher level of democracy.
Global reform: Furthermore, by altering one facility in the US for the better and decreasing the level of discipline in the country, you will also inevitably be creating a pathway for the improvement of other facilities, such as schools, hospitals, and the military. This can be portrayed through the abolishment of slavery, which brought along improvements to many other systems in the US, such as economic and fiscal productivity.
True rehabilitation: Moreover, the true goal of prison reform advocation is to change the way the penitentiary system in the US functions from a punitive regime, to a rehabilitative one. By achieving this target, a mutual benefit will be created, as authentic rehabilitation in prison facilities will benefit society on all levels, spanning from an increased national level of productivity to an increased level of happiness in the country.
What are some alternatives to incarceration?
Abolition: While not the obvious choice, prison abolition is one of multiple alternatives of incarceration. Nevertheless, a different and better system for the rehabilitation of incarcerated individuals would need to be established, creating a huge array of possibilities. The backbone for such a system exists to this day, drawing inspiration from Norway and it's "prison" system for regular offenders.
Improvement: The improvement of the current penitentiary system is another alternative, and by now you already have a pretty good idea of what such improvement will require and what it will produce.
Restorative justice: Although not a panacea, restorative justice is another great alternative for the current prison system in the US. It can be an extremely beneficial tool in transforming the current criminal justice system as it can help solve the current problem of the post-prison limitations that many incarcerated individuals face once they exit prison through the creating of a branch of government that has the power to shift the post-prison limitations of incarcerated individuals from legal papers to action, such as by incentivizing "ex-prisoners" to seek rehabilitation in the eyes of their victims and the people associated with them, and lightening and/or lifting the post-limitations of their sentences if the process is successful. Therefore, by lowering recidivism and allowing ex-convicts to truly restore and apologize for what they have done, restorative justice may be the key to transforming the current criminal justice system in the US.
Credits:
Created with an image by tiero - "prison"