The corruption of prisons in the United States is a growing problem today. Not only are the prisons overcrowded but the prisoners are also often mistreated.
One of the reasons that many of America's prison are overcrowded is due to the Three Strikes Law. This Law requires that criminals who have recieved 2 or more convictions for violent crimes or other serious felonies be given a life sentence no matter what the third crime may be. Many prisoners are serving a life sentence for a crime as small as petty theft or stealing a piece of pizza. These third crimes are often a result of the prison system's faulty procedures. When a prisoner is released they are released with no job prospects, almost no one if willing to hire a ex-convict. The newly released ex-con is then forced to live on the streets, resorting to theft just to feed themselves, this increases crime rates and has a simple solution. Before the prisoner is released they should be given an opportunity to contact potential employers and to find a suitable living space. The prisons could also find a way of finding and recording the names and contact information of nearby businesses that are willing to hire ex-convicts.
In 2005 Channel 4 did an investigation of the abuse in the United States prisons. What they found was horrifying. Prisoners were often told to strip naked while several guards scream obscenities at them and shock them with cattle prods. Some prisons have a form of punishment called the Restraint Chair. This is simply a chair that has restraints around the legs, wrists and chest. This may not sound that bad but the prisoners are often forced to sit in this position for over 20 hours. Many prisoners have died from this treatment, being forced to sit in the same position for that long leads to blod clots which without immediate medical treatment can be fatal. The same type of abuse even occurs in our Juvenile Detention Centers. The 'wards' are often severely beaten after striking out physically. One story they found was of a young boy who, after hitting a staff member in the face, is hit repeatedly in the face and kicked in the head. Prisoners in the adult prison system often endure second degree burns from being pepper sprayed. Many prisoners on death row die under 'mysterious circumstances.'
The prison systems in the United States are the most crowded of any country. There are over 2.1 MILLION people in the US prison system. Many are innocent and many are serving life for a crime that doesn't deserve that conviction. American tax payers pay $22,000 per year for each of those prisoners. Many are in the system for life for some small conviction, even more end up back in the system after being released with no definite financial future.
Jess,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very thoughtful and well written discussion of an important problem! Just don't forget to make a connection to the literature!! Your opinion was apparent through your tone and diction choices, but you could have been even more clear in stating what you believe should be happening instead to solve the problem.
Good first blog!