The current prison system – where do we stand?

The current prison system represents mass incarceration. With over six million prisoners held across the United States, America exists as the most prominent incarcerator. Populations “inside the walls” represent an overwhelming variety of challenging backgrounds, for instance with a history of growing up in a care, or individuals that have been subjected to various forms of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. In exemplifying such backgrounds, these individuals are at a greater risk of imprisonment. The lack of education and opportunity available throughout the upbringing of these individuals can be acknowledged as a direct cause of such risk; and such prospects are lacking upon entering the prison system. This exact point, in the opinions of many, is the reason for such prevalent rates of re-offenders, as oppose to establishing successful rehabilitation and release within the current system.

Important to highlight is the issue of overcrowding, with 124 countries worldwide exceeding their occupancy rate [1]. This, quite expectedly, raises the pervasiveness of violence inside the prison enclosure, exponentially. As the population within the prison system continues to increase, a lack of facilities, space, and independence contributes massively to the inability for containment of distress and frenzied tendencies. Not only is this damaging for the mental stability of inmates, but it also magnifies conflict, resulting in violent outbreaks.

Living conditions experienced by inmates are still deemed inhumane in certain institutes [1]; research shows that those who experience feelings of mistreatment throughout their sentencing are more likely to return to society psychologically damaged, making noncompliant behaviour predominant. In addition to such unjust, it is no clandestine that the current system does not display fair judgement; defendants are still facing unjust fates, with many facing decades of sentencing time for non-violent crimes and first-time offences. In order for the Criminal Justice System (CJS) to be reformed, the breadth of these issues must be addressed.

References:

[1] Penal Reform International. 2020. Global Prison Trends 2020 - Penal Reform International. [online] Available at: <https://www.penalreform.org/resource/global-prison-trends-2020/> [Accessed 23 February 2021].