Prison Systems in America

Transcription

1 Basher 1 Hannah Basher Dr. Mangini Research Paper 11/27/17 Prison Systems in America A prison is both a physical container and an institution, Michelle Ronda states. A prison contains people, typically those who have violated criminal law and have been sentenced to a period of incarceration (Ronda, Michelle 2008). Having the proper consequences and institutions for criminals is a necessary part of society. When individuals pose a threat to society, it is important that we have the proper institutions to send them to. Prison s should offer therapy and counseling for the inmates, in hopes that they don t become depressed, mentally ill, or have worsening symptoms. In countries like Norway, there are extremely different prisons systems. They show signs of extreme mercy and forgiveness, something that America doesn t do. However, is Norway s way of handling criminals something that America should uptake? Prisons in Norway are considered to be the nicest or most humane out of all other countries. Inmates on the prison island of Bastoey, south of Oslo, are free to walk around in a village-style setting, tending to farm animals (BBC News, BBC 2016). They ski, cook, play tennis, play cards (BBC News, BBC 2016). The maximum sentence for all convicted felons is twenty one years (Moore, Michael 2015). As of January 9, 2017 the total amount of prisoners in Norway, including pre-trial detainees, and remand prisoners, was 3,933 (Norway, World Prison Brief). Inmates will often begin their sentence in a high-security prison, and gradually progress

2 Basher 2 to a lower-security institution. This is in order to create a gradual transfer from prison to full freedom. (BBC News, BBC 2016) Many have considered this to be a great idea, and a way to reduce crime in Norway. Attorney Donald Spector spent more than three decades working to protect the rights of incarcerated people before he finally saw a prison he believed in. (Beyer, Rebecca 2017) American prisons are extremely populated. The American criminal justice system hold more than 2.3 million people in 1,719 state prisons, 102 federal prisons, 901 juvenile correctional facilities, 3,163 local jails, and 76 Indian country jails, as well as in military prisons, immigration detention facilities, civil commitment centers, and prisons in the U.S territories. (Rabuy, Peter Wagner and Bernadette 2017) A typical prison cell is eight by six feet, with a metal bed, a sink and a toilet. In certain prisons they will add a second bed on top of the first due to overcrowding. In extreme cases there will be 3 prisoners in the same cell. Inmates have few activities to participate in, such as working out, taking a class, playing cards, or reading and writing. When compared to Norwegian prisons, American prisons are certainly less desirable. Instead of changing our systems to mimic Norway s, I believe we should only change it slightly. I do believe we need more rehabilitation services offered, not only for their success in life, but for their mental health while behind bars. Prison management can try to reduce young prisoners mental health problems by developing scientific procedures for their mental health assessment and creating a more beneficial correctional climate, which may improve prisoners well-being and potentially reduce recidivism in crime. (Gonçalves, Leonel C. 2016) Our country

3 Basher 3 has an issue with overpopulating prisons, and negatively affecting criminals mentally, especially when they had a history of mental illness, prior to being arrested.mental health symptoms in prison have been linked to violence, self-harm, suicide, victimization, and to a reduced willingness or capacity of prisoners to participate in daily activities and prison programs, which in turn may limit their well-being and rehabilitation (Gonçalves, Leonel C. 2016) Moreover, high levels of mental health symptoms may result in a higher use of prison healthcare services, and subsequently increase institutional costs. (Gonçalves, Leonel C. 2016) Prison s should offer therapy and counseling for the inmates, in hopes that they don t become depressed, mentally ill, or have worsening symptoms. Many people believe in treating prisoners more humanely, and offering various rehabilitation programs in order to help inmates transition back into society. Others believe that prisoners should face their reality when they finish their sentence. Regardless of personal opinions, there have been many programs put in place across the country. The goals of these programs are to help inmates leave prison with better job or career skills, education, life skills, and confidence, so that they may succeed in their future, despite past obstacles. It is a common belief that prisoners deserve a second chance at life, and should be equipped with the proper skill sets and resources. Without these services, once discharged from prison, the new found civilians will be without proper resources to start working and contributing to society. be In conclusion, I do not believe adapting to Norway s way of imprisoning people would

4 Basher 4 beneficial to our country. I do however, believe we need rehabilitation services, counseling, and therapy for people in prison. We need the proper consequences for criminals, but we also need to make sure that the prisoners are getting the proper mental health attention. Mental health issues are often the route of the crime committed, and being imprisoned will not help their disorder, unless they are given the proper medical attention. Citations A Film by Michael Moore» WHERE TO INVADE NEXT. WHERE TO INVADE NEXT, wheretoinvadenext.com/. Ronda, Michelle. "Prison." Encyclopedia of Social Problems, Vincent N. Parrillo, Sage Publications, 1st edition, Credo Reference, n/0?institutionid=5109. Accessed 21 Nov Beyer, Rebecca. "Attorney Hopes to Import the Best Practices of European Prisons to the United States." ABA Journal, Oct. 2017, p. 1. EBSCO host, search.ebscohost.com.libdb.dccc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an= &site=eh Ousey, Graham C. "Murder." Encyclopedia of Social Problems, Vincent N. Parrillo, Sage Publications, 1st edition, Credo Reference, der/0?institutionid=5109. Accessed 24 Nov Death Penalty Fast Facts. CNN, Cable News Network, 4 Oct. 2017, Roodman, David. The Impacts of Incarceration on Crime Pdf, 2017.

5 Basher 5 Anders Breivik: Just How Cushy Are Norwegian Prisons? BBC News, BBC, 16 Mar. 2016, Norway. Norway World Prison Brief, 1 Jan. 1970, Beyer, Rebecca. "Attorney Hopes to Import the Best Practices of European Prisons to the United States." ABA Journal, Oct. 2017, p. 1. EBSCO host, search.ebscohost.com.libdb.dccc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an= &site=eh Rabuy, Peter Wagner and Bernadette. Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2017 Prison Policy Initiative, Shippen, Margaret E., et al. "Career Thoughts of Male Offenders Re-Entering Society Using Cognitive Theory Assessment." Journal of Correctional Education, vol. 68, no. 2, Sept. 2017, pp EBSCO host, search.ebscohost.com.libdb.dccc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an= &site=eh Grabianowski, Ed. How Prisons Work. HowStuffWorks, HowStuffWorks, 24 Jan. 2007, people.howstuffworks.com/prison4.htm. Gonçalves, Leonel C., et al. "A Longitudinal Study of Mental Health Symptoms in Young Prisoners: Exploring the Influence of Personal Factors and the Correctional Climate." BMC Psychiatry, vol. 16, 06 Apr. 2016, pp EBSCO host, doi: /s z.