Is Prison Inhumane?

An Idealist's Look at the Inhumane Act of Incarceration

from JoeUser Forums

There are many individuals in society that believe that oppose capital punishment. Supposedly, capital punishment is an inhumane act that doesn't rehabilitate criminals, but punishes them in a vindictive way that they argue is unethical. If they are right, and society should rehabilitate criminals rather than punish them, then I can't help but wonder why they ignore the inhumane act of imprisonment, which too, punishes and vindicates rather than rehabilitates.

Revenge Is Wrong
Let's say that I killed my girlfriend and the man with whom she had an affair. It's an isolated incident and wouldn't happen again unless I had another girlfriend that cheated on me. The clear and ideal solution would be to force me to attend anger management courses, but I have a feeling that even some idealists who oppose the way the law punishes rather than rehabilitates criminals with capital punishment would rather have me sent to prison, even though being locked inside a cell would not rehabilitate me, but probably make me more violent. If we're serious about helping criminals work their way back into society, then we can't keep sending everybody who commits one crime, no matter how heinous, to prison. That's inhumane, especially when all many of them need is some love and therapy.

Incarceration Is Wrong
Those who oppose capital punishment sometimes compare the killing of a serial killer to the murders that serial killer committed, as if they are the same thing. Well, the same can be done for incarceration. Only a fool would not notice the irony of forcing a man who forced many children into small cages into a small cage himself. It is blatantly hypocritical to condemn kidnapping while supporting a criminal system that practices. Therefore, unless you support the kidnapping of children, then you should condemn this inhumane practice of incarceration.

Love vs. Hate
If you want your child to grow up to be a great person, do you treat him like an enemy and punish him whenever he makes a mistake, or do you show him love and compassion? Maybe I'm an exception, but I've been taught that you can gather more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. Love improves people, not hatred. If you want to help change these violent criminals to live peacefully in society, then you have to work with them and not against them. Working with them also requires trust. By forcing them into a prison cell, you're already establishing that you don't trust them. Why should they trust you? Also, in the case of a kidnapper, how do you expect to make a case against kidnapping when you've kidnapped them? Both children and criminals will listen and respect those who practice what they preach more than they will those who don't.

If you care at all about humanity, then please, write to your local congressman and demand that all prisons be destroyed!

politics
8,327 views 21 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
Wow, destroy all prisons? I can't even begin to tell you what a bad idea that is (only have a couple of minutes).

So what happens to people who cannot or refuse to be rehabilitated under the system with no prisons?

What do we do with the people who commit multiple different types of crimes? Multiple instances of the same crime?

Who decides what kind of rehabilitation works best for each prisoner?

What about all of the asinine laws we have in the US (marijuana possession for personal use, for one), that send people to jail for victimless crimes? Do these people also require rehabilitation? If not, then what kind of punishment is to be imposed?

-- B
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
It might seem like a bad idea, but forcing people into tiny cells is not the humane thing to do. As for who decides the rehabilitation, I guess that would go to experts.
Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top

I'm all for destroying all the prisons.


as long as the prisoners are inside at the time. 

Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
OK, but you didn't answer any of my more difficult questions. I'm curious as to how your utopic system might work.

- B
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
If you care at all about humanity, then please, write to your local congressman and demand that all prisons be destroyed!


If you cared about humanity, you would realise that the victims of crime deserve more compassion than the perpertrators. Quite frankly, many prisoners are beyond 'rehabilitation' and destroying prisons would allow these people, such as rapists, to rome free raping and pillaging at will. You live in a fantasy world where criminals commit crimes because their mother didn't hug them when they were a child. At least here in Britain, more prisons are required, and certainly the bill for the tax payer could be lowered by shooting many of these vile peasant offenders that are beyond "rehabilitation".
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
I would agree that prison system does not do enough to rehabilitate criminals during incarceration. But to completely eliminate all prisons, would leave a society with no recourse to disuade the evil acts that you are trying to prevent. Sure taking a child and sitting him down, and explaining to him what he did was wrong and why he shouldn't do it works. And if more people did that with their kids, instead of letting their TV raise them, several of the people in prison wouldn't be there. In keeping with that, could you not say the during the time that you are sitting you kid down and talking to him, is that not incarceration? Sure it is for a very short time period, but it is still incarceration, you have removed that child's free will to roam as he wants so that you can have that discussion with him/her. I have thought long on this subject, and have debated it over the years, and can not come up with a way to change behavior without negative reinforcement.

Is negative reinforcement the cure, absolutely not, it has to be balanced with education. Our prison system is based almost solely on negative reinforcement. I think your time would be better spent finding ways to alter the system towards a rehabilitative system instead of a purely punishment based system if you are really looking for the revolutionary changes you seek.

My $.02
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
I've worked in a jail for over 10 years. You need to come hang out with me there for a while.
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
Revenge Is Wrong


Yes, but justice isn't. The penal system, though not perfect, is built on the concept of justice, not revenge.
Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top

Can't we convert prisoners into food? Then we could solve world hunger AND crime!

Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
What a marvellous idea Brad, could we not also hang prisoners in shopping centres to serve as a warning to the peasants not to commit crimes?
Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top

Penal: 1. Of, pertaining to, or prescribing punishment, as for breaking the law. 2. Subject to punishment. 3. Serving as or being a means or place of punishment.

My husband ran the prison here at the base we live on for a few years.  During that time I head the phrase "People get sent to jail as punishment, not for rehabilitation" more times than I can count.

I think, Super, that you might have some utopian idea of all criminals and convicts as basically good people with the same morals and standards as the rest of the population who just made a mistake.  If that's the case, you're wrong.  There are some who, as I'm sure Joe98 will attest to, would slit your throat for a quarter. Literally.  If that's not the case, and that's not what you think, then I apologize.  But, what exactly would you do with these folks?  Let them all loose on the street? Some people can't be rehabilitated, as I think is very obvious from the amount of repeat offenders we have in the penal system.

There are people in prison who are locked up for their own safety and well-being, as well as the safety and well being of others.  That's the bottom line.

Reply #13 from JoeUser Forums Top
Kudos to: Jeremy and Brad -- you said it perfectly! And Mr. Frog -- Love the Literary reference! Utopias are almost always dystopias, afterall.

Superbaby, you sound like you're the perfect candidate for best friendship with Charles Manson. Maybe you can love him into changing. I appreciate your wide-eyed innocence -- I just hope it doesn't get you an abusive spouse one day.
Reply #15 from JoeUser Forums Top
Uh, people, the article is *sarcastic*


Can you be sure of that? I can think of a lot of people who would be more than happy to see prisons go away. These are usually the same people that are outside a prison holding a candle-light vigil for a prisoner who is about to be executed.

Blog on the crime punishment system in the U.S. to follow soon.

-- B
Reply #16 from JoeUser Forums Top
Based on what I've read of Super Baby's posts elsewhere on JU, yes, I'm quite sure.
Reply #17 from JoeUser Forums Top
Utopia is but, a dream, and there really is evil in this world. You don't have to believe in a god to know that there are evil people. All we have to do is look back through history. Though I hate to use some of the more obivous ones here goes: Hilter, Stalin, Ted Bundy, Sadden Hussin just to name a few. Also let look at another hole in your theroy; whoes going to administrater this treatment. You indicated experts, but who are the experts? Your ideal in the real world is not possible because as along as there are individuals who feel it is necessary to hurt others at whatever cost we will need some way to punish them. Here is a question for you SuberBaby: What would you do with the "Green River Killer", let him go because he said he wouldn''t do it again, or put him on an island in the middle of the ocean? Careful how you answer the question. Also, remember this man has killed over 48 woman, and young girls (maybe more).

Truely an insigthtful article.

Pam
Reply #18 from JoeUser Forums Top
I think the author really needs to visit a prison for a couple a days, just hang around and let his humane indealistic vision of the world crumble into oblivion. I am a correctional officer, and even I hail from another country but not US, things are rather similar everyone. Also I think there's more than practical solution around prisons - in the modern or near future corporate world, prisons are or will become a also a strong economic force, providing low-paid or almost no-paid labor force, a sort of hidden slavery that the government will support. To make this rather inhumane dream, you will see no reduction in imprisonment but more privatisation in the field and further criminalization of even simple acts.
Reply #19 from JoeUser Forums Top
My father, and mother have both worked in correctional facilities for a long time and the saying, I've heard is that the prisoners are there as punishment, not for punishment. Which is said to people who think the prisoners there aren't getting enough punishment while being there. I agree that it is kind of unwise at this point to get rid of the prisons because there are people out there who unrepentently do bad things and would continue to do them unless otherwise dealt with. But on the other hand as I said before they are there as punishment. Which meahs that being there supposedly cut off from the outside world for long periods of time which they can't get back is supposed to be the punishment. But when they go be with their "homies" who they might have known in the outside world some just don't seem to care. So it's kind of tricky to say whether they should be there or not. But for quite a few it is good in my opinion to take them "out of circulation". However if prisons are used simply as an excuse to gather slave labor then I think they have crossed the line.
Reply #20 from JoeUser Forums Top

Hehe...SuperBaby!  I love your articles.  I love the fact that your sarcasm is so perfect that people take you seriously.

Brad, we should not make prisoners into food.  You are what you eat, remember?

Chain gangs, however, is still an option