Global Research Essay
Since as far back as 1773, prisons have been a part of our correctional system in order to bring safety to our communities. A prison’s “focus” is to arrest and rehabilitate those who have gone against the law. This means inmates are punished and meant to be restored back to a healthy and normal life while serving time. As time has progressed, our system’s proven to be faulty and unable to successfully complete those tasks since recidivism rates are on the high end of 43 to 67 percent. (Rowland). The recidivism rate refers to the percentage of released inmates who have reoffended. Issues have begun to surface and conditions continue to worsen, from trouble with rehabilitating inmates to overcrowdedness, where the “number of Inmates doubled in 1980s, then doubled again in 1990s, and has increased 60% since the turn of the millennium.” (Rowland). There is no short-cut available when searching for a solution to these problems, but there are certain issues that are of higher importance. The government’s neglect to focus on mentally ill inmates and overcrowdedness is damaging our prison system.
The government is unaware that their recent implement of stricter laws is doing more harm than good in relation to overcrowdedness. The war on drugs is one example that is a madness on its own; “Thanks to the long mandatory sentences that come with many drug offenses… As of June 2017, there were nearly 35,000 federal inmates over the age of 51; 10,000 were over the age of 60.” (Riggs). Drug offenders are currently required to serve mandatory sentences by the government. The lengthy time these offenders are sentenced have caused the elderly sector of prisons to rise to thousands. It was further discovered that one-third of the prison population growth is from increased laws on drug offenders, one-fourth is from higher conviction rates, and others are from increased laws on immigration or on weapons violators. (Rowland). One factor to take into account is that possession of illegal substances and illegal immigration are non-violent crimes, yet they are two of the major reasons mass incarceration even exists. Is additional enforcement of laws worth it when they become the fuel that powers a global issue? The government clearly set themselves up for failure with the poor decisions in law-making.
The rise in population discussed is impacting the economy and ruining the physical build of prisons. It is an insanity when the numbers add up; Matthew Rowland calculates that the overcrowding contributes to the 6.8 billion dollars that the BOP needs to continue operating because of the damage done to prisons’ infrastructures. For example, cells are double and triple-bunked, which offers inmates a chance to misbehave. (Rowland). The actual structure and physical aspect of prisons is falling apart, which results in the government having to invest a supplement of money to accommodate for it. However, along with the destruction of infrastructure, overcrowdedness opens the window for inappropriate behavior. The possibility of misconduct inclines when the prisons are forced to make room for the surplus of inmates assigned to their facilities. Although prisons were established to bring safety, the government must step forward to eliminate the hostile atmosphere that exists in them. It was previously stated that the elderly sector was growing rapidly, but Mike Riggs further expands on the topic and “… prisons with older populations spend $10,114 on healthcare annually per prisoner, while facilities with younger populations spend just $1,916.” (Riggs). The overcrowdedness directly led to an increase in costs. This proves that the ongoing mass incarcerations are to blame for why prisons are developing difficulties for sustaining a well-built facility and expanding their budget.
These factors are essential keys that the government should, but is not keeping in check.
The improper care of mentally ill patients during incarceration, is neglected by the government, similar to overcrowdedness. Sarah childress emphasizes this and at Cresson State Penitentiary, patient “EE” had a schizoaffective disorder and officials were aware of his suicidal and self-harm threats, but ignored. The DOJ also discovered that officials at the penitentiary were unaware as to how to treat mentally ill patients, if they even attempted to help (Childress). Mental disorders have the ability to promote irrational behavior and thinking as proven by the patient. When cries for help go ignored, what care is being provided for these mentally ill inmates? The officials and prisons simply do not know of a formal way to handle these patients. The government must understand that “Inmates with mental illness are often the least equipped to handle the stresses of a regimented prison life. They tend to act out more and are disciplined at far higher rates.”(Shwirtz). Mentally ill inmates have a tough time keeping themselves together when overwhelmed by the pressure that comes from the these facilities. Their struggles and level of instability have to be recognized and worked with, rather than fought against with further discipline. The mental state of an inmate lies on the government’s hands, and if they are not, prisons will not reach their full potential.
The government’s misunderstanding of rehabilitation is weakening prisons and negatively affecting mentally ill inmates. Rehabilitation is a key element needed in order for an inmate to successfully be released into the world again. In prisons, it’s been replaced with solitary confinement. As Sarah Childress explains, Solitary Confinement has become a normal form of punishment in America. Inmates are placed under terrible conditions, where they are denied necessities like toilet paper. The guards treat them very unfairly: spit in their food and shock them for fun. This has also caused suicide rates to increase since half of suicides occur during isolation. (Childress). This punishment has been implemented by the government for some time now, but they’re oblivious of its ineffectiveness and the number of deaths that have occurred in isolation, if it still remains an option. Besides the government, the staff hired by them are negligent and they abuse their power. Corruption and guards do not coincide when trying to run a prison.
Aside from the excessive use of solitary confinement, the long hours that it consists of worsens the mental state of inmates, as illustrated in Mr. Bullock’s personal account in Michael Schwirtz article , “I get thrown in the S.H.U. every jail I go to because I can’t control my body… My mental health is going horrible in here and it’s deteriorating fast from being isolated in my room all day.”(Shwirtz). Mental illnesses are hardships that inmates live with and Mr. Bullock is an example of one. Rather than getting the correct help that is necessary for mentally ill inmates, they are being “thrown” into isolation, where no hope exists for them. Solitary confinement is not a substitution for rehabilitation for prisoners nor mentally ill inmates. The government needs a stronger foundation to reform inmates, whether they are mentally ill or not.
There are those who may argue that the government is already applying their attention and 100 percent to eliminate overcrowdedness. It is known that the United States relocates inmates and “at least 10,500 state prisoners were held last year outside the state where they were convicted. Hawaii and Vermont each send inmates more than 2,000 miles to Arizona..” (Mohsin). Of course transferring inmates is a reasonable solution, but it is only a temporary fix. These actions taken by the government may resolve a case of overpopulation for one prison, but then they create a new one for wherever the inmates’ final destination is. The government needs to narrow their focus on finding permanent solutions for overcrowdedness and not ones that only drag the problem along. The transfer of inmates has been unsuccessful since I previously stated that the prison population was doubling in the 1980s and 1990s and then rose by 60 percent. The government must be motivated to overcome overcrowdedness, not sweep it under the rug.
Everyday normal civilians step out of their homes and live their lives. They place their safety and trust in the hands of the government, in hopes of returning home the same way they left. The government takes it upon itself to provide a secure environment for society by punishing, but still reforming, those who are viewed as threats. It is now clear to see that the government’s inability to focus on defeating the main obstacles, overcrowdedness and improper care of mentally ill inmates, has stood in the way of completing that responsibility. Those who enter prison walls have the mind of a criminal, but are expected to leave that mindset behind as they reach towards the end of their sentence.To truly picture the conditions our government has let unfold, let it sink in that “… isolation exacerbates existing mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, and can lead to deep anger problems… They become uncomfortable or fearful of basic human touch, such as a handshake.”(Childress). How will our prisons prove that they are functioning correctly with inmates unable to interact with humans without feeling frightened? It is not reasonable to assume that they will be able to survive the real world as they get their second chance at life. Possible answers that’ll push the government to make changes that benefit both prisons and themselves include:embedding rehabilitation as a foundation in prisons and developing programs to push inmates forward. As I mentioned earlier, it should also be a consideration to revise the current laws enforced on drug offenses which may lessen overcrowdedness.