Should American Prisons Be Humane Essay - 1572 Words

The question of whether American Prisons are humane is a difficult question to address. There are a lot of factors involved in understanding this issue. In order to be humane, the prison system needs to show some form of compassion and attempt to implement methods for rehabilitation, rather than focusing on punishment on top of ostracism. Being humane goes beyond how the prisoners are treated within the walls, it requires a level of benevolence after someone is released. The first aspect that will be looked at is how prison and prisoners are viewed in the public eye. This is needed because it offers insight into how the treatment of prisoners comes into effect. The public opinion is heavily dictated on what the see from released prisoners. This opinion can be formed by first hand experience; knowing someone who has been arrested and seeing how they are after the fact. Prison changes how a relationship can function, and this carries through after the release. My closest friend was in prison for over a year, and he was able to tell me how he was treated while inside. He wished to remain unnamed. After he was released from prison he tried to get a job and carry on with his life. He said â€Å"I had years of work experience as a manager and even with my case being reviewed i still couldn’t find anything. As soon as i told any interviewer I had be in prison, their response to me changed and they got tense† (personal communication, November, 2016). He looked for months and he wasShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of High Incarceration On The United States879 Words   |  4 Pageslasting effects and impacts to the family unit. First, the lasting effects of high incarceration rates are that they impact the rights of the convict, particularly African Americans. For example, noted civil rights attorney Michelle Alexander posits that the long term effects of mass incarceration operate to deny black Americans the future right to volte, the ability to obtain publi c benefits, the possibility to sit on juries, and ultimately the opportunity to secure gainful employment (Steiker, 2011)Read MoreWhy The Danish Prisons System Is Better Than The American Prison System1352 Words   |  6 PagesWhy the Danish Prison System is better than the American Prison System? There are various questions to consider before implementing a criminal justice system in a society. The most important question, in this regard, is about the individuals who are going to implement the justice system; should law makers have total control over the system or should professionals run it? Law makers have the power to establish a bill that constructs they very foundation of a system of which the country will go onRead MoreCriminal Justice System1308 Words   |  6 Pagessystem is doing something right. The few citizens that go to prison usually only go once. How does Norway achieve this? The country relies on a method called restorative justice, which aims to repair the harm caused by crime rather than punish people. This system is purely focused on rehabilitating prisoners. The United States, on the other hand, places focus on incarceration and incapacitation. This is where the methodologies clash: should the criminal justice system be responsible for rehabilitatingRead MorePenitentiary Ideal and the American Prisons1292 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Penitentiary Ideal and the American Prisons: Prisons have developed to become famous institutions in the modern society to an extent that its difficult to remember that these institutions have a history of slightly over two centuries. Prisons emerged in Europe first before the United States as a product of the dual transformation that established the basis for contemporary capitalism. The institutions are famous because they are an integral part of the criminal justice system that house condemnedRead MoreThe Prison System: Solitary Confinement Essay1487 Words   |  6 PagesSince the early 1800s, the United States has relied on a method of punishment barely known to any other country, solitary confinement (Cole). Despite this method once being thought of as the breakthrough in the prison system, history has proved differently. Solitary confinement was once used in a short period of time to fix a prisoners behavior, but is now used as a long term method that shows to prove absolutely nothing. Spending 22-24 hours a day in a s mall room containing practically nothing hasRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is Something That Has Been Debated For1196 Words   |  5 PagesConstitution states that people are protected from â€Å"cruel and unusual punishment† and the death penalty is both cruel and unusual. The death penalty can also be an escape for criminals who have committed serious crimes, as instead of suffering in a prison they would be able to escape any struggle they deserve for the crimes they’ve committed. There have been many wrongfully conditions and innocent people have been put to death. The death penalty is simply something that cannot be legal and used inRead MoreFor the Death Penalty Essay950 Words   |  4 Pagespunishing our most vile and baneful criminals? I believe some improvement to be necessary; the death penalty should be legalized in all states. The United States should utilize the capital punishment because it is economical and has deterring and incapacitating effects. Whi le life with no parole sentencing is a valid alternative, the death penalty is in public favor, ruled as constitutional, is humane, and allows convicts many opportunities to appeal. While many people will claim that too many inmatesRead More The Banning of Capital Punishment Essay1058 Words   |  5 Pagespunishment is a brutal, antiquated concept that must be abolished in the name of civilized society. A humane culture cannot abide the organized extermination of human beings in the name of justice. In the United States, dozens of people are put to death every year like stray animals, only perhaps in less humane ways. The methods of capital punishment vary greatly, but none are publicly accepted as humane. Societys support for the death penalty is waning, but there is still enough support in the UnitedRead MoreIncarceration Of The Early European Prisons706 Words   |  3 PagesEuropean prisons were known as workhouses or houses of corrections. Offenders were sent to workhouses to learn discipline and regular work habits. Inmate labor was expected to pay for the facility upkeep and yield a profit. In the 1700’s and 1800’s the workhouses were descr ibed as disorderly, inefficient, capricious, and discriminatory. This prison situation led to several reform initiatives (Bohm Haley, 2012). Beginning in the 1700’s prison reformist declared that punishment should fit theRead MoreShould Capital Punishment Be Banned?908 Words   |  4 Pagestighter death penalty laws taken form. In present the day United States, 16 states have outlawed capitol punishment and the other states have undergone a process by which the method attempts to be more humane. The chance of innocence, no matter how small, should outweigh that of guilt. Capital Punishment should be banned from practice and ruled unconstitutional because the process exemplifies unjust and degrading methods of punishment upon the offender. Before an execution can occur, a series of protocol