Essay on Life in Prison - 1771 Words

If you walked into a room with 84 adults, chances are two of them have been in prison. One out of 42 adults in the United States has been incarcerated. 2.3 million people serving time behind bars outnumber the residents of the fourth largest U.S. city. According to California Prison Focus, â€Å"no other society in human history has imprisoned so many if its own citizens.† The U.S. has locked up more people than any other country (Paleaz, 2013). Are prisons in the U.S. doing what they were intended to do? Out of the millions of lawbreakers confined, how many are getting reformed, learning new trades, completing degrees or refining criminal behaviors? This would seem like a legitimate question, but the real question is, â€Å"Who is†¦show more content†¦According to Bettina Aptheker, there are no prisons in the United States. There is a Department of Corrections, and there are â€Å"correctional facilities† equipped with â€Å"educational programs, â₠¬Å"â€Å"vocational training† and the necessary â€Å"psychiatric therapy.† Aptheker also maintains that the U.S. has inmates and not prisoners. Political prisoners do not exist, just terrorists and those who perpetrate criminal violence. The basic premise behind imprisonment is such that a prisoner is deprived of morals and that there could be no other logical explanation for confinement. Aptheker also states that there is a slight suggestion that the system itself is at fault. At the time of Aptheker’s writing she quoted an assistant warden, who is also a clinical psychologist from San Quentin who said during an interview that prisoners suffer from â€Å"retarded emotional growth.† The warden also went on to say that, â€Å"the first goal of prison is to isolate people the community does not want at large. Safe confinement is the goal. The second obligation is a focused on a good housekeeping job, the old humanitarian treatment concept.† Which means that once the inmate is restricted and isolated as dictated by the institutions standing operating procedures, he may start to receive treatment. Prison: stimulating the economy or legalizing slavery The majority of the inmates are black or hispanic and as prisoners are forced to work for various industries for a few dollars a day. PalaezShow MoreRelatedLife in Prison1834 Words   |  8 Pagesimprisonment. As times past by the prison has taken on various shapes and forms. The quality and most conditions of prisons have changed in order to provide better living conditions for the inmates, but the main purpose of the prison has never changed, the online article Welcome to Stop the Crime states that â€Å" a prison have four major purposes, these include retribution, incapacitation, deterrence and rehabilitation† (stoptheaca.org). This shows that the prison is there to ensure that criminals payRead MoreThe Prison of Life1817 Words   |  8 Pagesinquisitive of creatures, had always sought the meaning of life. The answer had varied; to an altruistic person, man was made to serve the common good wheras to a Douglas Adams fan, the answer was merely 42. Philosophers dedicated their lives for the meaning of life and the reason for our existence here on Earth. Unlike other philosophers such as John Locke and Ayn Rand, famed writer Albert Camus believed that life had no meaning. According to Camus, life was, simply stated, absurd. Camus asserted three mainRead MoreLife And Life Of Prison1259 Words   |  6 Pages Twenty years to life in prison, this is what I woke up to one cold December morning. I had been falsely accused of a crime. It all started a couple of weeks ago. I had gone to the local gas station to pick-up some groceries to fix my family a surprise breakfast. I had planned to go home and fix them eggs, bacon, waffles, and grits. It would have been perfect, just to have a family meal. I had arrived at the gas station and proceeded to go into the store to get the groceries that I needed. All ofRead MorePrison Life Essays1953 Words   |  8 PagesPrison Life Most people have no idea what it feels like to be in prison, statistically only one out of every five people will know what its like to be in prison. Approximately 1.4 million people out of the U.S.s 280 million people are in prison. (Thomas, 2) The only reason people know about prisons is because of the media. The news, movies, and books all contribute to peoples stereotypes about prisons. Prisoners receive three meals a day, workout facilities, a library, as well as other thingsRead MoreEssay on Life in Prison1857 Words   |  8 PagesLife in Prison Cody Cotten CJA/383 December 21, 2010 Chet Madison Jr. Life in Prison When an individual is introduced to the prison life, after violating rules and laws, he or she must come to terms about the journey he or she are about to take behind bars in prison. No one can save them, or do their time for them, and a majority of their freedom has been stripped from them either temporarily or permanently. Prison life deals with all walks of life and is not discriminativeRead MorePrison Life in the UK1246 Words   |  5 Pagesunwanted. The members of the prison population can range from petty thieves to cold hearted serial killers; so the conflict arises on how they can all be dealt with the most efficient way. The sides can result in a wide range of opinions such as simply thinking a slap on the wrist is sufficient; to even thinking that death is the only way such a lesson can be learned. While many believe it is ok to punish and torture prisoners, others feel that cruel treatment of prison inmates is wrong because itRead MoreThe Prison Life : Sarah Water1560 Words   |  7 PagesThe prison life In the year 1999, Sarah Water wrote a fiction novel called affinity. The story generally talks of a love story of two ladies who were both in their own solitude. One on the main character was a convict in prison while the other was home remanded for attempts to commit suicide. The book generally shows us the life of women in prison. Today, they are many people in prison due to felony. The prison life is not very fascinating to many people especially for individual who have ever experiencedRead MoreDeath Penalty or Life in Prison1170 Words   |  5 PagesDeath Penalty or Life in Prison Sierra Brattain Southwestern Michigan College Death Penalty or Life in Prison Death Penalty I began my research by looking into the death penalty or also known as capital punishment. The death penalty is the action of executing a person who has committed an illegal act equivalent to death. Crimes punishable by death vary depending on the state; some include murder, sexual assault, treason, and other serious capital crimes (â€Å"Crimes Punishable†, 2011). ThereRead MoreLife Within Prison Walls1181 Words   |  5 Pagesare convicted, you go to prison. This is common knowledge throughout America and the world. What most citizens don’t know is that within prison walls, there is a lifestyle much different than the life you and I are used to outside of bars. Within the walls of American prisons, the occupants are deprived of many freedoms you and me take for granted. There is not much to do. Many inmates used drugs outside of prison, so there is a high demand to smuggle drugs into the prison system for use by the inmatesRead MoreDeath Penalty and Life in Prison16 23 Words   |  7 Pagesasking can someone hide himself secret in secret from him a person cannot , because God presence is everywhere. ------------------------------------------------- Acts 17:24-28: It tells how God is the creator of all living things he gave all things life also breath. We are Gods offspring. ------------------------------------------------- 2 Timothy 2:13: God formed Adam and Eve ------------------------------------------------- Hebrews 6:18: Tells how God has suffered being tempted that he is able