Legal Affairs: Virginia Senator Pushes For Prison Reform
Legal Affairs: Author Examines Effects Of Solitary Confinement
The first was an interview with Senator Jim Webb about the bill he has just introduced to study why, as he put it, “the United States has 5% of the world’s population, yet we have 25% of the world’s known prison population. Something is wrong!” He went on to say that building prisons and handing out longer prison terms has been politically popular for quite a while now, but there’s no evidence this trend toward incarceration has done anything at all to make our communities safer. Rehabilitation and treatment programs have taken a back seat to just locking people up, often for non-violent and even victimless crimes.
The second interview was with a Boston doctor (Atul Gawande) who has just published an article asking if solitary confinement, as it is widely practiced in this country, is torture. He clearly believes it is. It creates, at the extreme, people with psychoses who did not have them before. And, again, there is no evidence of any positive benefit from the practice, in terms of reducing violence in prisons or by any other scientific measure. Yet, again, it is not only politically popular but considered a career-ending move for a warden to stop or even reduce the practice.
Food for thought. More humane treatment for this segment of our population might actually improve the quality of life, not just for them, but for all of us. Not to mention being a more cost-effective use of scarce government resources.
Cross-posted at my website.
there’s no evidence this trend toward incarceration has done anything at all to make our communities safer.
No problemo. This is easy—just let’m all out—then see if crime rises.
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p>USA has 5% of pop and 25% of worlds incarcerated. Did you ever stop to think that in many of the nations around the world—justice is dealt on the spot? Vigilantism, street justice, summary execution, cutting off hands and feet forthwith? I suggest you read up on the penal systems in muslim nations. BTW—show of hands. How many have either done time or volunteered at a slammer? Ahhhhhhh. none. I suggest you offer to volunteer in a prison. A real eye opener. Do you want to know why most of these people are in the can? Because they can neither read nor write. 85% of inmates, especially minorities are illiterate. Some because they have neurological deficit from using toxic substances to get high at 10 years of age. So much for DARE.
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p>Really. Care to state your source in your in depth study?
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p>The people in solitary are multiple murderers, problems, inmates that attack staff, inmates that attack other inmates, inmates that are shaking down other inmates for sex and canteen. Wake up will you. There are more attorneys watching county, state, and federal lock ups that it is a joke. You wanna be in a cell with a male that likes to rape his cellmate? Every prisoner is entitled to safety and to free from coercion, extortion and rape. In the prison hierarchy, there are those that enjoy nothing less than putting fear in people. That’s what they do—on the street or in the can.
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p>I wonder how many men are in the can for A&B on their wife/girlfriend or violators of 209A? Wanna let them out as well?
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p>Your endeavors would be furthered to a greater good if you expended more energy on folks like our indiginous Native Americans.
Most inmates are on meds as they have drug habits. They tend to be uneducated and many are almost childlike in their impulsivity. Where I was, “goin’ to the hole” was being away from the TV. There were two legal departments, one to help the inmates sue and the other to protect against the suits. Basically, you live better than a GI in a war zone.
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p>The big torture is TV. Everyone is addicted to the large screen TVs. You hate it but find it better than the “training” going on. The officers for the most part are there to do their jobs. There is more sadism in some business offices and government agencies.
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p>If you go to jail, go in the fall when it is getting cold. It beats sleeping on the streets, is safer than a shelter and you get 3 meals, free medical and the chance to meet interesting people. Be a good listener. Just don’t make eye contact.
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p>If my name were Michael Forbes Wilcox I wouldn’t want to be in prison…