Guard-to-inmate or inmate-to-inmate abuse reports flock to callous heads of securities in many prisons, and then remain untouched due to the fact that prisoners are seen as lesser beings. These accounts directly violate the basic human rights people are allowed.
People who find themselves condemned to prison for a certain amount of time, unknowingly are condemned to torture as well. An article that discusses similar events, records one account of an ex-inmate who says, “‘ I don’t remember. . . part of my sentence was to go to the Texas Department of Corrections and be tortured… for 22 years,’ says cook” (Harris). In correctional facilities, commonly reported abuse cases usually include bruises, broken bones, and rape. One article states that, “In recent years, U.S. prison inmates have been beaten with fists
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Inmates are seen as miscreants and deviants and dysfunctional members of society resulting in apathy from the general public. Whether it be violating a person’s right to “life, liberty, and security of person” or the guarantee of no“torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” (Universal Declaration), both previously mentioned acts are unethical since they violate basic human rights. But despite the obvious issues, a large majority of the population continue to let it pass because they have low opinions of the incarcerated, resulting in little sympathy when allegations of abuse arise. So if people refuse to sympathise with prisoners, and authority figures claim that their treatment is an attempt at controlling the situation, then this begs the question: is this an ethical problem; if so, how does one attempt to correct years of abusive treatment? It can be clearly argued, with support from the philosophy of Aristotle, John Stuart Mill, and Herbert Spencer, that prisoner abuse is an unethical act and attempts should be made to fix
Every civilization in history has had rules, and citizens who break them. To this day governments struggle to figure out the best way to deal with their criminals in ways that help both society and those that commit the crimes. Imprisonment has historically been the popular solution. However, there are many instances in which people are sent to prison that would be better served for community service, rehab, or some other form of punishment. Prison affects more than just the prisoner; the families, friends, employers, and communities of the incarcerated also pay a price. Prison as a punishment has its pros and cons; although it may be necessary for some, it can be harmful for those who would be better suited for alternative means of punishment.
We live in a society today filled with crime and fear. We are told not to go out after a certain hour, always move in groups, and even at times advised to carry a weapon on ourselves. There is only one thing that gives us piece of mind in this new and frightening world we live in: the American penal system. We are taught when growing up to believe that all of the bad people in the world are locked up, far out of sight and that we are out of reach of their dangerous grasp. Furthermore, the murderers and rapists we watch on television, we believe once are caught are to be forgotten and never worried about again. We wish on them the most horrible fates and to rot in the caged institution they are forced to call their new home. But, where do we draw the line of cruelty to those who are some of the cruelest people in our country? And what happens when one of this most strict and strongest institution our nation has breaks down? What do we do when this piece of mind, the one thing that lets us sleep at night, suddenly disappears? This is exactly what happened during and in the after effects of the Attica prison riot of 1971. The riot created an incredibly immense shift and change not only in the conditions of prisons, but also in the security we feel as American citizens both in our penal system and American government. The Attica prison riot brought about a much-needed prison reform in terms of safety and conditions for inmates, which was necessary regardless of the social backlash it created and is still felt today.
The prisoners that are confined in there for protection may have been assaulted by another prisoner or cell mate and lash out from fear or anger, or have serious thoughts of harming thereselves afterwards. In 2001 Human Rights Watch reported that “Victims of prison rape commonly report nightmares, deep depression, shame, loss of self-esteem, self-hatred, and considering or attempt...
When put into the position of complete authority over others people will show their true colors. I think that most people would like to think that they would be fair, ethical superiors. I know I would, but learning about the Stanford Prison Experiment has made me question what would really happen if I was there. Would I be the submissive prisoner, the sadistic guard, or would I stay true to myself? As Phillip Zimbardo gave the guards their whistles and billy clubs they drastically changed without even realizing it. In order to further understand the Stanford Prison experiment I learned how the experiment was conducted, thought about the ethical quality of this experiment, and why I think it panned out how it did.
Assaults such as theses often result in inmates being seriously injured or in some cases dead. Modern day slavery within prisons is another form of cruelty and exploitation inmates face every day. Writer Vicky Pelaez, describes the forced labor situation in private prisons that inmates are exposed to in her article describing, “All of their workers are full-time, and never arrive late or are absent because of family problems; moreover, if they don’t like the pay of 25 cents an hour and refuse to work, they are locked up in isolation cells” (Pelaez, 2014). This scenario is representative of an indentured servant, who is not only working to reduce their sentence but also getting payed very little in order to take care of their in jail expenses such as; soap, tooth paste, shampoo, etc. Cruelty such as this, is supported in 37 states and funded by “IBM, Boeing, Motorola, Microsoft, AT&T, Wireless, Texas Instrument, Dell, [and] Compaq” (Pelaez,
For decades, prison has been signified as an unspeakably horrifying place for those who have done harm to our society. Nevertheless, in today 's society, shows like Wentworth, orange is the new black and prison break illustrate prison in an entertaining way. A way that is so detached from reality. However, in the article "Norway 's Ideal Prison," by Piers Hernu, he clearly reveals and gives us a vivid picture of what prison life is like in Bastoy, the home of Norway only prison. On the other hand, "The Prisoners Dilemma," by Stephan Chapman argues how in Islamic countries criminals are being cruelly handled and how flawed the American penal system is and needs to be adjusted. Even though there are many similarities in both articles on what
In fact, one of the most leading violence in the prison setting is sexual victimization. It involves different behaviors from sexually abusive contact to nonconsensual sexual assault. These assaults present bigger issues within the prison such as being exposed to sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, causing the inmate to retaliate, depression and suicidal gestures. (Wolf, N, 2006) In 2011, a random sample of not less than 10% of all federal, state prisons, county prisons, and municipal prisons in America was drawn. At the end of the annual sample, 8,763 allegations of sexual victimization were reported by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. (Roberts, N., 2014) As stated, this only included 10% percent of the prison excluding the other 90 % of prisons in America. In 2009, 7,855 allegations were filed and in 2010, 8,404 with 51 percent involving nonconsensual sex acts or abusive contact amongst inmates. The other 49% involved prison staff that resulted in sexual misconduct and sexual harassment. In 2012, the Department of Justice estimated that about 1 in 10 inmates were sexually assaulted by officers with high expectation that it would only continue to increase. (Roberts, N.,
For centuries, prisons have been attempting to reinforce good behavior through various methods of punishment, some more severe than others. There are several types of punishments which include “corporal punishment, public humiliation, penal bondage, and banishment for more severe offenses, as well as capital punishment”(Linklater, V). Punishments in which are more severe pose the question “Has it gone too far?” and is stripping away the rights and humanity of a criminal justified with the response it is for the protection of the people? Is justice really served? Although prison systems are intense and the experience is one of a kind for sure, it does little to help them as statistics show “two-in-five inmates nationwide return to jail within three years of release”(Ascharya, K).
Life in prison can be a difficult experience to properly comprehend as an individual who has never been behind bars or somebody who has not been subjected under criminal law and incarcerated. Researcher Muzammil Quraishi, a British Muslim has undergone a year of research from July 2001 to July 2002 investigating Muslim prisoners in the United Kingdom. Muzammil goes through numerous challenged in his year worth of research investigating a sum of three anonymous prisons. Doing such Muzammil had gone through numerous obstacles, generic research validity, to the side effects of the field research. This paper will separate three columns of obstacles Muzammil had to go through, Technical issues, which would outline the challenges, he as a researched had to adapt to due to the setting he was investigating. The second is Political issues, which mostly stem from outside interferences; most notable would be the incident on September 11, 2001. Finally, the third is administration issues, which has the spotlight on regulations Muzammil had to abide by to get on with his research in a legitimate manner.
The ethical theory of utilitarianism and the perspective on relativism, of prison labor along with the relativism on criminal behavior of individuals incarcerated are two issues that need to be addressed. Does the utilitarianism of prisoner’s right laws actually protect them? Or are the unethical actions of the international and states right laws exploiting the prison labor? Unethical procedures that impact incarcerated individuals and correctional staff, the relativism of respect as people and not just prisoner’s; the safety of all inmates and correctional staff, are all issues worth continuous reflection.
different states (Iowa, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, and Wisconsin). In twelve states, more than half the prison population is made of blacks (Nellis, Ph.D 2016). These numbers are valid and these numbers are accurate within my own organization.” At IYC-Chicago, the population is made up majority of minorities (black and brown boys). Even though, the staff members are diversity across all position (security staff, mental health specialists, teachers, counselors), there are some disconnects among the staff and the youth and sometime those disconnects can cause ethical issues. For example, in my organization, not all the administrators do not have the corrections background like the security staff. Two out of the three administrators have never worked in the correction field. The Chief of Security worked his way up from a security staff to shift supervisor to Chief of Security; however, he is completely disconnected from the hardships the security staff
The correctional system is based on helping offenders become part of society and not commit any crimes. Many prisons begin the correcting criminals since they are inside the jails, but many prisons do not. Prisons provide prisoners with jobs inside the prison where they get very little pay close to nothing and many have programs that will help them advance their education or get their high school diploma. There are various programs prisons provide to prisoners to help them get a job or have a skill when they are released from prison. In contrast, prisons that do not provide programs or help to prisoners rehabilitate and enter society again will be more likely to commit another crime and go back to jail. The Shawshank Redemption prison did not
2nd ed. of the book. USA: Penguin Books, Ltd. [Accessed 01 January 2014]. The Prison Reform Trust.
We have been taught that we should always follow our priorities, whether it is dealing with jobs, families, education, or faith. Ethical egoism teaches us that if our interests are any one these or something else, we should put it first because these are our values. But how far should we go in protecting our values? Is there a limit of how they should be protected? Am I doing what’s best for my priorities or for me? Although we should protect our values, there needs to be a limit and a focus of how I should protect my values with the best intentions. The film, Prisoners, presents this moral dilemma of torture through the characters’ decisions and emotions.
One ground of the article includes the story of a prisoner, “Leonard Strickland’s barbaric and unnecessary death at the hands of prison guards at the Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York highlights the need for independent oversight of the state’s prisons” (Deitch and Mushlin 1). Another ground is when the authors spoke of an audit which occurred in 2006 which pointed out that the commission had failed with the responsibility of regulating prisons (Deitch and Mushlin 2). An event that took place recently where a committee on correction spoke for the need of oversight also is included as grounds (Deitch and Mushlin 3). Another ground that supports one of the reasonings of the main claim is the following statement, “accountability is even more urgent in the nation’s jails and prisons, given their closed environments and lack of cellphones and body cameras to capture abusive encounters” (Deitch and Mushlin 2).