Is Prison Inhumane?

An Idealist's Look at the Inhumane Act of Incarceration

Published on May 6, 2004 By messybuu In Politics

There are many individuals in society that believe that oppose capital punishment. Supposedly, capital punishment is an inhumane act that doesn't rehabilitate criminals, but punishes them in a vindictive way that they argue is unethical. If they are right, and society should rehabilitate criminals rather than punish them, then I can't help but wonder why they ignore the inhumane act of imprisonment, which too, punishes and vindicates rather than rehabilitates.

Revenge Is Wrong
Let's say that I killed my girlfriend and the man with whom she had an affair. It's an isolated incident and wouldn't happen again unless I had another girlfriend that cheated on me. The clear and ideal solution would be to force me to attend anger management courses, but I have a feeling that even some idealists who oppose the way the law punishes rather than rehabilitates criminals with capital punishment would rather have me sent to prison, even though being locked inside a cell would not rehabilitate me, but probably make me more violent. If we're serious about helping criminals work their way back into society, then we can't keep sending everybody who commits one crime, no matter how heinous, to prison. That's inhumane, especially when all many of them need is some love and therapy.

Incarceration Is Wrong
Those who oppose capital punishment sometimes compare the killing of a serial killer to the murders that serial killer committed, as if they are the same thing. Well, the same can be done for incarceration. Only a fool would not notice the irony of forcing a man who forced many children into small cages into a small cage himself. It is blatantly hypocritical to condemn kidnapping while supporting a criminal system that practices. Therefore, unless you support the kidnapping of children, then you should condemn this inhumane practice of incarceration.

Love vs. Hate
If you want your child to grow up to be a great person, do you treat him like an enemy and punish him whenever he makes a mistake, or do you show him love and compassion? Maybe I'm an exception, but I've been taught that you can gather more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. Love improves people, not hatred. If you want to help change these violent criminals to live peacefully in society, then you have to work with them and not against them. Working with them also requires trust. By forcing them into a prison cell, you're already establishing that you don't trust them. Why should they trust you? Also, in the case of a kidnapper, how do you expect to make a case against kidnapping when you've kidnapped them? Both children and criminals will listen and respect those who practice what they preach more than they will those who don't.

If you care at all about humanity, then please, write to your local congressman and demand that all prisons be destroyed!

Comments (Page 1)

Mr_Frog

on May 06, 2004

Wow, destroy all prisons? I can't even begin to tell you what a bad idea that is (only have a couple of minutes).

So what happens to people who cannot or refuse to be rehabilitated under the system with no prisons?

What do we do with the people who commit multiple different types of crimes? Multiple instances of the same crime?

Who decides what kind of rehabilitation works best for each prisoner?

What about all of the asinine laws we have in the US (marijuana possession for personal use, for one), that send people to jail for victimless crimes? Do these people also require rehabilitation? If not, then what kind of punishment is to be imposed?

-- B

messybuu

on May 06, 2004

It might seem like a bad idea, but forcing people into tiny cells is not the humane thing to do. As for who decides the rehabilitation, I guess that would go to experts.

JeremyG

on May 06, 2004

I'm all for destroying all the prisons.

as long as the prisoners are inside at the time.

Mr_Frog

on May 06, 2004

OK, but you didn't answer any of my more difficult questions. I'm curious as to how your utopic system might work.

- B

Sir Peter Maxwell

on May 06, 2004

If you care at all about humanity, then please, write to your local congressman and demand that all prisons be destroyed!

If you cared about humanity, you would realise that the victims of crime deserve more compassion than the perpertrators. Quite frankly, many prisoners are beyond 'rehabilitation' and destroying prisons would allow these people, such as rapists, to rome free raping and pillaging at will. You live in a fantasy world where criminals commit crimes because their mother didn't hug them when they were a child. At least here in Britain, more prisons are required, and certainly the bill for the tax payer could be lowered by shooting many of these vile peasant offenders that are beyond "rehabilitation".

bemenaker

on May 06, 2004

I would agree that prison system does not do enough to rehabilitate criminals during incarceration. But to completely eliminate all prisons, would leave a society with no recourse to disuade the evil acts that you are trying to prevent. Sure taking a child and sitting him down, and explaining to him what he did was wrong and why he shouldn't do it works. And if more people did that with their kids, instead of letting their TV raise them, several of the people in prison wouldn't be there. In keeping with that, could you not say the during the time that you are sitting you kid down and talking to him, is that not incarceration? Sure it is for a very short time period, but it is still incarceration, you have removed that child's free will to roam as he wants so that you can have that discussion with him/her. I have thought long on this subject, and have debated it over the years, and can not come up with a way to change behavior without negative reinforcement.

Is negative reinforcement the cure, absolutely not, it has to be balanced with education. Our prison system is based almost solely on negative reinforcement. I think your time would be better spent finding ways to alter the system towards a rehabilitative system instead of a purely punishment based system if you are really looking for the revolutionary changes you seek.

My $.02

Joe98

on May 06, 2004

I've worked in a jail for over 10 years. You need to come hang out with me there for a while.

shadesofgrey

on May 06, 2004

Revenge Is Wrong

Yes, but justice isn't. The penal system, though not perfect, is built on the concept of justice, not revenge.

Draginol

on May 06, 2004

Can't we convert prisoners into food? Then we could solve world hunger AND crime!

Sir Peter Maxwell

on May 06, 2004

What a marvellous idea Brad, could we not also hang prisoners in shopping centres to serve as a warning to the peasants not to commit crimes?

dharmagrl

on May 06, 2004

Penal: 1. Of, pertaining to, or prescribing punishment, as for breaking the law. 2. Subject to punishment. 3. Serving as or being a means or place of punishment.

My husband ran the prison here at the base we live on for a few years. During that time I head the phrase "People get sent to jail as punishment, not for rehabilitation" more times than I can count.

I think, Super, that you might have some utopian idea of all criminals and convicts as basically good people with the same morals and standards as the rest of the population who just made a mistake. If that's the case, you're wrong. There are some who, as I'm sure Joe98 will attest to, would slit your throat for a quarter. Literally. If that's not the case, and that's not what you think, then I apologize. But, what exactly would you do with these folks? Let them all loose on the street? Some people can't be rehabilitated, as I think is very obvious from the amount of repeat offenders we have in the penal system.

There are people in prison who are locked up for their own safety and well-being, as well as the safety and well being of others. That's the bottom line.

Mr_Frog

on May 06, 2004

"Soylent Green is PEOPLE!!!!"

-- B

Shulamite

on May 06, 2004

Kudos to: Jeremy and Brad -- you said it perfectly! And Mr. Frog -- Love the Literary reference! Utopias are almost always dystopias, afterall.

Superbaby, you sound like you're the perfect candidate for best friendship with Charles Manson. Maybe you can love him into changing. I appreciate your wide-eyed innocence -- I just hope it doesn't get you an abusive spouse one day.

vincible

on May 06, 2004

Uh, people, the article is *sarcastic*

Mr_Frog

on May 06, 2004

Uh, people, the article is *sarcastic*

Can you be sure of that? I can think of a lot of people who would be more than happy to see prisons go away. These are usually the same people that are outside a prison holding a candle-light vigil for a prisoner who is about to be executed.

Blog on the crime punishment system in the U.S. to follow soon.

-- B

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