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 2)

vincible

on May 06, 2004

Based on what I've read of Super Baby's posts elsewhere on JU, yes, I'm quite sure.

Pam Johnson

on May 06, 2004

Utopia is but, a dream, and there really is evil in this world. You don't have to believe in a god to know that there are evil people. All we have to do is look back through history. Though I hate to use some of the more obivous ones here goes: Hilter, Stalin, Ted Bundy, Sadden Hussin just to name a few. Also let look at another hole in your theroy; whoes going to administrater this treatment. You indicated experts, but who are the experts? Your ideal in the real world is not possible because as along as there are individuals who feel it is necessary to hurt others at whatever cost we will need some way to punish them. Here is a question for you SuberBaby: What would you do with the "Green River Killer", let him go because he said he wouldn''t do it again, or put him on an island in the middle of the ocean? Careful how you answer the question. Also, remember this man has killed over 48 woman, and young girls (maybe more).

Truely an insigthtful article.

Pam

raynerape@mailbg.com

on May 07, 2004

I think the author really needs to visit a prison for a couple a days, just hang around and let his humane indealistic vision of the world crumble into oblivion. I am a correctional officer, and even I hail from another country but not US, things are rather similar everyone. Also I think there's more than practical solution around prisons - in the modern or near future corporate world, prisons are or will become a also a strong economic force, providing low-paid or almost no-paid labor force, a sort of hidden slavery that the government will support. To make this rather inhumane dream, you will see no reduction in imprisonment but more privatisation in the field and further criminalization of even simple acts.

smoke-tetsu

on May 14, 2004

My father, and mother have both worked in correctional facilities for a long time and the saying, I've heard is that the prisoners are there as punishment, not for punishment. Which is said to people who think the prisoners there aren't getting enough punishment while being there. I agree that it is kind of unwise at this point to get rid of the prisons because there are people out there who unrepentently do bad things and would continue to do them unless otherwise dealt with. But on the other hand as I said before they are there as punishment. Which meahs that being there supposedly cut off from the outside world for long periods of time which they can't get back is supposed to be the punishment. But when they go be with their "homies" who they might have known in the outside world some just don't seem to care. So it's kind of tricky to say whether they should be there or not. But for quite a few it is good in my opinion to take them "out of circulation". However if prisons are used simply as an excuse to gather slave labor then I think they have crossed the line.

KarmaGirl

on May 14, 2004

Hehe...SuperBaby! I love your articles. I love the fact that your sarcasm is so perfect that people take you seriously.

Brad, we should not make prisoners into food. You are what you eat, remember?

Chain gangs, however, is still an option

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