How Should Prisons Treat Inmates?

Imprisonment as punishment for crimes was first used during the sixteenth century in Europe. Prior to that, criminal correction usually consisted of enslavement or swift physical punishment such as whipping or execution. Prison was conceived as a more humane response to criminal behavior. When Europeans established colonies in America in the seventeenth century they continued the practice of imprisoning those convicted of crimes.

During the colonial era, the number of Americans in prison made up a small, barely noticeable segment of the population. That situation has changed dramatically, however. According to statistics from the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice, if incarceration rates continue unchanged, 1 out of every 20 Americans alive today will be imprisoned at some time in their lives.

This rate of incarceration has increased quite recently. In 1980, 139 of every 100,000 Americans were incarcerated; in 1996, that number had nearly quadrupled to 427 per 100,000, according to Bureau of Justice statistics. This is due in part to new crime laws such as “three strikes and you’re out” and tougher sentencing for drug-related offenses.

More focus on punishment
The “get tough on crime” stance that many politicians have adopted is finding its way into America’s corrections system as the prison population continues to grow. The people are tired of crime, and some politicians note this and respond by advocating harsher treatment of convicted criminals. Some political leaders contend that inmates forfeit most or all of their rights the moment they enter prison and therefore are subject to measures designed to punish rather than rehabilitate. As Michigan state senator Phil Hoffman (R.) says, “We’re a baby-sitting service for adults who have raped us, robbed us and murdered us.”

In an atmosphere in which the focus is increasingly on punishment, legislators and the public are becoming fed up with prisoners living in what some characterize as resort-like facilities with privileges such as cable TV, weightlifting rooms, free education, and libraries. Many Americans would like to reduce or eliminate such prison amenities to cut down on prison spending and redirect that money toward fighting and preventing crime.

In addition to generally reducing inmates’ privileges, many states have also developed “super-max” prisons, designed to house the most troublesome prisoners. In these facilities, prisoners spend 23 hours a day locked alone in their cells. They are allowed no contact with other prisoners and minimal contact with guards. They are offered no educational or vocational training and usually no television or reading material. Supporters of “super-max” prisons say they are necessary tools to punish otherwise incorrigible prisoners. In that same vein, officials in many prisons where violence is prevalent have acquired shock devices for control of violent or uncooperative prisoners.

Another popular idea among tough-on-crime policymakers has been putting able-bodied prisoners to work for private contractors. The money earned by the correctional institutions under such arrangements can be used to offset prison costs. A fringe benefit is that prisoners also learn skills they can use after being released. But not every prison-work program imparts such skills to inmates. In some states, chain gangs have been reinstated to provide a source of laborers, as well as to drive home the point that prison life is not pleasant.