Prison Reform

Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:33-40

The American justice system overwhelming incarcerates offenders. 2.3 million in American jails. Only about half of these inmates are in for violent offenses. source: Bureau of Justice Statistics - 2005.

“The United States has 5 percent of the world’s population and 25 percent of the world’s incarcerated population. We rank first in the world in locking up our fellow citizens.” Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance

Suggestions for Federal Prison Reform:

Statistics report that 90% of inmates were abused as children. Alice Miller, author and expert on abuse, proclaims the figure to be a full 100%. There must be help for inmates to face their abuse and to work through it* If not, high rates of recidivism after incarceration will persist.
Be more pro active in identifying the most aggressive prisoners. Quickly identify gang leaders and hierarchy for appropriate punishment and extraction for permanent transfers to other parts of the prison and/or isolation.
All prisoners wear tidy uniforms. Have inspections every morning.
Accountability for Guards and staff. They are responsible for the safety of prisoners.
All prisoners are treated with respect.
Well defined behaviour modification program in place for all inmates. If someone is going to be incarcerated, doesn't it make sense to modify their behaviour before they leave?
All inmates would need comprehensive instruction on personal boundaries.
No borrowing, bartering or exchanging of any items between prisoners. Immediate consequences for infractions.
Assign primary staff for inmates, however, switch primaries often.
Invasive cavity searches for weekenders/part time prisoners coming in and going out.
Separation of weekenders/part time prisoners from others.
Serious and immediate consequences for any prisoner caught coercing another.
Zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs and strict penalties for those who smuggle drugs into the prison.
Inmates are required to have crew cuts.
No access to tattoos or piercings.
Absolutely no weights or weight bearing exercise equipment of any kind. It only adds to the aggression and puts staff at a disadvantage.
No punching bags, speed bags, boxing or martial arts equipment.
No access to pornography.
No internet access.
No cell phones.
No electronic media.
No movies with violence, sexuality or course language.
Zero tolerance for aggression or intimidation.
More supervision i.e. physical presence.
One inmate per cell.
Do not incarcerate non violent first time offenders. First time offenders housed separately.
Intense psychological counselling for those who need it.
Better access to drug and alcohol treatment programs.
Literacy, education and skills training.
Pet therapy. Looking after a pet teaches compassion and empathy. It has been shown that inmates who take on the responsibility of caring for a pet have a recidivism rate of only 20%.
Compulsory Programs teaching compassion to staff and inmates. Have a way to gauge the level of empathy in a prisoner. There will be a direct correlation between the amount of empathy the prisoner has for himself and others, to his rehabilitation and social functioning within the prison.
Christian based teachings and programs.
High staff to inmate ratio.
More education for staff on rape and other violence issues.
For inmates who are married before entering prison; more conjugal visits.
Dangerous inmates housed apart, each in separate cell. Most of their time spent in their cell.
Quick identification, monitoring and constant observation for violent offenders while out of their cells.
Frequent room searches.
Frequent body searches.
No cluttering up cells. Only limited amount of personal effects kept in the cells.
A no gang policy.
Incentive plan and protection for inmates to report crimes in prison. In regular society, where would-be prisoners eventually end up, they have such a program - it's called crime stoppers.
Serious consequences for Prison Guards who do not uniformly enforce the rules.
Free bibles.
Mass available everyday.
A strict enforced code of conduct.
No incarceration for soft drug convictions and abolish 3 strikes law.
An independent Ombudsman to deal only with prisoner to prisoner violence.
All allegations of violence investigated and prisoners found guilty of sexual assault placed on the Sex Offenders Register and isolated from population.
Have a well trained covert extraction unit in place.
Walls should be painted with soft pastel colours.
No music with violent or sexual lyrics allowed.
Avoid needless prisoner transportation to courts by having in-house cameras.
Only modest portions at meal time.
Not necessary for all inmates to eat in cafeteria or common area. Limit movement of prisoners within the prison. Restrict communications between high risk inmates.
Keep the ambient temperature down to 18 Celsius.
Don't allow prisoners to huddle up or gather without staff being in the immediate area. The guards should be in close proximity at all times. How can they ensure the safety of the prison unless they are in close proximity to the prisoners? It's common sense.
All prisoners will need social skills training.
Just like in school, everybody knew who the bullies were - so it is in prison. Remove - isolate - reprogram the few who try to rule the roost.
Parental training for inmates who are parents. It is a sure bet that most of them never had proper parental guidance growing up.

It's time for penal staff to take back their prisons. Its time to have both discipline and compassion in our prisons.

Many of the aforementioned programs could be run by volunteers. Programs such as literacy, education, skills training, Christian initiatives, pet therapy, compassionate training and so.

Physical and Sexual abuse in prisons is a problem for society. Make no mistake; it is in societies best interest to have safe prisons. What may seem like prison's problems now, become societies woes in the future.

According to stopprisonrape.org; in the United States, it is estimated 1 in 10 men are raped in prison. It may seem funny to many people including late night talk show hosts and some other T.V. personalities, but in stark contrast, rape is horrific and dehumanizing.

Here is a quote from the Human Rights Website:

Prisoners unable to escape a situation of sexual abuse may find themselves becoming another inmate's "property." The word is commonly used in prison to refer to sexually subordinate inmates, and it is no exaggeration. Victims of prison rape, in the most extreme cases, are literally the slaves of the perpetrators. Forced to satisfy another man's sexual appetites whenever he demands, they may also be responsible for washing his clothes, massaging his back, cooking his food, cleaning his cell, and myriad other chores. They are frequently "rented out" for sex, sold, or even auctioned off to other inmates, replicating the financial aspects of traditional slavery. Their most basic choices, like how to dress and whom to talk to, may be controlled by the person who "owns" them. Their name may be replaced by a female one. Like all forms of slavery, these situations are among the most degrading and dehumanizing experiences a person can undergo.

“Before they went to bed, all the townsmen of Sodom, both young and old--all the people to the last man--closed in on the house. They called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to your house tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have intimacies with them.” Genesis 19:4-5

“Then the angels said to Lot: "Who else belongs to you here? Your sons (sons-in-law) and your daughters and all who belong to you in the city--take them away from it! We are about to destroy this place, for the outcry reaching the LORD against those in the city is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.” Genesis 19:12-13

Here is a quote from Stop Prison Rape: “Rates for women, who are most likely to be abused by male staff members, vary greatly among institutions. In one facility, 27 percent of women reported a pressured or forced sex incident, while in another facility, seven percent of women reported sexual abuse.”

We need prisons to operate safely for inmates. One of the reasons for incarceration is to protect society from violent offenders. If prisons condone violence, then it becomes society's problem when prisoners are released. When a prisoner is raped in prison; then society has to deal with that individual's psychological problems when they get out. We set limits and boundaries for children in order for them to feel safe and secure. We need to do the same thing with inmates. By strictly enforcing codes of conduct in prisons, we make it safer for inmates. By teaching compassion, we demonstrate to men and women in the prison system that there behavior has consequences for themselves and others.

Here is from the U.S Department of Justice - Office of Justice Programs; sexual violence reported by Correctional Authorities in 2004:

In 2004, correctional authorities reported 3.15 allegations of sexual violence per 1,000 inmates.
Males comprised 90% of victims and perpetrators of inmate-on-inmate non-consensual acts in prison and jail.
In State prisons 69% of victims of staff sexual misconduct were male, while 67% of perpetrators were female.

links:

National Prison Rape Elimination Commission

stanford prison experiment

federal bureau of prisons

prison fellowship

interpol

references: Alice Miller, Banished Knowledge, Doubleday, New York, New York, 1988.