Why does out society tolerate prisons that turn bad people into vicious animals?

Question

Prisoners endure a violent existence of socially sponsored beatings and gang rape, then we turn them loose in society in far worse shape than they left it. Even non-violent criminals come out as rapists and murderers because they went through something that was worse than hell. Shouldn't we just kill people instead of putting them in our jails? Wouldn't it be more humane for everybody? Or maybe we should just reform our prisons and laws?

If you're ignorant of what actually goes on in prison, please see Human Rights Watch's study on prison rape and prison violence. The prisoners are allowed to run the prisons because the guards think they deserve to live in hell, but most people who survive to live on the streets again are merely enraged beyond anything you could understand. They are enraged at you for your smug ignorance and they will get you if they can.

That is, they'll make sure you don't have anything to smile about anymore.

Answer 1

Prisons are money making machines for the owners! The states pay private prison managers a whole bunch of money. Judges even own interests in restitution centers. What better way to keep 100% occupancy of their business. Isn't that a huge conflict of interest???

It is time for a huge revamp of our worthless prison system.

The basic premise of prison is to restrict freedom. Currently they are nothing more than a holding tank.

If the inmate will be released at some point in their life it is better for society to get them headed towards managing freedom than a sudden release from a high security institution. That is a recipe for failure.

Empowering an inmate through earning increased freedom woujld help reinforce the benefit of making postive choices.

There are many types of freedom restrictions:

Death row
Maximum security - with no parole

Eventual Freedom:

Maximum security - with parole
Solitary confinement
Minimum security
Jail
(Convert abandoned military bases for low risk felons, youthful offenders, non violent crimes, rather than put them in with hardened criminals)
Work release centers
Restitution centers (how many judges invest in these and sentence people to them to keep them full?)
Forest camps
Rehab center
House arrest
Treatment centers

More freedom:

Ankle bracelet monitoring
Parole from prison where they must meet with their parole officer
Probation from jail where they must meet with their probation officer
3rd Party Custodian
Random drug testing
Lose drivers license
Breathalyzer installed on vehicle

The inmate enters prison at the highest level of freedom restriction the crime designates, determined by the type of crime.

Based on a set of personal needs and goals, the inmate can complete certain sets of requirements and move towards more freedom in graduated steps. If they fight or break rules, they are sent back to the highest level of freedom restriction to start over.

Some goals should be obtaining a GED, increasing SAT scores, entering college, higher education, work skills, community work within a prison (teaching someone to read, tutoring another inmate to get their GED), learning and applying anger management techniques, learning about domestic violence, revealing their early childhood trauma, learning to cry, feel human emotions.

Answer 2

First off, I don't believe all prison life is like what you described all the time! People don't go in as non-violent and then come out as these terrible rapists/murderers. Yes, prison life is hard and bad things do happen in there. But for the most part prisons offer jobs for the inmates to do and give them pay (even if it isn't that great of pay). They also offer opportunities for education (which I don't entirely agree is fair, but that's for a different question/subject). They try and help inmates to better themselves so when they come out they may be able to turn things around (discipline, work, religion, school, etc). I'm sure that most prisoners end up back in jail too even if they are given good opportunities.

When people are put on death row it can take up to ten years to determine whether or not to sentence them. They have so many appeals. The system is trying to make sure they aren't putting innocent people to death. There is no way anyone would agree to putting all criminals to death. It would be better to reform our prisons and laws. Look up Alcatrez prison life. It's really interesting. That may help.

Answer 3

Prison reform along the lines you suggest in the last sentence of your question has been tried in every Western country since the late 19th century. It has not worked well in any major country in which it has been tried.
In most prisons, beatings and gang rape are not "socially sponsored," and are in fact prosecuted.
So, what is the viable alternative? Let crime go unpunished? Let the inmates run the prisons?
Perhaps the emphasis of prisons ought to be on punishment, so as to possibly reduce recidivism.

Answer 4

I think the idea is one of deterrance. First, you don't want to be in prison since you obviously know what happens there. Second, no one should want to go back to prison knowing what occurs there. The idea of prison terrifies me and keeps me on the fairly straight and narrow, what about you?

You mention reforming our prisons and laws but don't offer any ideas. What are your ideas for creating a better system that will deter AND punish offenders? How can the US make the system better? (I'm not accepting your idea of killing everyone as viable, as much as I would love it.)