Psychological effects on innocen inmates in prison.?

Question

I would like some very detailed answers to this question and or links to websites with alot of information. I need research information and sources. I want to know about the effects on an innocent person in prison. Does it drive them crazy, do they get used to it, are they bitter, how does it change them. Anything helps. I would also like to know how the government can help this and why the government is responsible for this. Becuase it is the government that controls this so what can they do to change the mistakes that occur, and should they be held accountable for false accusations. What percentage of inmates are indeed innocent?

Answer 1

Obviously Mr. Wizard has never been in a prison, and I doubt if he would last 24 hours. There is nothing good about it, and I’m always amazed by people who are amazed that convicts know and use scams. Prisons are not intended to rehab anyone. They are strictly warehouses, to keep the “bad” people away from the “good” people. It’s a great place to learn more bad habits. Just as we learn to live in our world, inmates learn to live in the prison world. It’s totally different, and doesn’t encourage hope, trust or integrity.

You have very few choices in prison, which is very hard for people to learn when they first go in. Unlike TV prison, you are told when to get up, when to eat, when or if you can go outside, how long, what to wear when you’re outside, and so forth. Psychologically, that’s very difficult, and that's just the beginning.

I do agree with him, however, that you won’t be able to find stats regarding innocent people. Prisons are not going to admit that they held an innocent person because that opens up a lawsuit. And if an innocent person does have a family with thousands for an attorney, and the innocent person can survive ten years or so waiting for the attorney and our tortoise judicial system to free him, he is going to go hide somewhere, not participate in a survey.

I know of only two innocent men in prison. One has been in almost 30 years, and exhausted his legal avenues early, when he didn’t know what he was doing. The other one committed suicide in his seventh year, while waiting for the courts to get to his case.

Innocent or guilty, prison is exhausting mentally and physically. You can never let your guard down, you never sleep more than three hours at a time because of the noise level and the lights, you are constantly watching, watching, watching. If you are small or nerdy, you will be gang-raped and you could die from those injuries. You think the kids’ parents will sue? Who’s going to testify? The rapists? Their buddies? The staff who let it happen? The medical staff who didn’t treat the kid because there’s one doctor for 2000 inmates? That’s reality in prison.

As for government accountability, Google search the Tallahassee, FL newspapers about the FBI agent killed this past summer while trying to arrest several guards at the women’s Federal Correctional Institute there. No. he wasn’t killed by the inmates. He was killed by one of the guards, with a gun the guard wasn’t supposed to have. The guards were being charged with having sex with the female inmates in exchange for cigarettes and other favors (also known as extortion). Before the smoke had cleared, however, the magistrate was already talking about what great military careers those guards had, like this was all a big misunderstanding. Government accountability???

Or for the State Prison version of corruption, Google search the Florida Dept. of Corrections in the Florida newspapers. The head, honcho appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush, was recently charged with major scandal involving steroids, hookers at the prison, embezzling money, etcetera. Do you think he'll do any time at his own prison??

Yet our government is putting thousands of people in prison for years, thanks to mandatory minimums, for getting caught with one joint. They are not remotely worried about a few innocent people; And then the taxpayers get to support those prisoners, like my husband, who has been incarcerated for 26 years, and all his medical problems. He’s been in five years past his parole date, but that’s another thing you can count on with the government—they aren’t in any hurry to enforce their own rules, unless it serves them politically.

Good luck to you with your paper. You may want to check out the November Coalition’s web site, or the Innocence Project web site. If you are looking for psychological impact, you can count on bitter, paranoid, angry and exhausted. There can be no peace for anyone kept in an 8 X 10 concrete environment for years. We don’t even do that to our zoo animals anymore.

The one positive thing I’ve seen in common among all the men and women who have been released is an appreciation for freedom, that most people on the outside do not have.


Best wishes

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Granted, the American Criminal Justice System is NOT perfect by any means, however--it serves as the best social model of uniform justice.

Haven't you heard? ALL inmates are innocent: good luck finding true "innocent" incarcerated persons; the percentage is about 1% (liberals claim 3%--go figure).

It is a flexible probability of some local/federal law enforcement levels are aware of putting the wrong person in prison. However, the case has to be backed up for fear of extreme liabilities/lawsuits for 'wrongful imprisionment'.

But take heart: American prisons today aren't all that harsh, unlike the complaints voiced by those "behind bars". Watchdog liberal groups like the NAACP, ACLU and the ACA (the latter for a hefty fee), keeps prisons on top of the highest levels of cleanliness and sanitation.

Purportedly, I've heard once prominent citizen groups like the Jaycees and Toastmasters have embraced prison inmate members into their fold. Incarcerated members of these groups have a savvy scam going on, where they host "fundraisers" to other inmates, selling fast-food meal deals!! Yep!! Prison inmates are eating Whoppers and sirloin steak po-boys!!

In short: prison life, thanks to watchdog liberals, isn't all that bad; inmates quickly learn to get used to 'inside life'. And for some, freedom really is akin to a 'vacation'; prison life is their career.