Prisons: Ethical Concerns For Inmates

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Ethical Concerns For Inmates An estimated that 6,851,000 adults are confined in the correctional systems in the United States, or about 1 in 36 adults (Kaeble et al.). Americans spend 80 billion dollars a year funding the correctional facilities, which comes to $260 per resident per year, so citizens have the right to know how their $260 is being spent and whether or not it is helping to reform inmates (Picchi). The news is constantly reporting stories of violent crimes occurring nationwide, which makes a person question just how efficient the modern correctional facilities are at lowering crime rates and reforming inmates. As time goes on, will prisons be able to solve or reduce future violent crimes from the 1,163,146 violent crimes that …show more content…
Every day prisoners face emotional, mental, and physical challenges, such as: physical abuse, racial and gender discrimination, and mental abuse. Arguments arise as to whether this is just punishment for their crimes. In regards to ethics, to what extent do prisons in developed countries, specifically the United States, reform their inmates? Prisons are debated as either a place of reform or a place of punishment, which results in disputes as to what is considered ethical in regards to the mental health of inmates within the correctional facilities. One of the issues of the debate is the mental condition of inmates. The health services are less than adequate to fit the needs of humans, and it is argued that prison systems do not see inmates as actual people but as problems. It is hard to truly reform a person to the societal norm when you do not treat them as though they are apart of society. According to the mere exposure therapy, the more you are around something, the more you like it. Thus, if you want prisoners to be reformed, then you must make them feel like they are in an environment similar to the place we want them to be reformed to. “Human Rights Watch has called prison mental health services ‘woefully …show more content…
“The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reports that 6.6 percent of people serve time in prison at some point in their lives, and the statistic rises to a shocking 32 percent for African-American men” (Villines). The African-American community has devastatingly high rates when compared to the general population. This may seem as though it goes against the most basic human right to equality, and in some cases it does, but it can also be explained by the fact that blacks are 7 to 10 times more likely to commit violent crimes than whites (Bandler). “A report of the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (Lotke) indicated that in the District of Columbia, 50 percent of young black men ages 18 to 35 were under criminal justice supervision” (Gostin). These numbers are disproportionate to the crime rates so there is some racial discrimination. When it comes to mental treatment there is a significant discrimination between the genders and races. Women have a better chance to receive treatment than men, and whites are more likely than Hispanics or blacks to receive mental care (Gostin). There is an ethical concern as to rights of equality.. While you may think that all races and genders would be treated fairly since the correctional facilities are run by the government, this is not the case. The police, judicial

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