Prison Reform

The Rise of Big House Nation: From Reform to Revenge exposes the issues faced by prisoners and their strides to be heard and their demands to a better quality of life within the prison system. Parenti discloses that despite the money dispersed into the prison system; prisons remained overcrowded, fugitive and elusive. ‘From reform to revenge’ shows the contrast of American government within the bracket of morality in relation to the prison system and the ideology of what is supposed to be a professional and legitimate penology system. This reading speaks of the prison system and how the conditions have caused it to become more restrictive and less productive in means of reform with time. Parenti glimpses at the prison population and the cause …show more content…
Parenti shows that they are certain stages that the prison system undergoes and is still undergoing, from most prisons being overcrowded and in extremely horrid conditions which still did not instill a sense of morality about prison conditions and prisoners’ quality of life by the Government however, the mobility of the poor population, social and political upheaval instilled a sense of morality about standards of the criminal justice system in return commenced ‘prison reform’. Prisoners demanded that their right be protected and their quality of life within the prisons is better however, despite the direction of prison reform, overcrowded and abhorrent prisons were still a part of the prisons system. Prisoners decided to take control of their prison to demand better treatment through a self organized prisoner’s society, this struggle of reform ended as the Attica prison rebellion. The fear and crisis of the rebellion practically caused a minimum but somewhat improved prisoners’ quality of life by the access and allowing of law libraries and visitation etc. However, what is disturbing is that the actual physical prison system and life inside remained atrocious even with the strides made toward prison