I am startled by the contradictions in the prison system in the United States: if the prison system’s ultimate goal is to reform and rehabilitate a prisoner back to “normal”- a citizen who abides by the law- why does prison administration fail to reflect the behavior to be expected by the inmates and furthermore, lead and guide the prisoner to reformation? Rather than behave in a professional manner, why does the prison administration act contrary to what they expect? From the prisoner’s perspective, the lack of care, empathy, and compassion portray an image of power hungry administration, leading to a brutal and ineffective prison system. Secondly, I believe the panoptic design of prisons- the design in which the tower is central to the cells
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With the help of these guiding questions in this introduction, I wonder why the administration’s agenda seems to sharply contradict the goal of a prison system: to reform and rehabilitate a prisoner into a law-abiding citizen. Furthermore, I raise questions in areas that still remain unclear to me and hope to answer them as I develop my understanding of the prison system in the United States. As K.C. Carceral, the author of Welcome to Enterprise and the chapter Orientation shows, the first thing the administration does to the inmates is strip them of their humanity. They are constantly being transferred from prison to prison without the consideration of their family. They are treated like “livestock” by being brought into the prison through the loading dock door, and are even beat upon entrance into the prison (Carceral, 2006). Although this may appear to be a just consequence for their crimes, the actions of the guards are unjust. I think that if humans are deprived of their basic human rights, they will not learn. If my parents beat me because I stole a crayon, I would …show more content…
Michel Foucault’s Panoptisicm lays out the design of a prison to convey absolute authority. Foucault writes, “He is seen, but he does not see; he is the object of information, never a subject in communication” (Foucault, 200). Foucault employs this design to induce in the prisoner a sense of fear, assuring the automatic functioning of proper behavior. However, does this isolation between the prison watchers and the inmates themselves create a sense of trust, or does it lead to further violence? If I were to be constantly monitored by the NSA, I would not trust that the NSA is always doing it for the good of the people; they can be doing it because they can, simply because they have the power to do so. Rather, I would feel violated and want demand change, resulting in violent protesting, rebelling, etc. I believe if the strict separation of power continues to be highlighted both by the prison guards and within the exterior of the prison architecture, prisoners will continue to rebel. This design of the exterior of the prison instills fear, isolation, and
With the help of these guiding questions in this introduction, I wonder why the administration’s agenda seems to sharply contradict the goal of a prison system: to reform and rehabilitate a prisoner into a law-abiding citizen. Furthermore, I raise questions in areas that still remain unclear to me and hope to answer them as I develop my understanding of the prison system in the United States. As K.C. Carceral, the author of Welcome to Enterprise and the chapter Orientation shows, the first thing the administration does to the inmates is strip them of their humanity. They are constantly being transferred from prison to prison without the consideration of their family. They are treated like “livestock” by being brought into the prison through the loading dock door, and are even beat upon entrance into the prison (Carceral, 2006). Although this may appear to be a just consequence for their crimes, the actions of the guards are unjust. I think that if humans are deprived of their basic human rights, they will not learn. If my parents beat me because I stole a crayon, I would …show more content…
Michel Foucault’s Panoptisicm lays out the design of a prison to convey absolute authority. Foucault writes, “He is seen, but he does not see; he is the object of information, never a subject in communication” (Foucault, 200). Foucault employs this design to induce in the prisoner a sense of fear, assuring the automatic functioning of proper behavior. However, does this isolation between the prison watchers and the inmates themselves create a sense of trust, or does it lead to further violence? If I were to be constantly monitored by the NSA, I would not trust that the NSA is always doing it for the good of the people; they can be doing it because they can, simply because they have the power to do so. Rather, I would feel violated and want demand change, resulting in violent protesting, rebelling, etc. I believe if the strict separation of power continues to be highlighted both by the prison guards and within the exterior of the prison architecture, prisoners will continue to rebel. This design of the exterior of the prison instills fear, isolation, and