When considering the changes the American prison system has undergone, do you think that the system has reached a point where it’s healthy for inmates and guards? When reading the second part of New Jack, going over the history of the prison system in America really struck me. The chapter “Scrap Heap” covers all the history of Sing Sing prison, but it also covers some basics about how prison was in general across America. It’s gut-wrenching to read about the conditions over time. The two things that stood out to me the most were the cold-water baths and the use of the cat-o-9-tails daily in the prison, “in 1841, according to one legislative report, ‘More than a hundred blows were struck daily… The whipping post was never dry.’ ” (178).
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There are still occupational hazards that come with being a guard, such as having bodily fluids thrown on you (including being ejaculated on by prisoners. Ewww.), being injured, or even being killed on the job. Guards mentally have to be in a certain place in order to do their job. Also, there are still times when prisoners have to roughly handled or incapacitated because of their behavior. For inmates, there’s the SHU, the constant power battles with other inmates and with guards, threats to their safety from gangs or other people who don’t like them, and not many opportunities to actually change anything in their life before they get out of prison. It may be a bit more sanitary in prison, but a lot remains the same. I think that, despite improvements in the prisons’ conditions, the system is still very flawed and unhealthy for everyone involved. If inmates cannot find a way to do something else when they get out, they will continue to live the same life. If guards are not allowed to let humanity come into play during their workday, they will ultimately become harder of heart, more inhumane, rougher, less likely to make good decisions, alongside being more likely to commit suicide and beat their wives and children. We have a long way to
There are still occupational hazards that come with being a guard, such as having bodily fluids thrown on you (including being ejaculated on by prisoners. Ewww.), being injured, or even being killed on the job. Guards mentally have to be in a certain place in order to do their job. Also, there are still times when prisoners have to roughly handled or incapacitated because of their behavior. For inmates, there’s the SHU, the constant power battles with other inmates and with guards, threats to their safety from gangs or other people who don’t like them, and not many opportunities to actually change anything in their life before they get out of prison. It may be a bit more sanitary in prison, but a lot remains the same. I think that, despite improvements in the prisons’ conditions, the system is still very flawed and unhealthy for everyone involved. If inmates cannot find a way to do something else when they get out, they will continue to live the same life. If guards are not allowed to let humanity come into play during their workday, they will ultimately become harder of heart, more inhumane, rougher, less likely to make good decisions, alongside being more likely to commit suicide and beat their wives and children. We have a long way to