From February 1864 until the end of the Civil War in April 1865, Andersonville Prison was a Confederate military prison where captured Union soldiers were being held. Andersonville Prison, the most famous military prison during the Civil War, left a mark on the South and should not be forgotten. Andersonville as a field with a log stockade bordering it and a stream intersected it, which served the prisoners both a sanitation system and water supply (Thomason). The stream soon became polluted with human waste over the months and it was the prisoner's main source of drinking water. The prisoners experienced many diseases and illnesses like respiratory diseases, diarrhea, and scurvy.…
In the PBS film Prison State, filmmakers follow the lives of four individuals throughout incarceration in the Kentucky Criminal Justice system, as well as efforts made to reform the system and the effect on inmates. They also studied the impact of criminalization of Juveniles for minor crimes, and the incarceration of the mentally ill and drug addicted. Among the many staggering statistics revealed on the Kentucky Criminal Justice System in the film, was the amount spent on housing the growing inmate population. According to the film, the state of Kentucky’s spending jumped by 220%, about half a billion dollars, in housing inmates between 1999 and 2010.…
Hello guys, Our direction is going to head to Mass Incarceration & Black, Blown Females & Community (including family) [The mass incarceration of black and brown women has devastating and lasting impacts on their communities.] might also considering Policing of women Domestic violence abuse Sex work Drug use The reason why chose Mass Incarceration & Black, Blown Females & Community : Fastest growing the U.S prison population Often acting as head of household Strongly affects family, children, and men How/ where we can find the artists Open call: Using Web/ Pages…
Gangs in North Carolina Prisons, and How Gangs Communicate with the Outside World Gangs are undoubtedly one of the largest problems that the Department of Corrections faces daily. According to David Starbek prison gang is defined as: “an inmate organization that operates within a prison system, that has a corporate entity, exists into perpetuity, and whose membership is restrictive, mutually exclusive, and often requires a lifetime commitment”(Starbek). A person who was in a gang before coming to prison is generally able to find comfort with that gang while in prison, however a person who was not must earn the respect of that gang after they arrive. Prison gangs are considered to be security threat groups or STG’s and when dangerous or leaders of a gang are detained they are placed in the security housing unit or SHU, where they are on lockdown twenty-three and a half hours a day.…
Mentally Ill Prisoners South Carolina mental health state hospital had to close their doors due to limited funding in the state budget to keep the facility open. As a result, some of the patients were transitioned into a short term area mental health hospital and they were later released into the communities. Some of the patients did poorly when transitioned into the communities and were later found to be trouble with the judicial system. They would go out and commit crimes such as trespassing, public intoxication, or robbing the thrift store.…
One of the most impressive situations that I found the United States is the one regarding the massive incarceration of the African American population. Because of this, I decided to do some research to understand the origins of this situation and its consequences for the African American communities. As I acknowledge the fact that racism has operated as a systemic concept that has affected the life trajectories of the ethnic minorities, and specifically, the African Americans, this situation and its evolution surprised me and attracted my attention.…
Tyra Thomas Professor Holder December 6, 2016 African Studies Mass Incarceration Many believe that slavery didn’t end in 1865, rather it was reformed. We can look at slavery and how African labor was exploited and the harsh conditions they were under to perform this labor for the white men. After the exploitation of Africans in Slavery there was Segregation, which existed solely to separate races due to nothing more than the color of your skin. Race something that is social constructed and has nothing to back it up, but society has instilled this thought as one being superior due to skin color.…
This incident made Mark feel as if he had no control or say in the situation unless he wanted to face the punishments of his superiors. This feeling can lead to ex-offenders having difficulties reintegrating into society such as having “difficulty in accessing the self-motivation required for free world life” or the feeling that they do not have any control of their life, especially for someone like them who is looked upon by society (Chesla & Marlow, 2009). As an inmate resides within correctional facility walls, aggression is prone to develop in order to adapt to prison life. Mathew, a 44 year old African American became an aggressor because that was his only way to be respected by others in the facility.…
There is a sense of closure given to the victim’s family because the convicted killer can never kill again. The death of a proven murderer may, in fact, create happiness for the general public along with the victim’s families. However, capital punishment should not be based upon lex talionis, an “eye for an eye” mentality. This is a retributive mentality and the punishment is created because the offender “deserves” the punishment. Retributive punishment focuses on revenge for the past rather than looking to improve the future.…
Americans today live in a country overflowing with more prisoners than ever, yet crime has been dropping since the late twentieth century. In fact, from 1980 to 2008, the number of people incarcerated in America quadrupled from about 500,000 to 2.3 million people (Criminal 1). There are several factors contributing to this problem. In recent years, America has taken new approaches to crime, such as the “War On Drugs” and the “Three Strikes” law. These approaches have drastically increased the prison population, to the point that 1 in 31 adults, or 3.2% of the population, will spend some time in prison in their lifetime (ibid).…
One of the main security threats in American’s correctional facilities today is gang violence. Correctional facilities are faced with emerging problems related to gang violence such as drugs, murder, extortion, gambling, abuse of religious freedom by spreading hate in the name of religion, “racial enmity” and “racial extremism which is the number one factor of the ongoing problem of racial conflict in the facilities. Some of the security threat groups/gangs contributing to these problems are: The Aryan Brotherhood, Black Guerilla Family, Folk Nation, Mexican Mafia and MS 13. The Aryan Brotherhood which is also known as the Brand or AB is a violent white supremacist group and national crime syndicate.…
The sole purpose of prison is to punish criminals for crimes they have committed, protect citizens from crime, and rehabilitate those individuals to be honest, law-abiding citizens once they are released back into the public. Wilbert Rideau, author of “Why Prisons Don’t Work”, was in the Louisiana State Penitentiary and has first-hand experience with how the prison system works. Prison is the punishment, but the punishments within the prison are inhumane and ineffective. High re-offense rates show that the public is not being protected from criminals; nor, are they rehabilitating those individuals to be productive citizens. Prisons are harming the individuals inside of them more than helping, prisons do not work.…
Pressing for Prison Reform The prison system is just as corrupt as the prisoners inside them. We live in a world where it is deemed acceptable to punish a criminal by taking away their humanity, and only release them when they find it themselves. We must reform the flawed prison system; only then can we correct the criminal way of life. Today, it is not uncommon to hear intrusive and abhorrent events that happen behind bars, including excessive violence, sexual harassment, health violations, and misconduct of legal power.…
Most of the time in my life, I often hear “An eye for an eye.” Most of the people strongly believe that if a criminal took someone’s life, then their lives should be also taken away as well, but I don’t think that will deter anyone from committing crimes because I strongly believe that we should kill the crime not the criminal. The death penalty has been the highest form of criminal punishment since the ancient times for a variety of offenses. The system gives the death penalty in the form of Hanging, Lethal Injection, Gas Chamber, Firing Squad, and Electrocution. I don’t think…
The death penalty advocates revenge and takes the meaning of justice away, and if we were…