Corrections

Panopticism: a social theory initially developed by French philosopher Michel Foucault in his book, Discipline and Punish. The intention of the prison design was to sanction all inmates in isolation, and permanent observation. A single guard from an elevated tower would hawk eye the prison cells for any suspicious activity throughout the entirety of the day. “Each individual in his/her place, is securely confined to a cell which he is seen from the front by the supervisor. He is seen, but does…

Angela Davis’s speeches in the Meaning of Freedom depict the rise of the prison-industrial complex in the United States. The prison-industrial complex is the collection of the criminal justice system, police officers, judges, and every actor participating in the process of incarcerating individuals. Two explanations Davis provides for the rise are the public fear of crime perpetrated by the media that leads to racist policies and the relationship of globalization and prisons. Intertwined…

Victorian Era When imagining the Victorian Era, fancy lifestyles, and elaborate living may come to mind. However, during this era, other lifestyles and conditions of living of a different nature were going on at this time. During the Victorian Era, different types of punishments were used for the crimes. Prisons served as lock-ups for debtors and places where the accused were held before trial. The prisons were becoming an acceptable form as punishment for serious offenders and…

The first use of solitary confinement was in 1787. It was first used on a group of prisoners and it was believed if people were left alone in almost complete silence, they would feel repent for what they did. In the article, the author Dana Liebelson uses multiple real life examples to show how solitary confinement can have horrifying, long-lasting effects on people, especially children and young adults. Specifically the author uses the stories of a 17- year old named Kenny, and a 16- year old…

When discussing the prison system, you usually talk about men’s prisons, how people of color are subjected to being incarcerated more often than white people, and the school to prison pipeline. I’m not trying to say that these topics aren’t valid (which they are), but more so about the fact that we don’t usually acknowledge what incarcerated pregnant women are and aren’t entitled to and the problems they face. Though being in prison isn’t the best thing, no matter who you are, we can agree…

becomes a crime, an addiction somewhere. And we are not aware of it, and don’t realize that we are the ones responsible for all of it. Sri Bhagavan said,” My feeling about people in prison is that if they were not in prison, we would be the ones in prison. A certain balance is being maintained in society. They have committed some crimes, and they are in prison. And had they not commit those crimes, we would be the ones who would have committed them. That’s why I have special love for these…

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn takes the reader through a typical day in a Soviet prison camps around 1960. The novel is written through the point of view of Ivan Denisovich (Shukhov), a poor and uneducated man. Throughout the novel the reader is exposed to the harsh treatment and environment that the inmates endured in the prison camps, which included a number-ing system, roll calls and searches, the hierarchy of prisoners, and the prison guard’s actions. These…

There has not yet been a point in time where every person agrees on something. There is people like Dorothea Dix didn't agree on the way that most prisons were being managed and how the people were being treated in those prisons. Instead of just saying she didn't agree she actually did try to do something about what was going on in the prisons. That's when the reforms come, the reform that Dorothea Dix was part of was the Prison and Asylum Reform. This is a very significant reform movement…

We need more crazy people in our lives. They have unique character traits that bring innovative ideas in this world. However, the lack of quality reintegration for inmates results in the feeling of lost which ends being sent back to prison. I had the great privilege of having a guest speaker, who was in prison for 20 years, in my criminal justice class. He volunteered in his community to make a change in prision system after he was released from prison. Although he was successful in finding…

Shock Incarceration & Boot Camp Programs Shock incarceration in “boot camps” have been around quite some time as a substitute for sentencing young offenders instead of sending them to prison. These boot camps have some advantages to them but also have some disadvantages as well. Some positive aspects of boot camps are that the offenders are not being sent to overcrowded prisons, at this boot camps the offenders are mandated to participate in programs that will rehabilitate these youthful…