Pelican Bay State Prison

Our prison systems in the United States seem to be under constant scrutiny and debate in some form or fashion. One specific topic that has been under quite a bit of heat is the discussion of solitary confinement. While many other countries have pulled the plug on this practice, American prison systems seem to be exploding in the opposite direction, increasing the number of inmates we maintain in solitary confinement at an alarming rate. This certainly leads to a rabbit hole of questions, but as…

disinterest in corrections, I interviewed my father and my brother who are Correctional Officers for the state of California. My father worked for the Department of Corrections for 26 years, he recently retired this year. I had asked him if he enjoyed it, He said that he had enjoyed his career and the pay was very rewarding to him. He had worked his whole 26 years at Tehachapi State Prison (CCI) . My dad preferred to work on the higher level yards with the more dangerous inmates. He didn 't…

In the article Bennett receives a quote from an inmate from Pelican Bay on his experience in solitary confinement. He stated that it “is like being locked in the trunk of a car with just enough weather stripping removed so you an breath, and with enough food and water stuffed in everyday inside so that you can physically survive.” (Bennett, 2016, p.298) When being always confined with no personal interactions, there is only so much the emotional and mental body can take. Stories like Kalief…

20 hours a day for days, weeks, months, or even years. This practice has been used widely throughout the United States for many decades in an effort to separate highly dangerous inmates from causing harm to other inmates or themselves. Whether or not solitary confinement is useful in the prison system is up for debate but the effects it leaves on the inmates is a concern for many states. By taking a look at what solitary confinement is, examining the phycological effects of the imprisonment, and…

Each state utilizes various categories to designate and classify prison security levels, while most states collectively recognize these four in order from the most to least secure and controlling. Super-maximum, maximum-security, medium-security, and minimum-security. Super-maximum prisons are designed to be extremely guarded and constricting, out of all the other categorized prisons. Super-maximum prisons are “reserved for incarcerating the most dangerous and ruthless of offenders, where they…

In the United States, the Bill of Rights is regarded as one of the most important documents of our nation’s history. An adaptation to the Constitution, the Bill protects its citizens from the government, giving us the freedom our country is notorious for. In our justice system, imprisonment is the deprivation of freedom, which is one of our essential rights. However, this practice is essential in keeping order in our society, and is necessary in protecting citizens from harm. While there are…

“Most of those released from prison today have serious social and medical problems. They remain largely uneducated, unskilled, and usually without solid family supports....”( Petersilia 3). When people think of prisons and corrections, they automatically assume people are going to jail and staying there. However, most of those people go to prison where they have to face the harsh reality of not having family come visit them, they may not like the food, abuse from other inmates including officers…

the number of incarcerations in America has more than tripled and the amount the nation spends to maintain these facilities is six times the annual budget for our education system (Gopnik, 2012). Due to overcrowding and the high density of these prisons, certain inmates cannot be held in the general population…

cell with close to nothing except a bed, toilet and sink for twenty two hours with one to two hours in a cage just outside their cell for them to walk around. The prisoners receive no social interaction besides the limited contact they have with the prison guards and are given nothing to occupy themselves. Solitary confinement is used as a punishment or to keep other inmates safe when a prisoner has dangerous tendencies. Although solitary confinement can be considered…

American history is all over the United States, stretching from coast to coast and border to border, but a very important part of our history is located off the coast of San Francisco. Alcatraz, a former fort, prison, Indian ground, and now a national park has been in America’s history from 1861, where it was a fort, to 2015, where it boasts as one of the nation's most notorious national parks. As any famous thing or person, this small island when from rags to riches. Alcatraz was a small…