Prison Policy Initiative

“The Plague”, written by Albert Camus, is a book which focuses on the struggle a town must go through while facing a deadly plague that has overtaken them. Becoming a prisoner to death will leave its victim an unforgettable sting. But fighting against the sting of death is courageous, even if it ends with defeat. This book shows us that it is not only a remarkably noble act to rebel in the midst of suffering, it is an act of morality that everyone should choose to follow. This story took place…

Danny M. Ms. Speight English Honors 2nd period 9/25/17 The Interesting bet "The death penalty is more moral and more humane than imprisonment for life. Capital punishment kills a man at once, but lifelong imprisonment kills him slowly. Which executioner is the more humane, he who kills you in a few minutes or he who drags the life out of you in the course of many years?" (Chekhov). The author uses tone to make it more suspenseful because you want to be informed of who shall win or lose the…

The Effect of Long-Term Solitary Confinement Communication and social interaction is the foundation of all human relationship. In 2009 author and surgeon Dr. Atul Gawande’s “HellHole”, an article in New Yorker magazine on what's happening in prisons across America. In the article, Gawande describes that humans are social animals, explaining that “once humans are stripped of consistent social interaction, they began to lose their minds.” Through his personal creditability, detailed emotional…

In the debate “Abolish the Death Penalty”, Robert Blecker argues against the motion. He concludes that the death penalty is an appropriate punishment for extreme crimes. His examples of extreme cases include terrorists, mass murderers of vulnerable victims (especially children), rapist murderers, contract killers, and torture killers. According to Mr. Blecker the other option for punishment, life without parole, does not fit the crime in these extreme cases. The argument he uses expresses…

includes “former property owners, relatives of Koreans who fled to South Korea, Christians, and those who worked for the Japanese colonial government that controlled the Korean peninsula before WWII”. Many of the people in this class are in political prisons, like Shin, and none are allowed into universities in North Korea. Some, however, are moved to distant regions near China. This class, in North Korea, is considered untrustworthy and against the government, or relatives of such people. Both…

Although Dick and Perry commit a mortifying murder, Capote uses literary devices to explain that just because someone commits a crime they should not face judgement on that action alone, but rather on their overall character; therefore, despite the murder, Perry should not be perceived nor treated as a fiend. Perry’s upbringing was extremely unfortunate, his family had dealt him a tragic hand in life, leaving him in orphanages where he faced abuse and hardship. Capote is able to represent the…

(1) Deterrence theory takes root in the concepts of classical criminology. The theory asserts that people making rational decisions to commit crime as a means of pursuing their own personal interests by increasing their pleasure and reducing their pain. Offenders commit crime because its advantageous. To deter crime, swift, certain, and appropriately severe punishments must be imposed. Individuals will reject the option to offend because they are fearful of the certainty, swiftness and…

Unlike his plan of care, Walter is permanently condemned by the scar of his felony conviction, even though he is proved to be innocent. While Walter does not pay with his life in prison, he pays with his mind in freedom. It is impossible to say whether pretreating McMillian’s mental health at his release would have prevented his suffering later on and allowed him to enjoy his freedom in the comfort of his own home; however, pretreating…

Each year children are sentenced life in prison without parole. That is 2570 children sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole according to the American Civil Liberty Union. Children are abused immensely in prison. Some sexually assaulted from the prison guards and the inmates and some just beaten. Children that are sentenced are taken advantage of and can’t do anything about due to their small size and of the word “snitch”. In the book Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, Bryan…

and prisons. Some people may think they are interchangeable. However, while both facilities house individuals that broke the law, each facility houses different types of offenders. One thing that remains the same within both sites is there are violent crimes that take place within the confined walls. The ultimate goal for convicts in prison is to be released on parole. Many people who are found guilty of a crime hope they get probation instead of jail time. Differences in jails and prisons…