The current state of mass incarceration in the United States is problematic. It is the intent of this website to identify the nature of this problem and the means by which we can address the challenges of societal misbehavior and suggest a path to a solution.
We begin our discussion with a presentation of the path to this problem by presenting both a brief history of prisons and the development of the United States as the leading state of per capita incarceration rate. We will begin with a definition of the problem of crime and punishment and the philosophical questions that are raised by creating a prison system, We will then expose the path that has led to the current situation where the United States now leads the world in per capita prison population. We will address the nature of the problem this creates in the inefficient utilization of a nations resources in building the carceral state and the resulting ineffective systems in place that are supposed to be addressing not just crime and punishment but the need to provide a rehabilitative solution.
We begin this study with a nod to the obvious. History has dictated the difficulty of addressing the problem of dealing with crime in a society. Following the “Age of Enlightenment” philosophers which have helped to define the social contract, we have witnessed the results of systems implemented with the best of intentions. This includes approaches that have been motivated by our best social and scientific understandings and enlightened philosophical insights, including attempts to apply scientific methodologies and theories. However, failure to closely track desired outcomes with measurable performance indicators based on implementation statistics have consistently provided examples of complete and utter failure of the task at hand. It is our intent to shed some light on a new approach to solving the problem of crime and hope to define a world less focused on retribution and punishment, and more attentive to positive growth in the health of a free society. The time for a post-carceral world is now.
The History of Mass Incarceration
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