A World Without Prisons: Why It Should Happen, and Now

Imagine a world where violence is at a minimum, no one person screaming about being locked away from society and forced to live in a cell, twenty-three hours a day. Yes, I am discussing a world without prisons, but one must first understand why this needs to happen and how it can be possible. However, first one must understand that we are not talking about a world where there will be no crime, and that I am instead offering a different route than throwing one into the cramped holding cell of a local jail or prison. First, we will consider the statistics and numbers behind the current prison system, then a look at current issues with the prison system, finally ending with a new direction. It is imperative that this great nation work on helping its citizen, not hinder their chances at life, liberty, and the pursuit at one’s own happiness, however this is what is currently being done when looking at the numbers behind this massive injustice.

In one section, a group member of mine discussed the history behind the prison system, specifically looking at where it came from, and the reason it was implemented. This information is very important to understand, but it is also additionally important to look at the numbers behind the current carceral state. In an article titled, "Introduction: Constructing the Carceral State," discussed that in its current state that somewhere around two million Americans a day are thrown into this second-rate system (Hernandez et al, p. 18). The article goes on to discuss that while those numbers are surprising, another seven million two hundred thousand are facing parole, probation, or somewhere in the nations deportation centers. This number, and the two million others that get locked up a day means that somewhere around twenty five percent of the current American population is locked away somewhere in this massive state of prisons. This number should be alarming, as the numbers suggest that basically one in every four people will be in jail at some point in their life or have been a part of this system in some way. Hernandez et al goes more in depth to explain the numbers by throwing in a study that was conducted by Tracey Kyckelhahn from 2010:

Social scientists often point out that the “collateral consequences” of policing and confinement are infinite. Most notably, policing and punishment and detention and deportation powerfully shape the U.S. economy and American democracy. Consider, for example, that while 3 million children have at least one parent in confinement in either a correctional facility or a detention center—severely impoverished since the incarcerated parent(s) can neither support them nor easily feed them, even after release, because of the stigma of a record or forced deportation—America’s vast carceral apparatus also employs millions of men and women who now directly depend upon high rates of imprisonment and detention to support their families (Kyckelhahn qtd in Hernandez et al 19).

This quote, this explanation really describes how the numbers break down, and our role in building the prison system. It really does put everyone in direct contact with the prison in some way, shape, or form. Whether we are on the payroll, know someone behind bars, or someone that works in the system, it impacts each of our lives in different but various ways. As these aspects are important, it is not the main problem. The numbers are quite stifling and really hard to look at, but its our reality. Even more so, this is just the beginning of the problems behind the United States Prison System.

While we saw from the numbers that we have a major problem currently with the system, this is just one issue of many that we as Americans face with in this carceral world. The current prison building binge began sometime around the Reagan Administration and continues today describes Julia Sudbury, a current Canada Research Council Chair in the Social Justice department at the University of Toronto. To begin to describe the problems we must begin by looking at the impact on the environment first, and how these impacts can affect us. In an article produced by Candice Bernd, Zoe Loftus-Farren and Maureen Nandini Mitra, discusses the story of one prisoner locked up in a Pennsylvania maximum security prison. It eludes to the point that the prison was built directly next to a massive dumb area, and goes on to explain how this one prisoner contracted Hodgkin’s lymphoma dueto exposure to toxic coal ash that comes from the dump (Bernd et al 17). From this one issue we can draw upon the fact that most of these prisons are built in areas where health is not taken into account for the prisoners or anyone that works in the area. The article goes on to discuss other prisoners that have fallen to other ailments just by breathing in certain toxic air or dust that is unsafe for humans. In one study produced by Earth Island Journal and Truthout talks about As a special investigation by Earth Island Journal and Truthout shows, "the toxic impact of prisons extends far beyond any individual prison, States. Though some prisons provide particularly egregious examples, mass incarceration in the US impacts the health of prisoners, prison-adjacent communities, and local ecosystems from coast to coast." While these are just some of the reasons that prisons are negative, we can begin to look at the numbers again and see that most people in prison are there for lesser offenses such as: Drug crimes, non-violent crimes, and other minor petty crimes (Rabuy and Wagner). Through the images below we can tell that there is an issue, now it is up to us to figure out a way to fix this mass atrocity.

The last issue to address is what can we do to turn this issue around and restructure the system. While the issues are apparent, that still leaves one thing unsolved and that is what can we do to turn this system into a more positive one. A new and better direction if you will that would focus on rehabilitation, education, and of course the proper treatment to all that attend. This can be done in a number of ways, however my suggestion is to start by shutting about ten percent of prisons down every three to five years and restructure them by molding them into rehabilitation centers. A study conducted in Sweden concluded that America's theory of harsher penalties for crimes was incorrect, so incorrect that it actually produces more repeat offenders. In an article produced by Zeeshanaleemm discusses the following:

Getting people in better shape: "Our role is not to punish. The punishment is the prison sentence: They have been deprived of their freedom. The punishment is that they are with us," Nils Öberg, director-general of Sweden's prison and probation service, told the Guardian in 2014.

Sweden's prison system boasts impressive numbers. As the Guardiannotes, in the past decade, the number of Swedish prisoners has dropped from 5,722 to 4,500 out of a population of 9.5 million. The country has closed a number of prisons, and the recidivism rate is around 40%, which is far less than in the U.S. and most European countries.

Öberg believes that the way Sweden treats its prisoners is partly responsible for keeping incarceration and recidivism rates so low.

This shows that there is a way to incarcerate, if you want to call it that, but more importantly there is a way to rehabilitate. Rehabilitation results in less crime, and even a more productive member to our society that could help America grow and become the Great America that we all want. So my suggestion is to begin this overhaul, bring the information to our politicians and let us work together to create a better future for us and our prosperity. Let's build America the way we want, lets close the prisons and look forward to a post-carceral world that enjoys equal opportunity for all.

Works Cited

Bernd, Candice, et al. "America's Toxic Prisons." Earth Island Journal, vol. 32, no. 2, Summer2017, pp. 17-26.EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=123433851 &site=ehost-live.

Lytle Hernández, Kelly, et al. "Introduction: Constructing the Carceral State." Journal of American History, vol. 102, no. 1, June 2015, pp. 18-24. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1093/jahist/jav259.

Sudbury, Julia. "A World without Prisons: Resisting Militarism, Globalized Punishment, and Empire." Social Justice, vol. 31, no. 1/2, Mar. 2004, pp. 9-30. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=15053202&site=ehost-live.

Rabuy, Peter Wagner and Bernadette. "Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2017." Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2017 | Prison Policy Initiative. N.p., 14 Mar. 2017. Web. 22 June 2017.

Zeeshanaleem. "Why the U.S. Needs to Start Paying Attention to Sweden's Remarkable Prison System." Mic. Mic Network Inc., 26 Oct. 2015. Web. 22 June 2017.

Authored By: Jimmie Haas