Prisoners Should Have Rights In Prison

In 1971, 1 out of 12 Americans were incarcerated. Since that time, the prisoner ratio has exponentially increased; today, that ratio is 1 out of 51. With that number continuing to rise, many problems result out of it. Prison overcrowding is a growing problem in the United States. The number of people being taken in has regressive effects on the purpose behind imprisonment. Though the prisoners are not there for a comfortable and enjoyable stay, ethical rights are being ignored. How can a someone carry out their sentence rightfully if the focus is taken away from them and put on the judgment of the courts and justice system? Prison overcrowding is without a doubt problematic and inhumane. The mandatory sentencing laws, lack of attention on

On a Friday, sitting next to the Victory Bell on the commons of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, there were one thousand young students giving a nonviolent protest about the Vietnam War currently being fought by US troops. This particular protest didn’t differ from any of the other universities’ protests, but when Saturday night came, some twenty-five protesters set the ROTC building ablaze. These twenty-five did this to start a movement for civil rights in America. This was the beginning of the defining year of the USA: 1970.

Imagine you were going about your day when suddenly you are grabbed by officers and put in a dark room. The room is bare with only concrete walls to keep you company. There are no windows, no phones, no contact with the outside world. You are not allowed to step a foot outside this gloomy windowless crammed box that seems to pass off as a room. You don’t know whether you will be released in a few days, a week, a month, a year, or decades. You could do nothing but slowly go insane. This small room is very much real. As a law abiding citizen if you never break the law, you will never have to experience the subtle horrors of this torture chamber. Isolation in prison or jail is wrong, and it has more negative than positive effects. Isolation--

Admittedly, some have argued in the article “Do prisoners have too much luxury/ too many privileges?”, “...prison can be a harsh and difficult time with some people spending many years there, so because of this they should at least have somewhere ‘comfortable’ to serve their time and receive as much

What would be better than an entire nation educated and crime-free? Imagine what the world would be like if this were a reality. The idea of allowing prison inmates to take college classes has an undeniable appeal to a large portion of society. Allowing prison inmates to take college classes is a significant step in educating the population because it makes good use of all the extra time available in prisons, it helps former inmates get a better start when they are released, and it gives current inmates a sense of purpose and the desire to contribute to society.

What is a constitution? According to Merriam Webster Dictionary a constitution is a document that describes the system of beliefs and laws by which a country, state or organization is governed.

Cruelty, inhumane, and discrimination are words that highly exemplify the radical times in the 1960s. Very few people were treated with respect including women and anyone of color. Kids could not express themselves and dress how they wanted without being judged. The 1960s were definitely not a time we would want to go back to. Although some people may argue that the 1960s were better and safer, today’s society is a lot less judgemental and accepting. The 1960s was definitely not a time I would consider to be better than today’s society.

Prisoner’s Rights go back many years ago and prisoners fought for quite some time for equality. Men were granted certain rights and fought to expand those rights while women fought to have rights. “OMETHING HAPPENED TO THE PRISONERS' RIGHTS MOVEMENT FROM 1975 TO THE 1990S; Women happened” (Barry, 2000). There were many court cases that contributed to rights being granted. “One early state case, Barefield v. Leach (1974), demonstrated that the opportunities and programs for female inmates were clearly inferior to those for male inmates” (Schmalleger & Smykia, 2015, p. 377).

The government is the ultimate control of all prisons. They are the people who enforce prison law, fund prisons and organize them. Operations run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons are there to ensure every prisoner, a safe environment. The constitution is there to protect prisoners rights. The overall goal of the government is too, regulate prison systems and protect inmates/ prisoners. There is always room for improvement. Recently prison reform has been debated, as people are questioning the humane treatment of prisoners, and are curious here there tax dollars are going. The constitution covers various rights regarding prisoners to ensure their safety and wellbeing. The structure of all persons are controlled by the government, they run public, private, and state prisons. They also manage the overall budget and allocate certain money to certain needed programs for prisons. The government is so important when it comes to prisons as they are protecting the people behind bars and preventing them from being a burden on society and rehabilitating them. That being said, it is essential for the government to have control of prisons and monitor the status of prisoners to ensure total wellbeing. Overall, United States prison policy must be amended and enforced on various levels to accommodate for the ultimate mental and physical well being of prisoners.

Shawshank’s Redemption, an all-time best movie produced in 1994 starred and led by actors Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. A story about two imprisoned men’s experience with the corrupted prison institution through their way of self-redemption. There is a line, which was well read by Morgan Freeman, I am particularly fond of. Here I quote ‘These walls are funny. First you hate them, then you get used to them. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them. That 's institutionalized.’ A prison should aim at retribution, incapacitation, deterrence and rehabilitation. I am very well convinced that prison has served its first three purposes by depriving offenders’ freedom, but the

Prison Litigation Reform Act (“PLRA”) generally requires a prisoner Plaintiff to exhaust administrative remedies before filing suit in federal court. Title 42 U.S.C. § 1997e(a) provides that “[n]o action shall be brought with respect to prison conditions under § 1983 of this title, or any other Federal law by a prisoner confined in any jail, prison, or other correctional facility until such administrative remedies as are available are exhausted.” See also Moore v. Bennette, 517 F.3d 717, 725 (4th Cir. 2008). The Supreme Court has interpreted the language of this provision broadly, holding that the phrase “prison conditions” encompasses “all inmate suits about prison life, whether they involve general circumstances or particular episodes, and

Looking back to the prison history. Incarceration has not always been a common form of punishment. Back then people wanted to reform and change the way

Individuals who had their rights infringed were prisoners who served more than 3 years in prison. In this case, Vicki lee roach had been serving 6 years in prison for negligently causing a car accident.

The 1960s marked a time of political and cultural turmoil in America. This rise in change allowed people to make an impact through political activism, artistic and spiritual expression. Artists still manage to shift the cultural landscape with their political agendas in songs. The Civil Rights movement emphasized human rights issues, which demanded the need for other reforms. There are numerous projects, organizations, and activist groups today that address fundamental change in society. Oppositional stance against policies or institutions is prominent just as it was with youth counterculture

Giving prisoners the opportunity to vote is not any harm to others. As a result, Maine and Vermont are the only two states that allow ex-felons and prisoners to vote. In these states felons never lose their right to vote. The other states need to follow in their footsteps and come up with a new law for prisoners voting rights. All states should have the same law as Maine and Vermont because this right is fundamental to a democracy. Everybody in prison is incarcerated for many different reasons, some have major crimes, some have minor crimes and some are even falsely