If one thinks jails in modern-day U.S. society are bad, then he /she should consider
exploring the detention facilities of other societies. Societies such as the one in Anthem (written
by Ayn Rand) had a detention facility called the Palace of Corrective Detention which had
horrible conditions compared to modern American jails. In the modern-day U.S. society people
have more freedoms and liberties compared to Anthem 's society. After a close examination of
Anthem, it is noticeably clear that the U.S. society is more progressive than the society in
Anthem, which is glaringly obvious by contrasting modern-day U.S. jail with the Palace of
Corrective Detention in Anthem.
The Palace of Corrective Detention is a place where transgressors
…show more content…
Transgressors are openly whipped at the Palace of Corrective Detention. ”Take our
brother Equality 7-2521 to the Palace of Corrective Detention. Lash them until they tell” (64).
The people imprisoned in the Palace of Corrective Detention can’t leave their cells and have no
access to the outside world. Security at the Palace of Corrective Detention is very lax. There are
no guards at the Palace of Corrective Detention. The locks on the cells are old and broken. “It
was easy to escape the Palace of Corrective Detention. The locks are old on the doors and there
are no guards about” (64). The manner in which people are sentenced to the Palace of Corrective
Detention does not allow for any civil liberties or rights for the accused. If a person in power
sentences another person the Palace of Corrective Detention, there is nothing that person can do
about it. The Palace of Corrective Detention is a harsh and unfair place.
On the other hand, modern-day U.S. jails seem to be more democratic than the institution
of punishment in Anthem. Inmates in modern-day U.S. jails are given two to three meals a