Leila Rosala 1

An Outlook on the Treatment of Prisoners: A Calamity of Justice

INTRODUCTION

“Punishment is not for revenge, but to lessen crime and reform the criminal,” said

Elizabeth Fry, an English prison reform activist during the 1800s. In her quote, Fry is suggesting

that those who have wronged society deserve to be reshaped in order to exhibit remorse as their

retribution. However, the punishment that is currently being carried out in prisons across

America is not in a humane manner whatsoever and strips the current prisoners of their

humanity. Over the past decade, unsolved issues regarding the prison system in the United States

have been an ongoing concern. The incarcerated are severely mistreated while imprisoned, and

experience excessive abuse from the guards running throughout the prison. Oftentimes, the basic

rights of inmates are violated in the prisons of the United States, whether it is through the lack of

mental health care, prisoner safety, or strong restoration programs. The organization responsible

for solving and overseeing these issues is the Bureau of Prisons. The Bureau of Prisons’s liability

is to ensure the protection of society by incarcerating criminals, but also refining these

individuals so they can re-enter society. Since the primary purpose of prisons is to reform the

criminals in order for them to become functioning members of society, it is illogical to mistreat

and dehumanize the incarcerated if the goal is for them to be rehabilitated. In addition to this, the

guards who work in prisons are not being held accountable for their acts of mistreatment towards

prisoners and by not ensuring their safety overall. Therefore, the Bureau of Prisons should

implement fair treatment guidelines for U.S. prisons in order to ensure a better future for the

incarcerated. These issues must be recognized in order to maintain safety for the prisoners by

holding those in power accountable, providing these individuals with proper medical attention,

and proper rehabilitation programs.

Leila Rosala 2

HOLDING GUARDS ACCOUNTABLE

The current state of United States prisons lacks decent instruction and holding

accountability for the prison guards and staff. It is outstandingly common for prison guards to get

away with acts of violence and severe disrespect towards prisoners. It can be understood that it is

very hard to provide sympathy for one who has committed a serious crime, yet there are specific

situations where individuals are regretful for what they had done and might’ve had to commit the

act for a specific reason. In addition to this, prisoners are still human, who should not have their

rights taken away from them just because they are placed in a special institution. The prisoners

incarcerated are eventually going to be presented with the chance to return to society after

spending their time in prison. Unfortunately, a majority of those who reenter society struggle, as

they were not treated properly by the guards during their time in prison. By implementing

specific guidelines for the prison guards, the prison systems can be improved. For example, the

union contract for prison guards makes it extremely easy for guards to get away with an abuse of

power. Prison guards can easily be protected from prosecution in a situation where they are being

accused of abusing one of the inmates. This union contract removes any responsibility for these

prison guards, as it is clear that they can easily get away with abuse and violence towards others.

As said in Prisoners’ Rights, “Instances where authority is not held accountable, violent

punishment is inevitable” (Hermann and Haft). The Bureau of Prisons purpose is to ensure the

safety for not only the staff, but for the prisoners as well. An instance where this was completely

disregarded was when a prisoner, Kevin Moore, was being beaten by the guards in 2013. The

guards beat him repeatedly, and the supervising officer did nothing about it besides mock him

(The Editorial Board).

Leila Rosala 3

Unfortunately, the union contract made it extremely difficult to remove these officers

from their positions, which does not give justice to Kevin Moore who suffered greatly from this

experience. Therefore, as it is the Bureau of Prisons job, they must establish a stronger view on

discipline of their staff. The Bureau of Prisons can do this by reviewing the cameras throughout

the incarceration institutions, ensuring that those who have clearly wronged an individual in

prison are being held accountable, and by reminding the staff of what their purpose is as a guard

of the prisons. It is crucial for the prisons to have these standards in order to prevent future issues

and damage done to the prisoners. With these changes to the treatment of prisoners, the overall

experience can be improved and help the prisoners gain respect for the guards, as they will not be

able to abuse them.

MEDICAL ATTENTION

In addition to the physical mistreatment of prisoners, a majority of the prisoners are

disadvantaged within the mental health or other medical attention aspect. Unfortunately, a lot of

these individuals in prisons who struggle are denied their requirement for medical attention,

unless they plead insanity, which is difficult in itself to prove in the courts. Therefore, the Bureau

of Prisons must ensure the safety of prisoners by implementing proper medical care and attention

for the prisoners. Oftentimes, citizens are imprisoned for drug related issues or harming others

due to psychiatric illness that has gone untreated. Multiple psychologists conducted studies that

revolved around understanding how treating those suffering from drug abuse can reduce the

number of people being placed into prisons. In the article, it highlights three studies done, one

done by Dr. Harry K. Wexler in San Diego, California, another by Steven S. Martin at the

Delaware Correctional System, and another by D. Dwayne Simpson at the Institute of Behavioral
Leila Rosala 4

Research at Texas Christian University (Inmate Drug Abuse Treatment Slows Prison’s Revolving

Door). Each of these studies proved that providing attention to those who struggle with drug

abuse during and after their time in prison, significantly decreases the chances of them returning

back to prison for drug related crimes. This further proves the importance of implementing

proper health care attention for those who struggle with such issues, as addressing the concerns

can put an end to the cycle.

Another health concern that is not being addressed in prisons is the mental health aspect

of those who are incarcerated. There are significant benefits for prison inmates that result from

providing proper mental health attention. As stated by NAMI (National Alliance on Mental

Illness), the number of those who suffer from mental illness are prominent in American prisons.

Approximately 63% of those who have a history with mental health are not receiving the crucial

care that they need while incarcerated (Mental Health Treatment While Incarcerated). There are

numerous different mental health organizations that can be used as a resource for the individuals

who require necessary mental health attention. Providing people with the correct care and

treatment, those who are incarcerated can pursue a better life in prison and when they are

released. There are so many benefits to encouraging the proper mental health treatment for those

in prison. The Bureau of Prisons can implement this by incorporating local mental health

organizations within the prisons to support these individuals who are incarcerated and struggling

with mental health. Pairing with NAMI can be an extremely beneficial association, as it displays

sincere care for making mental health care accessible. In addition, it will bring about a stronger

connection within the communities that hold prisons and encourage awareness. With these

mandates, a better experience for the incarcerated will be guaranteed and prepare the inmates for

when they reenter society.

Leila Rosala 5

PROPER REHABILITATION

The final aspect of prisoner experience reformation that is crucial for the overall well

being of the inmates in U.S. prisons is the rehabilitation programs that must be implemented

correctly. Currently, there are rehabilitation programs offered for those who are incarcerated, but

only in a few locations. These present rehabilitation programs are not effective, as recidivism

still is prevalent. Offenders continuing to commit crimes after they are released from prison, is

not good for society overall and shows that specific aspects of rehabilitation programs clearly

needs to be reformed or implemented properly (Peterson and Lee). The Bureau of Prisons must

require a strong program throughout all prisons that can support the incarcerated individuals with

a better future. A beneficial program should include allowing for outside citizens to spend time

with the inmates and teach them proper skills for when they reenter society. This can benefit

inmates significantly, as they have the opportunity to work with people who do not have any

intention of committing a crime and are part of society. Furthermore, the specialists in certain

areas of study can come in with their knowledge to share with the inmates and educate them. The

overall program can allow for incarcerated individuals and outsiders to have the ability to

connect with others that they don’t see on a day to day basis. It benefits people in numerous

different aspects, which can further advance society as a whole in America, and hopefully reduce

crime. In a New York Times article it mentions that there already are prison systems that allow

for “outsiders” to spend time and teach the current prisoners fundamental skills, yet this is not

prevalent everywhere (Barsky). The Bureau of Prisons must ensure that the prisons are set up

with these special programs, as this can help the incarcerated socially and intellectually. It will

not only support the incarcerated, but it can bring about a new perspective for the outsiders who
Leila Rosala 6

come to visit. Sadly, according to Prisoners’ Rights, “what happened to the convicted after

sentencing was not a matter of judicial or, indeed, public concern” (Hermann and Haft). These

interactions will allow for the public to have more awareness about the ins and out of prison

systems. With this change, the incarcerated can be equipped with crucial knowledge and tools

that will benefit them when they are reintegrated into society.

CONCLUSION

In the end, it is unreasonably cruel to dehumanize prisoners since they need to be

rehabilitated in order to actively abide by the law when returning to society. Prisoners are

deprived of their constitutional rights while imprisoned, as they are brutally and illogically

mistreated. The inhumane treatment and exposure to violence the prisoners in the United States

experience prohibits them from being reformed into lawful citizens. Prisoners cannot be

reformed if they continuously remain under these poor, careless living conditions. The use of

incarceration is to reform the criminals into law-abiding citizens when they are released, which

evidently, the U.S. prisons are unsuccessful in achieving. Through prison reforms in the aspects

of holding guards responsible, providing proper care, and implementing strong rehabilitation

programs, the confinement situation for prisoners can be improved significantly. Prisoners are

often likely to commit crimes again when returning to society if they are not being rehabilitated

and are put into an environment of constant substandard treatment while confined. Incarceration

is not supposed to be pleasurable, of course, however rehabilitation would give the prisoner a

chance to understand their wrongdoings and change their behavior. Between the treatment and

the behavior, it is a vicious cycle of the prisoners being treated disturbingly for their poor actions

and then being expected to behave once they are released. Therefore, the Bureau of Prisons must
Leila Rosala 7

put an end to this cycle and implement strong reforms in order to support the incarcerated

individuals for a better future.

Leila Rosala 8

Works Cited

Barsky, Neil. “How to Fix Our Prisons? Let the Public Inside.” The New York Times, The

New York Times, 17 Dec. 2019,

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/17/opinion/prison-reform.html?searchResultPosition=

1.

Board, The Editorial. “Holding Prison Guards Accountable.” The New York Times, The New

York Times, 7 Dec. 2017,

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/opinion/prison-guards-new-york.html.

Hermann, Michele G, and Marilyn G Haft, editors. Prisoners' Rights Sourcebook: Theory,

Litigation, Practice. Vol. 1, Clark Boardman Company, 1972.

“Inmate Drug Abuse Treatment Slows Prison's Revolving Door.” American Psychological

Association, American Psychological Association, 2004,

https://www.apa.org/topics/substance-use-abuse-addiction/prison-drug-treatment.

“Mental Health Treatment While Incarcerated.” NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness,

https://www.nami.org/Advocacy/Policy-Priorities/Improving-Health/Mental-Health-Treat

ment-While-Incarcerated#:~:text=Despite%20constitutional%20rights%20for%20individ

uals,not%20receive%20mental%20health%20treatment.
Leila Rosala 9

Peterson, Jonathan, and Anita Lee. “Improving In-Prison Rehabilitation Programs.” Legislation

Analyst's Office, The California Legislature's Nonpartisan Fiscal and Policy Advisor, 6

Dec. 2017, https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3720.