Presentation layout:
I. Intro:
a. Who I would research? - To really grasp on to the population I would research, I felt it was important to thoroughly inform myself about them. So, I wanted to pick a population I knew little and heard even less about. Inmates and the prison system seemed to fit perfect.
b. Attention grabber- Prison. The word alone sounds intimidating; better yet, the last place I would want to call home and I’m sure inmates at these facilities would agree, like the 425 prisoners contained at the MN Correctional Facility of Oak Park Heights, here in Stearns County, according to the March 2012 report from the MN Department of Corrections.
c. Assumptions-3. Assumptions/knowledge on population I made before my research and Why?
i. Assumption #1: Maximum security prisons hold people who have committed crimes of the highest ranks with the most violence.
ii. Assumption #2: Bad people are in prison.
iii. Assumption #3: People in prison are there plotting their revenge on the person who put them their.
d. Where did I get this information or build up this assumption? I learned bits just from TV shows. For example, in the newest Charlie’s angel movie, Drew Barrymore sent her ex-lover to prison for the murder she witnessed. Once he went to prison he spent his entire time body building in his cell staring at her picture, assumingly plotting his revenge on her. It seemed like there was only one type of prison and if you were in it you either killed or attempted to kill someone or were wrongfully convicted. There are many commercials, television shows, and movies that portray inmates to live like this.
e. Research question-
i. A major challenge in researching my population was how and where would even I start my research when I know basically nothing about the topic!
ii. That’s when it hit me, if I wanted to learn about prison and the people detained there I would have to start from the basics.
iii. I asked myself, what is behind the walls of U.S. prison system, that detain different levels of what kind of incarceration and where does it fit in our historic background in the United States that eventually impacted which type of rights that we’re constitutionally be born with?
f. Why did I pick this population- Now, think about the amount of information you’ve actually learned aside from television shows, on this population. When I tried to think of what I actually knew… I came up with almost nothing. These people are the most hidden and feared people in our nation and not to mention the least understood.
i. I wanted to make them unhidden and more understood. I chose this topic for that reason exactly. Like I did, a majority of you may have built up a bleak understanding of this population; so, clear a fresh slate to be informed apart from the societal assumptions we know too well.
g. Difficulties in researching:
Library research was difficult because there was a limited amount of information on this population that is up to date. Though, eventually I was successful in finding very current resources.
II. Body1: Historic background-
a. History of incarceration as a form of punishment:
i. The earliest use of incarceration as a form of punishment is unknown but the idea was motioned in the bible as discussed in the informational book by Jeffery Ferro’s Prison published in 2006.
ii. The well-known phrase is known as “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Exodus 21:24) and was understood to have influenced the start to this type of punishment by the Sumerian Codes in 1860 b.c. and the Babylonian in 1750 b.c. (Ferro, 2006)
b. Inmate freedom
i. Courts ignored all inmate complaints for the first half of the 20th century but by 1970’s the U.S. Supreme Court began offering
ii. Example: Alcatrez
1. According to the Discovery Channel database, the article by David Lohr explained background of the first maximum security prison that was as Wikipedia states as a prototype for this type of prison in the U.S. On December 30, 1859, Capt. Joseph Stewart took command of the island as a U.S. military fort but because of little use of the base the island transformed its purpose into a military prison by 1907 (Lohr).
2. Due to overcrowding in prisons across the U.S. in 1909, construction of several new buildings on the island, until finally in July 1, 1934 the U.S. Penitentiary, Alcatraz opened.
3. The first warden of Alcatraz was James A. Johnston whose belief was against rehabilitation but for discipline. There was one guard for every three inmates, which is the largest ratio of any other prison in operation, with a total of 300 inmates. Their cells were 5x9’’ and 7ft tall. In 1963, the prison was closed down because of human rights issues. This is one of the most haunted places in the U.S. with hundreds of claimed ghost sittings(Lohr).
c. Recognition for prisoners constitutional rights and protections that in earlier years this population was denied by fighting the amendments that all citizens have rights with in; the 1st, 4th, 5th, 8th, and 14th amendments were pressed (Bosworth, 2005).
d. Amendments that evolved the treatment of inmate created the though not perfect but better than it used to be type of system:
i. The Eighth Amendment (Amendment VIII) to of the United States Constitution in our Bill of Rights controls the federal government from enforcing bail, fines or cruel and unusual punishments that unnecessary and over the top and this also applies to the states as ruled by the U.S. Supreme Court.
ii. 1st amendment: Exercises the freedom of speech, religion, to assemble, grievance and press.
iii. 14th amendment= touches on the concept of due process=right to privacy.
iv. From these amendments offering support for inmate freedoms other points were introduced. This includes:
1. Donating organs, gaining an education, and Starting clubs (Book club).
III. Body2: Different levels of detainment-
a. Military prisons:
i. According to Jefferey Ferro’s book Prison published in 2006, in times of war, U.S. military holds detainment center placed near the war zone. Between 2001 when the U.S., accompanied by Great Britain along with other nations, invaded Afghanistan and in March of 2003 invaded Iraq a detainment center was imprisoning persons of war in Iraq called Abu Ghraib. During this time prisoners of war were significantly physically and sexually abused (2006). In 2004, photographs of the behavior at these containment facilities were publicized to the U.S. The U.S. military lost almost 40 men during the war with Iraq in the Iraqi and Afghanistan war detainment centers. The standards for international law controlling the treatment of prisoners of war are humane way of containing those it and these were broken.
ii. Overseas facilities became corrupt but from the current issues that have been surfacing. The government plans to make these facilities more controlled and less hidden so the 8th amendment can still be enforced no matter where a person is being detained (2006).
b. Maximium security public prisons: According to the blog posted by the CNN wire staff on April 12th 5 terror suspects went to the European courts to fight against being detained in the supermaxed prison in America but the courts ruled against their request. The suspects had been captured by the European Government after their six year flee from detainment in the United states. c. The MN Department of Corrections offers many statistics to understand the kinds of criminals found in maximum security prisons specifically at the Oak Park Heights prison.
i. The data revealed that as of May 1, 2012, the number of homicide felons is at 205 inmate, assaults at 74, criminal sexual assault at 41, kidnapping at 5, robbery at 25 inmates and first-degree burglary at 8 inmates. All of these people include those who have a sentence of a year or longer in prison. Also, it was collected that the average sentence in months was counted and the total was 203, though this was not including life sentences. There are 81 prisoners with active life sentences with the possibility of parole and 66 active life sentences without parole. In collecting the data it was expressed that the 425 inmates at the MN Oak Park Heights Correctional Facility in St. Cloud gathered the information. Due to the information being collected directly from the facility, I would say it is vary valid statistics (MN Department, 2012).
ii. Assumption that was true: Majority of inmates in maximum-security prisons = guilty of violent crimes or also known as super maximum security prisons or Maximum security prison. The purpose of such heavy security is to offer prisoners with the most threat to security to be in the most solitary confinement system.
1. These types of people have a violent history in prison; threaten the security of national and international life. For example, a person that has a violent history in prison and then murders a fellow inmate would be found in supermax confinement.
iii. Bob Ortega from 12 news, published an article called Amnesty International Accuses Arizona of Abuse in Prisons expressed that in a Maximum security prison in Arizona, inmates faced 22-24 hour windowless or go without daylight for days. The inmates are limited to exercising inside their cells and lack any recreational activities. The legal and appropriate regulated aid to be given to inmates for mental or medical care is not adequate (Ortega, 2012). Some of these inmates included children from 14 to 17 years old and because children at this age have not yet reached their full development this could damage it. At the prison in Arizona called Amnesty state prison, 35% of inmates were not held in the supermax prison due to violent crimes or cause a threat (Ortega, 2012).
c. Private prisons:
i. Before the 1870’s prisoners were leased out to private companies to provide labor and for their labor these organizations paid for the prisoners food, cloths, and housing as if they were slaves to these companies (Ferro, 2006).
ii. Prisoners were often killed or heavily beaten if they attempted to run away until restrictions were enforced on behalf of prisoner treatment by the 1970’s but lost availability to work thus, the prison leasing out the inmates for labor was needed to pay the housing for the people being contained and before 1984 these detention centers were extinct.
iii. These types of facilities were biased by pro-business and anti-government (Selman et. al, 2010). After that year the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) gained a contract that gave them the right to run the county prison of Hamilton in Tennessee and was shortly after granted 200 million dollars take full control of the prison (Ferro, 2006). Eventually by 1988 there were private correctional facilities in 39 states by order of the government to be secure in case of over crowding of prisons.
iv. These institutions have continued this role successfully and by 2002 there were 31 states holding an estimated 94,000 inmates all together held in private correctional facilities.
v. Private prisons are much more tightly budged than the federal prisons and thus have many issues with controlled facilities (Selman et. al, 2010). They are known for prisoner escapes, inmate violent misconduct, over forced brutal power used by guards and many more problems that violate human rights that follow the 8th amendment (Selman et. al, 2010).
vi. The public and political support sides with private prisons in their growth due to their ability to save money. Wackenhut and CCA have high cost-savings; for example in Texas, the lowest state cost for each inmate. Thus private prisons are less expensive to service than public prisons do (Miller, 2010). The two on average have a 5-15% cost savings per inmate however, in 2001, the Bureau of Justice Assistance revealed that their was a 20-percent savings with an average saving from privatization only with 1 percent. In 2005, 10% of public prisons reached the quality standards point and became accredited but 44% of private prisons grasped this point of accreditation. Private prisons now require accreditation or at least in the process of making current attempts to meet those standards. Accredited prisons or ones in transition to becoming one offer services that are more equal if not better than public prisons (Miller, 2010). Due to the overcrowding in all aspects of the prison system this is very difficult issue to resolve quickly, like shutting them down.
vii. This creates questioning of the humanity and purpose of such imprisonment. None of these 3 types of prison seem to be up to par with the 8th amendment.
IV. Body3: Rehabilitation-
a. There are many challenges this population faces in mainstream society.
i. People released from prison often struggle to be accepted by society, especially those released early from life-sentences. The amount of effort to become a better person through the programs offered to inmates is not an easy task in prision. With gangs and violence surrounding a person it sounds like a very difficult path to follow in prison and often goes unrecognized. In California, 7,303 lifers were up for parole and the court granted 294 inmates to be freed on parole. Though, the governor has the power to the last decision on if these inmates really can be released. Governor Arnold Showartsenager denied 81 lifers parole and only 60 prisoners allowed parole most were sent back to the courts to be reassessed.
b. To improve the overpopulation issue is to increase life sentenced parole acceptance. Some people disagree but there is another issue that is present because of parole rejection. From the film, Life In Prison: A Project Envision Documentary made in 2010, host Joanne Faryon explains the costs of to place a person on a life-sentence.
c. She explains that around the age of 49 it will cost tax payers about $49,000 a year but that amount will increase to $150,000 a year by the time the individual reaches 55. It doesn’t stop there though, by the time the person reaches 77 it will cost our nation 4 million dollars to keep contained.
d. Research study to improve one challenge? Rehabilitation through education
i. Psychological services:
ii. According to the encyclopedia the psychological services offer a way for inmates to better there lives through helping these people get involved but the system isn’t perfect as you will learn.
iii. In the prison system two functions exist, rehabilitation of inmates and prison management. The services they provide everything for example, suicide intervention, behavior modification, social therapy and many overlap. They treat mental disorders including depression, anxiety, anger, psychotic symptoms and adjustment problems.
1. These services are offered for both individuals and in groups. Consolations that are provided to rehabilitate the prisoner include volunteering, victim-offender reconciliation and many more depending on the prison. Due to such a wide range of issues to be treated the doctors are not usually a specialist in any one disorder, only are able to be very vague in diagnosis. The ration of psychologist to patient care is very extreme, 1 doctor to ever 750 inmates. Not only does that leave little time for a patient doctor relationship but also, about 1/3 of their time must be spent else where doing administration work like, writing reports, supervising staff and facing the institutional demands. The main job of these professionals is to merely help prisoners reach the point where they are able to transfer out of a maximum security prison to the public prison or back into society.
iv. Education and becoming a better person:
1. A majority of prisoners are high school dropouts or never attended college. By educating inmates their rehabilitation out of a criminal life style has higher chances of being successful. Due to security and health care budget had been increased, which, must meet the legal standard, cuts were made to the drug rehabilitation, parole, and education. These are all very damaging for personal growth of inmates.
2. In 2004, a group of 15 teachers at two state prisons protested to increase the budget for the education system of California prisons caused by the increased number of inmate population.
v. Book club:
1. In Oakdale prison in Iowa, book clubs began in 2004 that was started by a group of inmates. The average attendance was 12 out of 14 inmates who would meet monthly to discuss the material assigned at the last meeting. The library at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center offered the materials for the inmates (Almanac, 2004).
V. Conclusion:
Now that I’ve informed you on the population that we had know so little about, I hope you have gained a new insight on those in prison and the system they are detained in. Thank you for your time.
