Prison Conditions

The United States (U.S.) government has incarcerated more than two million people and placed them in over 7,000 correctional facilities nationwide. 

These people’s incarceration has deprived them of liberty for public safety. It has subjected most of them to poor prison conditions. 

Prison rights advocates voice their dismay over inmates’ appalling conditions because of the overcrowding problem that facilities face in various states. 

What are the current prison conditions in the U.S.? How can the criminal justice system start making changes to improve the current state of prisons in America? 

This article tackles the pressing issues concerning prison conditions and the consequences of overcrowding. It provides a roadmap for adopting the culture of rehabilitation for everyone. 

If you’re interested in monitoring the different prison conditions in the country, visit LookUpInmate.org. You can get access to more than 7,000 correctional facilities in the country. 

The Issue

The punishment brought about by incarceration is the deprivation of freedom. 

When prisoners are placed in correctional facilities, it becomes the Department of Justice’s responsibility to care for them and provide safe, secure, and humane confinement. 

Quality prisons should have accommodation, food and water, healthcare, sanitation, access to exercise, and fresh air. Aside from this, prisons must meet international standards for bedding and clothing.

Moreover, inmates must have contact with the outside world and access to legal representation.  

However, in many U.S. prisons, inmates are subjected to adverse prison conditions that can cause grief and pain. 

Advocates for prison justice clamor that prison conditions should not be an added punishment to inmates. 

The issue of poor prison conditions in U.S. correctional facilities is growing, especially with the constant rise in incarceration rates since the 1970s.  

In America’s prisons, three major issues should be addressed as they are causing severe problems. These issues include escalating violence, the denial of treatment, and tolerance of abuse. 

Escalating Violence

A pressing issue in U.S. prisons is the escalating violence that’s risking the lives of incarcerated people. 

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) released a report revealing that in 2020, at least 6,182 inmates have died in American prisons. 

Though the cause of death is not divulged, the death rate of incarcerated people in the U.S. is rising. 

Denying Treatment

Nonprofit group Mental Health America revealed that more than 1.2 million inmates have mental problems. 

This group is a nonprofit organization dedicated to resolving mental issues in prison by providing mental health treatment.

Not all prisons have equipment or staff qualified to provide medical care to inmates with mental illnesses. The problem worsens when a prisoner with a mental issue becomes troublesome. 

One of the punishments for unruly behavior in prisons is solitary confinement, which many agree aggravates any mental problems a person has. 

Many people now ask whether providing proper mental health care to inmates with mental issues is better than putting them behind bars. Imprisoning people with poor mental health may worsen their anxiety, depression, and suicidal tendencies.

Tolerating Abuse

The Marshall Project, a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization, conducted a two-year study on the abuses thought to be rampant inside U.S. prisons. 

The organization chose New York as its subject and revealed findings showing an active tolerance of abuse in prisoners. 

• The discipline enforced in the state’s corrections department favors only the correctional officers. 

The investigation revealed that 290 prisoner abuse cases were reported within 12 years. However, only 10% of those cases resulted in an officer being punished. 

• The corrections department developed a culture of cover-ups to hide the abuse and maltreatment done by prison officers. 
• The Officers’ Union group protects prison officials from getting sacked despite having lawsuits piled up against the allegedly abusive guards. 

The Marshall Project admits it has just scratched the surface of this rampant issue, which the U.S. criminal justice system authorities should resolve. 

How Atrocious Prison Conditions Make Us All Less Safe

Even though prisoners are deprived of their liberty, they are still human and have fundamental human rights. 

However, the prison conditions they’re subjected to might violate their right to be treated with dignity and value as human beings. Some prisons lack health services and have cramped housing units for their detainees.

Brutal Living Conditions: the Largest Prison Population in the World

As of June 2023, the total prison population in U.S. prisons is almost two million. 

The prison infrastructure in the country can’t quickly cope with the mass incarceration rate, which leads to overcrowding, sanitary problems, dehumanization, and marginalization. 

The living conditions of the largest prison population in the world next to China can be considered a “brutal” place of confinement. 

However, despite the country’s overcrowded correctional facilities, mass incarceration costs the U.S. government over $80 billion annually. 

Other problems reported in U.S. prisons are sexual assault and sexual abuse cases, especially among female inmates. 

Reports reveal that from 2012 to 2022, there were more than 5,415 cases of alleged sexual abuse perpetrated by federal employees.

The Criminal Legal System Must Keep All Communities Safe and Encourage Healing and Restoration

The prison system in the United States should protect all communities from mistreatment. Aside from that, healing and restoration should be encouraged inside these facilities. 

However, when you look at the demographics inside prisons nationwide, you’ll see that 34% of people in prison identify as Black, 21% as Hispanics, 11% identify with two or more races, 1.4% as Native Americans, and 0.9% as Asian and other minorities. The white prison population is only 32%. 

All ethnicities and races are overrepresented in U.S. prisons except white and Asian people. 

The diversity of races inside U.S. prisons should be treated with respect and dignity, and this can be done through criminal justice reforms, the imposition of civil rights, and improving the treatment of prisoners inside state and federal prisons. 

Living Conditions in Prison

The quality of prison conditions in the United States decreased because of the country’s imprisonment culture. Most Americans agree that criminal offenders should be locked behind bars, no matter what. 

Severe prison sentences are imposed even on minor charges. Moreover, more than 400,000 jail inmates still await their day in court.

History

There was a time when mass incarceration didn’t exist in the United States. However, by the 1970s, the surge of imprisonment continually rose until the present day. 

The cause of the rise in incarceration is that the government started a “drug war.” The incarceration rate didn’t lose its steam, and prisons slowly filled to their capacity. 

In 2020, Alabama prisons experienced an overcapacity of 175.7%. Prison health in overcrowded facilities is hard to maintain, especially with infectious diseases that could spread, just like when the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the globe. 

Alabama became notorious for its overcrowded prisons, rampant violence, and insufficient health care services. 

Enriching Corporations

The overcrowding problem ushered in the boom of privately owned prisons run by corporations and businesses. The aim of these private prison arrangements with the government is noble in their bid to alleviate the overcrowding strain in state prisons and jails. However, some private prisons became a way to enrich corporations. 

Private prisons profit from every part of the criminal justice system. They follow a profit-oriented business model that may cause some people to question the motivation of some businesses to operate a prison. 

Changing Prisons to Help Individuals Change: A Better Path Forward for Criminal Justice 

Even if the prison system in this country has deteriorated due to rampant problems that stem from mass incarceration, it’s not too late. A suggestion from advocacy groups says that changing culture is necessary to improve this country’s correctional system. 

The government must ditch the culture of incarceration and embrace rehabilitation. California rebranded its prison system to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, a bold step towards acknowledging the value of a person behind bars. 

The change can’t be abrupt or sudden. Still, through constant shifts towards a culture of rehabilitation, then the country’s prison system might improve. 

Level Setting

The first thing to create the needed rehabilitative culture in prison is to ensure that everyone in the criminal justice system is on the same page. 

Studies show that the average prison time of incarcerated people is four years. However, the current prison conditions — challenging and harsh — are not conducive to rehabilitation. 

Because of this, the entire prison experience can hinder any chance of speedy reintegration into society because of the culture developed while incarcerated. 

A culture of mistrust and suspicion with a lack of empathy towards other people is what inmates will most likely adopt while in prison. 

Ending the culture of mistrust and suspicion in the prison system can be accomplished by the following short-term, medium-term, and long-term reforms.

Short-Term Reforms

The start of these reforms focuses on improving people’s lives behind bars via technological innovations through the Transforming Prisons Act. 

Create Transforming Prisons Act

U.S. prisons need to remodel and revamp their policies. The Transforming Prisons Act (TPA) aims to improve the immediate aspects of a prison facility. 

The TPA allows the state to use funds to support innovative programs that benefit prisoners and prison officials alike.

Accelerate Decarceration Begun During Pandemic

The idea of “decarceration” may be a radical concept, but COVID-19 showed many that it’s possible policy if there’s a concrete program. During the pandemic, inmates with health problems were released. 

The data showed that these individuals’ likelihood of recidivism, or the tendency to revert to crime, was low. 

Medium-Term Reforms

The next move towards reforms is transitioning from a culture of incarceration and incapacitation to a culture of rehabilitation.

Encourage Rehabilitative Focus in State Prisons

Many say that defunding the police and abolishing prisons is the solution to end the imprisonment culture. However, the answer must be based on well-researched studies. 

State prisons must encourage rehabilitative focus by adopting an energized rehabilitation philosophy to improve community reintegration and encourage reconnecting with family members. 

Foster Greater Use of Community Sanctions

Community sanctions can lessen the overreliance on incarceration.

Community sanctions are sentences implemented in a community setting rather than in prison. Transitioning to this type of sanction can help improve reentry into society. 

Long-Term Reforms

Finally, the long-term reforms that U.S. prisons need to resolve the mass incarceration problem are through community justice models. Understanding this model will help people see the value of ending the country’s incarceration culture. 

Embrace Rehabilitative or Restorative Community Justice Models

The community justice model is a broad term encompassing all justice and crime prevention variants that expressly involve the community. 

This model also includes interventions that encourage convicted individuals in mental distress to receive help. 

Encourage Collaborations Between Corrections Agencies and Researchers

After providing the necessary interventions to people in distress, the next move is to create a body of researchers focused on improving everything that’s working. 

Recommendations for Future Research

The future of the criminal justice system and the progress of the correctional and rehabilitation centers depends on how dedicated people are to helping prisoners.

If you’re interested in learning more about the current prison facilities in the country, visit LookUpInmate.org. Through this website, you’ll have access to contact information of more than 7,000 correctional facilities like state and federal prisons, county jails, military prisons, and immigration detention facilities. 

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. What are the most common problems in prison?

U.S. prisons face overcrowding challenges, the prevalence of violence, tolerance of physical and sexual abuse, and a lack of health care services. These are the most common problems you may encounter inside a prison facility. 

2. What do prisoners do all day?

A typical prison day depends on your correctional facility. Prison authorities dictate the prisoners’ routine, which is followed rigorously. 

Usually, a prison day starts early in the morning. They must complete the morning routines before inmates report to their work assignments. In some cases, there are classes or programs to attend. Afterward, the prisoners go back to their cells and continue again tomorrow. 

3. What are the five types of prisons?

There are five types of federal prisons in the United States. These are minimum–, low–, medium–, high–, and administrative security. The Bureau of Prisons is responsible for defining the different types of prisons. 

References

1. Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2023
https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2023.html
2. Detention and Incarceration
https://www.justice.gov/archive/ag/annualreports/ar99/Chapter5.pdf
3. Mass Incarceration Trends
https://www.sentencingproject.org/reports/mass-incarceration-trends/
4. UCLA Law Releases New Database to Monitor Deaths in U.S. Prisons
https://uclacovidbehindbars.org/intro-carceral-mortality
5. Access to Mental Health Care and Incarceration
https://www.mhanational.org/issues/access-mental-health-care-and-incarceration
6. Prison Conditions
https://eji.org/issues/prison-conditions/
7. Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners
https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/basic-principles-treatment-prisoners
8. Prison Population by State
https://wisevoter.com/state-rankings/prison-population-by-state/