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The United States prison system
The United States prison system
Studies on prison systems
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Untitled The justice system is in place to protect society from dangerous individuals by imprisonment and rehabilitation. Whether or not the former occurs effectively enough in prisons is debatable. Andy Dufresne and Luke Jackson, from the films The Shawshank Redemption and Cool Hand Luke respectively, are two of those citizens that have been placed in prison to protect society. The prison system failed to rehabilitate either men in any way, but rather it failed them. As a result, both men look to ways to escape the brutality and malfeasance projected onto them by the prison authority. In the films, The Shawshank Redemption and Cool Hand Luke, prisoners exhibit a disobedience to authority as a result of distrust or loss of faith in the justice system’s efforts to rehabilitate them. The film Shawshank Redemption follows the story of Andy Dufresne, …show more content…
once a wealthy banker, now a convicted felon. Andy is given two life sentences for the murders of his wife and her lover. However, he insists his innocence of the crime. Upon entering the prison, Andy witnesses the harshness of prison life for the first time when he learns another new prisoner was killed after being beaten by a prison guard, Captain Hadley. After some time, Andy seeks the help of a prisoner who is known to be able to obtain prison contraband, Ellis “Red” Redding. Throughout the course of the film, Red procures several items at the request of Andy. Among these items are several different posters of women as well as a rock hammer. Unfortunately, prison life leads Andy to be abused and raped by a group of prisoners by the name of the Sisters. A break from the abuse comes when Andy and a group of his friends, including Red, are chosen to retar the roof of the license-plate factory. While working, Andy overhears Captain Hadley talking about an inheritance he will have to pay taxes on. Andy, invoking irritation from the captain, informs him of a way for him to avoid taxes on the inheritance. In exchange for his help, Andy requests three beers a piece for his fellow workers, though he drinks none himself. From that point on, Andy is given special treatment by the warden, Warden Norton, and the guards for the inmates assistance with financial issues and bookkeeping of the prison. Captain Hadley paralyzes the leader of the Sisters, Bogs, after he badly injures Andy. In the midst of Andy’s prison sentence, he helps to make the prison better by sending letters to senators for funding to update the prison library. After 6 years, Andy receives a check for $200 and a number of donated books and sundries. Following this happy achievement, Andy is alone in the office of Warden Norton. He locks himself off from the rest of the prison, and he plays Mozart over the intercom of the prison. Due to this stunt, Andy is given two weeks in solitary. Andy’s next visit to solitary occurs after a new prisoner, Tommy, tells him of a former cellmate who bragged about killing a banker’s wife and her lover. Andy goes to Norton, to ask for help, but Norton decided it was a fruitless effort. Andy calls him obtuse for his flippant behavior of the matter and proceeds to mention he would remain silent about the illegal activities taking place at the prison. Norton becomes furious at the prisoner’s suggestion and gives Andy a month of solitary. During Andy’s time in solitary, Norton has Tommy killed to prevent him from testifying to what he heard from his former cellmate. Norton visits Andy’s cell and informs him his friend has died. He gives Andy another month in solitary. Once his time in solitary is finally over, he meets with Red in the prison courtyard. Through Andy’s nineteen years in prison, the pair has become close. Andy confides in Red that he feels he is guilty of his wife’s death because he did not love her as much as he should have; therefore, he believes he drove his wife into the arms of another and got her killed. However, he believes he has served his time for his mistakes, and he wants to get out to go to a town in Mexico, Zihuatanejo. Red tells him he cannot have that mindset in prison because it will drive him crazy to which Andy replies, “it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying” (TSR). That night, Andy escapes from prison through a hole in the wall of his cell which he had been carving with a rock hammer for 19 years. Once Red gets out on parole, he goes to the same job and apartment that a previous released inmate, Brooks, had been assigned. Brooks, a man who had lived the better majority of his life in prison, felt he could not make it in the real world and killed himself. Red feels institutionalized the same way Brooks felt. The only thing that prevents Red from ending up with the same fate is the promise he made with Andy the day before his escape. He is told to go to a nearby hayfield where he will find something left for him. Andy left him a portion of money the escapee had gotten from using a fake identity he had created while laundering Norton’s dirty money. Andy got away with more than 370 thousand dollars. Also left for Red was a letter telling him to meet him in that town he had mentioned previously. Eventually, Red makes it to the town and the pair meet on a beach while Andy is fixing up a boat he had bought. The film Cool Hand Luke follows a prisoner, by the name of Luke Jackson, sentenced to 2 years in a Florida prison camp for drunkenly decapitating the heads off of parking meters. He cooly enters the prison with 3 other new inmates by a jail car. They meet the leader of the prison chain gang, Captain, who tells the group that he can either be mean or a good guy. The choice of the matter is up to them. Upon entering the barracks, the floorwalker, Carr, gives the prisoners instructions for how they will spend their prison sentence. Any man that does not obey those rules will spend a night in the box, a small, secluded shed outside of the barracks. Luke spends his first night in prison silently and goes to work in the prison chain gang the following morning. One prisoner, Alibi, who claims to have a weak heart, does not do a satisfactory job according to one of the prison bosses. As a result, he spends the night in the box. The next time the prison chain gang is seen, they are at work and Luke has mastered the rhythm of work. A young blonde woman comes outside and begins to wash her car. The men get rather excited at the sight. One prisoner in particular, Dragline, has a large reaction. Later in the barracks, as Dragline continues talking about the woman, Luke tells him to stop beating the thought into the ground. Dragline gets angry and challenges Luke to a fight in the prison yard the following day. Dragline, much larger than Luke, knocks him down repeatedly; however, Luke still gets up. Eventually, Dragline walks away from the fight. Luke also proves himself stubborn in a bet to eat 50 eggs in an hour. He barely wins the challenge. Soon after, it is learned that Luke’s mother, Arletta, has died. Before her death, she visits Luke in prison where she tells him she is giving her house away to Luke’s brother, John. John, who also visits the prison with Luke, gives him a battered banjo, leaving nothing left for Luke to go back for. For the death of his mother, Luke is locked in the box until his mother is buried to prevent him from trying to escape. However, once he gets out, he tunnels through the floor with a handsaw. He is captured and returned to the prison. He is given chains and several nights in the box. Once he is back on the chain gang, he escapes again by tricking the prison bosses into thinking he is using the restroom. He is caught and returned once again. The prison bosses decide to give Luke hard labor and beatings until he is broken and obedient. Once they achieve this, Luke becomes the trusted “rabbit” of the prison bosses who gives water to the prisoners and fetches rifles. It is this way that Luke escapes for the final time. Luke, given access to the vehicles, steals a prison car and drives off with Dragline. The pair eventually splits up, with Luke ending up at an empty church. He yells at God and asks what his plan for him is in life. Like all of Luke’s previous escapes, the police show up. Though Dragline tries to convince him to go peacefully with the police to avoid being shot; however, Luke is still shot in the neck. The Captain takes Luke to the prison hospital rather than a much closer hospital to ensure Luke’s death. He dies with a smile on his face, as Dragline tells the other prisoners. Prison life goes on after Luke’s demise, but the prisoners still remember his story and influence. In the film The Shawshank Redemption, the point where Andy loses all trust in the justice system is apparent during his conversation with Norton over a piece of evidence that could lead to his acquittal.
When Tommy tells Andy that he heard a former cellmate of his bragging about killing a banker’s wife and her lover, Andy goes to Norton whom he still trusts would do what is right for the innocent. That is not the case, however. When Norton shoots down any ideas to prove the prisoner’s innocence that could be thought of, Andy, inferring the reason for Norton’s reluctance is his knowledge of the money laundering occuring at the prison, mentions he would keep mum about the operation. Norton, already furious by being called obtuse by Andy, becomes exceptionally irritated by the admittance and sentences him to a month in solitary. It is evident that Andy is shocked by Norton’s behavior. He screams at the warden, “What's the matter with you? It's my chance to get out, don't you see that? It's my life! Don't you understand it's my life?” (TSR). Similarly, Luke loses faith in the justice system due to an
injustice.
In Chapter 4, The Cruel Hand, Michelle Alexander does a great job analyzing the issues that many inmates go through when they get out of prison. This chapter was a bit more interesting to read compared to the last one. One passage that stood out to me was when Michelle Alexander stated, “Even if the defendant manages to avoid prison time by accepting a “generous” plea deal, he may discover that the punishment that awaits him outside the courthouse doors is far more severe” (Michelle Alexander Pg. 142). Like I mentioned in the beginning, when inmates are done serving their sentence they usually suffer on the outside world. That is because they’re now being labeled as criminals in our society and corporates/businesses have a little leverage on
I clung to the notion that it wasn’t the government’s or society’s fault these people were in jail. It was the prisoners to blame. They did the crime, so they had to do the time. In the article “Prison: To Punish or Reform” Dianne Clemens, president of Justice for All- Citizens United Against Crime, argues “[w]e encouraged criminals to place the blame for their activities and addictions upon others and we, as
After reading the book I have gained a new understanding of what inmates think about in prison. Working in an institution, I have a certain cynical attitude at times with inmates and their requests. Working in a reception facility, this is a facility where inmates are brought in from the county jails to the state intake facility, we deal with a lot of requests and questions. At times, with the phone ringing off the hook from family members and inmates with their prison request forms, you get a little cynical and tired of answering the same questions over and over. As I read the book I begin to understand some of the reason for the questions. Inmate(s) now realize that the officers and administrative personnel are in control of their lives. They dictate with to get up in the morning, take showers, eat meals, go to classes, the need see people for different reason, when to exercise and when to go to bed. The lost of control over their lives is a new experience for some and they would like to be able to adjust to this new lost of freedom. Upon understanding this and in reading the book, I am not as cynical as I have been and try to be more patient in answering questions. So in a way I have changed some of my thinking and understanding more of prison life.
"The Shawshank Redemption" is a compelling film about two imprisoned convicted murderers. Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), is innocent, however. Convicted of killing his wife and her lover (a crime for which he clearly had a strong motive), he really "didn't do". Of course, as his jailbird friend "Red" (Morgan Freeman) puts it, "Everybody in here is innocent." Well, Red is "the only guilty man" in Shawshank Prison. As their friendship develops, Andy learns the ropes of prison. Meanwhile, the warden (Bob Gunton) decides that Andy, a well- educated former banker could carry out something more useful than laundry. So, he places Andy as the prison librarian, and later, as his an accountant (he does taxes for all the jail's employees). Andy also assists the warden in money scams (as he tells Red, "I was always an honest man - I had to come to jail to become a crook!")
Throughout his novel, Texas Tough: The Rise of America’s Prison Empire, author and professor Robert Perkinson outlines the three current dominant purposes of prison. The first, punishment, is the act of disciplining offenders in an effort to prevent them from recommitting a particular crime. Harsh punishment encourages prisoners to behave because many will not want to face the consequences of further incarceration. While the purpose of punishment is often denounced, many do agree that prison should continue to be used as a means of protecting law-abiding citizens from violent offenders. The isolation of inmates, prison’s second purpose, exists to protect the public. Rehabilitation is currently the third purpose of prison. Rehabilitation is considered successful when a prisoner does n...
In the movie, Tommy comes to Shawshank and he does not have his High School diploma. After learning that Tommy does not have his diploma, Andy helps him to take his test to graduate from High School. After months of Andy tutoring and teaching tommy, it was finally time for Tommy to take his final test. While Tommy was taking the final test, he gets angry and storms out after throwing the test away. Without Tommy knowing it, Andy still turned his test in and he passed. Tommy decides to return the favor to Andy and Tommy tells of a murderer that Tommy spent some time with in another prison that matches to the story of the way his wife and her lover were killed. Since Andy was close to the warden by helping him wrote falsified checks, Andy asks Norton to look in to this guy that 's located at a different prison. Norton agrees but talks to Tommy first about the information Tommy told Andy. Norton secretly talks to Tommy outside of the prison at night. As Tommy is convincing Norton to check in to the other prisoner at another prison, Tommy gets shot in the back by one of the prison guards. Norton set Tommy up to make it look like he escaped. The following morning the prison heard of Tommy trying to escape. Andy 's chances of getting out of Shawshank were gone. In the book, Tommy comes to Shawshank and he is later transferred out to another
Prisons exist in this country as a means to administer retributive justice for those that break the laws in our society or to state it simply prisons punish criminals that are to receive a sentence of incarceration for more than one year. There are two main sub-cultures within the walls of prison the sub-culture of the Department of Corrections (which consists of the corrections officer, administrators, and all of the staff that work at the prison and go home at the end of their day) and the actual prisoners themselves. As you can imagine these two sub-cultures are dualistic in nature and this makes for a very stressful environment for both sides of the fence. While in prison, the inmates experience the same conditions as described in the previous
When many of us think of prison we automatically, “oh bad people go to prison, they serve their time so stay for their whole lives, then others move on”. In many cases this is nowhere near the truth. The impact of a person’s prison sentence has effects inmates for years to come. This impact is seen when they can’t find housing, get a job, vote, or support their family. These reasons are the leading factors as to why 60% end up returning to prison. When you have no way of providing for yourself, or your family, you go back to ways that gain you fast cash which may be
The system of Criminal Justice is structure to put criminals away but sometimes they tend to put the wrong people away. Many innocent individuals are put in prison every day for a crime they did not commit. This shows the system is not structure and well organized as it should be because many people are in jail due to false imprisonment. In the movie “Shawshank Redemption” there were a lot of issues that man prison facilities attend to annoy if it did not benefit their needs. The main issues staff and the parole board try to ignore is the physical and sexual abuse that goes on in the prison by other inmates including staff as well. Shawshank Prison also did not focus on educating their inmates nor try to help rehabilitate and prepare offenders
“Prison gives trouble of some kind to two others who love or need him. By this multiplication of misery we see distress extended to the hundredth part of the whole society.” By punishing those who haven’t committed a huge crime you're hurting their loved ones. When people are hurting they lash out
In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy did not actually commit the crime that he was convicted of in court, which is why his sentence can be considered unjust. Also, even though both films contain themes about the corruption that power causes, they showcase different ways to react to those in positions of power. Throughout the movie, Dufresne plays the system, doing what is asked of him so as to be in good standing with the warden and guards. In another review from Roger Ebert, he explains how, “For the warden, [Andy] is both a challenge and a resource; Andy knows all about bookkeeping and tax preparation, and before long he's been moved out of his prison job in the library and assigned to the warden's office, where he sits behind an adding machine and keeps tabs on the warden's ill-gotten gains” (“The Shawshank Redemption”). Because of this, Dufresne has more freedom and protection within Shawshank. The warden allows him to remain alone in his cell, expands the library, and gives him more leeway and freedom around the prison. Being so close with those in power is what allowed Andy to escape so flawlessly, and this scenario represents the idea of keeping friends close and enemies closer. Dufresne successfully breaking out of Shawshank showcases the importance of hope, and this, along with the outcomes of those in charge of the prison, created the satisfying ending of justice being
“It’s really clear that the most effective way to turn a nonviolent person into a violent one is to send them to prison,” says Harvard University criminologist James Gilligan. The American prison system takes nonviolent offenders and makes them live side-by-side with hardened killers. The very nature of prison, no matter people view it, produces an environment that is inevitably harmful to its residents.
Every civilization in history has had rules, and citizens who break them. To this day governments struggle to figure out the best way to deal with their criminals in ways that help both society and those that commit the crimes. Imprisonment has historically been the popular solution. However, there are many instances in which people are sent to prison that would be better served for community service, rehab, or some other form of punishment. Prison affects more than just the prisoner; the families, friends, employers, and communities of the incarcerated also pay a price. Prison as a punishment has its pros and cons; although it may be necessary for some, it can be harmful for those who would be better suited for alternative means of punishment.
As soon as Andy entered the prison, his freedom was lost, just as anyone would be going to prison. Confined to a cell, being supervised day in day out and having constant threats around every corner is far from free. If I were in Andy’s position I would not have any idea what to do, I have a hard enough time living at my own house, I would be devastated if I was to be locked away for life from a crime I did not even commit. Andy on the other hand seemed to
The mass media uses prison life as the source for movies and television shows. Over the years there have been many movies written about prison but the most prominent in my mind is Frank Darabont’s, The Shawshank Redemption. Throughout the film there are many examples of the falsities of prison life. There are some elements of truth but they are out weighed by the misconceptions. Numerous prisoners are allowed to walk around the prison and the prison yard with no guards in sight. In actuality there are always guards around, especially on the inside. The prisoner’s movement through the prison is highly restricted.