The Modern Prison Paradox Summary

In The Modern Prison Paradox, Amy Lerman examines the negative consequences of modern imprisonment on those who are locked up as well as those whose jobs is it to monitor and supervise. She also examines the consequences of concentration high number of ex-prisoners in certain communities. She argues that imprisonment has a negative consequence for crime control, for the people that work in prisons and for American community’s wellbeing.
In chapter one, Lerman argues that prison social contexts create more criminals rather than reformed citizens. Instead of educating inmates on ways to become productive members of society, prison actually “confine[s] individuals together who can share information and resources related to criminal activity” (Lerman, 108), prison not only increases social ties, but prisons is also bridge “for the transmission of collective norms and values… alienation from law-abiding

society” (120). In a nutshell, prison is an educational center that influences and promotes inmates to work collectively and share information on ways to become better and more effective criminals.
In chapter two, Lerman argues that correctional officers who work in high-security prison are different than those that work in low or moderately low-security prison.

Higher-security officers are different than other officers both in how they see their role when it comes to inmate’s rehabilitation (130) and how they go about fulfilling their duties as officers (134). Higher-security officers are much more likely not to “support offering either academic training at the college level or vocational training” (144) for inmates. Which suggests the purpose of incarceration for these officers is not one based on rehabilitating inmates but based on holding them from society. Higher-security officers are also different when it comes to going about their duties, they are less likely “to contact a supervisor for help” (134). Making it more difficult for these officers to get advice on issues that require supervisor expertise. Furthermore, this will likely result in higher-security officers using entirely arbitrary powers to resolve issues that come with interacting with

inmates.
In chapter three, Lerman argues that communities that have a higher concentration of ex-prisoners are less likely to trust or cooperate with each other. As noted by Lerman “high concentration areas are less likely to agree that people can generally be trusted” (158). Since these ex-inmates came from an environment that required them to be at a constant alert of danger and trust was offered to those who shared their social norms and experiences, it makes sense that trust is something that will be short on communities with a higher concentration of ex-prisoners. Furthermore, Lerman notes that the concentration of ex-prisoners on these communities also reduces cooperation as well as the effectiveness of the community in handling problems (159). In order for a community to be strong and proactive to tackle societal issues, it needs trust and cooperation, each member of the community needs to believe that the wellbeing of the community is their responsibility. In a community where trust and cooperation are lacking because of prison, then members of that community will not see themselves as the vanguard of their community.
It is becoming clearer that prison is not a place where citizens who commit crime are rehabilitated or shown the error of their ways. Instead, prison is where the negative consequences of being imprisoned are not limited to individual inmates, it extends to those who work in it as well as the community these inmates go back to. As a country, the cost of the modern prison is one that challenges our democratic legitimacy and undermines the principal or values we profess. This violation of the democratic principle is best displayed in the way modern prison alters inmates and American communities for the negative. A community that is not based on trust and cooperation is one in which democratic values will not be respected.