The Negative Effects Of The Prison System In The United States

If Johnny Cash described the sad daily life of inmates in his classic « Folsom Prison Blues », today it’s all the prison system which is feeling pretty blue. Justice simple definition is the law administration. But inside that definition is the implicit comprehension that the law has to be applied even handedly. The concept of law is made to apply to everybody, but actually in America this main principle can be questioned. It is clearly obvious that the judicial system could be better. It takes a very small effort to « peer under the veneer of blind justice »(Bank) . Some argues that prison system is a necessary solution to make our society safer, I would say that justice system has many failures, its effects are so much negative to not be questioned. The

Since the early 2010s, the situation is stable and the jail population has begun to decrease (from 758 per 100 000 people incarcerated in 2008 to 710 in 2012), but remains at a unique high level, in comparison France has a rate of 123 per 100 000. If incarceration gave the image of reducing crime which was at a very high levels in the 90s, the correlation has never been rigorously established and the "returns" of this policy are now much more controversial, including in terms of public safety. Number of research shows that the effects of mass incarceration are complex and highly problematic. Regarding rehabilitation, prisons become a way to develop criminal values and attitudes. If we look at the environment of prison : long isolation from society, from constructive relationships with parents or relatives, and positive responsibilities such as getting a job or taking care of a family do not favor a good reintegration in society. If prison and confinement are considered the only way to protect society from criminals, some countries have shown that there were other alternatives to achieve this