Our prison system in America is the reason this country has not been able to progress and evolve from crime and punishment. Prisoners placed within a prison deserve to be there, for whatever crime they have committed, but when they are forced to participate and live in dehumanizing operations such as solitary confinement, one can question if they deserve these levels of extreme torture. One major prisoner’s rights issue comes from the use of solitary confinement. Solitary confinement should be eliminated since the use of this practice has shown to be both harmful and counterproductive. It is one example how the rights of prisoners has been threatened and abused. "My Night In Solitary" a New York Times article written by Rick Raemisch describes his opposing views on solitary confinement, after he writes about his 24 hour stay in administrative segregation. Raemisch is an executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, was voluntarily deposited in solitary confinement to gain better knowledge on this topic. In the article Raemisch describes his negative experience and negative psychological effects due to confinement. Raemisch explained the negative psychological and mental effects that he underwent when placed in administrative segregation. His stay in solitary confinement, which only lasted 20 hours, was not much compared to regular stay of inmates which is about 20 months (Raemisch).All perception of time is lost when you are placed in confinement and these daunting circumstances can lead one to become crazy or mentally insane.
Civil Liberties and privileges should be given to all the inmates since they are given and protected with these rights under the constitution. All humans deserve rights and prisoners are still human. These benefits and freedoms should be considered for all inmates, especially for those that are locked up for many years and those who will stay in prison for the rest of their life. 61% of offenders who are placed in prison come in with a mental problem and depriving them of these basic rights can further damage their mental health (Doris J. James and Lauren E. Glaze). These rights provided to prisoners can help many of them return to normalcy.
The rights of inmates have been overlooked in many cases, especially due to prisoner guards or police officials who violate their power and position of authority. I believe that once an inmate is placed in the prison system they are held there to reflect on the negative wrong-doings they have done and ultimately change who they are as a person for the better. Our prison system is only worsening the mental state of those in prison, and it’s scary to think that many people who are placed in prison for many years or even a lifetime were wrongfully accused and don’t deserve to be there in the first place. I understand that someone who is in prison can be considered one of the most dangerous and harmful beings but its scares me to think that prison, which is meant to be a place of rehabilitation, can cause further damage of the psychological state of a person.
What privileges should be given to individuals kept in custody? The 8th amendment allows for the liberties and basic human rights of a prisoner to not only be covered but followed. Prisoners’ rights have been violated in many cases such as guard brutality, sexual abuse, solitary confinement and lack of medical care (Prisoner’s Rights Project). Unsafe physical and mental conditions will only worsen the overall health of an inmate and be seen as inhumane treatment (Rights of Inmates). How can we make someone a better human when we take away their basic rights that make them a human? Depriving these prisoners who are still human, from their basic human rights is unethical and unjust. Forms of punishment seen and followed through our prison system can be seen as a form of crime itself. The prison system is becoming a global issue and it needs to be reformed if we want to help the safety and security of people within this country.
