Imprisonment and Punishment
I’ve seen firsthand how damaging being locked in a jail cell for 20 hours a day is to a human being.
Releasing individuals into a society they could not function in — in the first place, not only perpetuates the endless cycle of anger and violence within them but also their community. My father has been to prison four times and still calls it home; it’s the only place he feels he truly belongs now — like when a cage dog only finds solace in his tiny box. Every time he came back to us a shell of a man, someone we once knew lingers and haunts. The reconditioning is deeper than being fed disgusting mush several times a day or being forced to strip in front of your oppressors, squat and then cough. It’s the dehumanizing structure as a whole — all of the component intersecting to tear apart these human beings dignity, humanity,and ultimately their sense of reality. With prison being another form of legal slavery, it has grown into a billion-dollar industry, that traps individuals based on societal constructs that were not agreed upon when imposed. Thankfully articles published in the New York Times, reporting on the atrocious acts committed on inmates, can expose how strongly enacted the prison industrial complex really is in our society. Hopefully, the horrendous stories that have been brought to light can serve as an eye opener to the prison systems inhumanity and barbarity.
The foul, vile, treatment of inmates has been around for centuries but, with modern society becoming more empathetic, we begin to see the rise in reports on life in prison. The articles published in the New York Times expose just how far correctional officers will go in the name of the law and how much further privately-owned prisons will go to cover up the truth. These articles recall chilling tales of the humiliation and dehumanization that come with the life behind bars. The article, Ohio Finds Numerous Problems at Troubled County Jail, written by The Associate Press opens up about a particularly chilling situation. In this Ohio Prison, inmates are religiously “Red Zoned” — a form of lock down, where inmates are to be locked in their cells exceeding 24 hours. With this being contributed to the Prisons “staff shortages” The Associate Press unfortunately found that this incident was just the tip of the ice burg. The article continues with more chilling facts, stating “Both state and federal inspectors said prolonged lockdowns deprive prisoners of access to showers, recreation, educational and substance abuse programs, family visits and conferences with their attorneys.”, rights given to inmates many years ago. In today's system not only are these humans being forced to sit caged in, for more than 24 hours, they are also being punished for it. By having detrimental restrictions imposed, the inmates become deprived of basic human rights, like not having shower time or receiving toilet paper. Sadly, The Associate Press found that the list of abuses inflicted on inmates still goes on, stating: “The state inspection report found juveniles housed with adults; temperatures between 52 and 60 degrees in housing units, menus developed without regard for special dietary or religious needs, showers infested with insects and unsanitary conditions in food service areas.”. This housing issue largely has to do with the dispassion when it comes to its inmates and their housing situations. This detachment can be shown in their occupancy numbers; researches concluded that “During the latest state inspection on Nov. 6, there were 2,202 inmates in a facility meant to hold 1,765.”, this represents the objectivity and the literal price tag attached to inmates. When younger people are getting housed with long term offenders, in weather that some schools cancel sessions for, makes you wonder when or where we crossed the line to end up here. Which is this behavior and temperament isn’t picked up and publicized in the main stream media or talked about by many politicians. Our prison system is Americas dirty little secret.
Another monumental article that depicts the outcry of the inmates so vividly was written by, Annie Correal and Joseph Goldstein, two invested New York Times that were devoted to getting to the bottom of the tragedy. ‘It’s Cold as Hell’: Inside a Brooklyn Jail’s Weeklong Collapse is a deep article exposing the ugly truth that lays behind jail walls.
Only the inmates retell of the week-long agony “Around Martin Luther King’s Birthday, when temperatures plunged into the single digits, Mr. Wilson told his fiancée that the building felt like a freezer. To keep their hands warm, inmates on his floor had filled a can with water, heated it with a contraband lighter and passed it around.”. With stories starting to sound all too familiar, from prisons spaced thousands of miles away, you begin to realize that this isn’t an isolated instance but a reoccurring nightmare. Tales of being forgotten for days surface, “they were locked in their cells for up to 23 hours a day, a lockdown typically enforced in emergencies, to keep staff safe. Asked how many days he was locked in, an inmate on the fourth floor later said he believed three consecutive days passed before he was released again, but he had become confused in his dark cell.”. This is not the treatment any human deserves, whether the inmate is there for a good reason or not, doesn’t mean you can treat them less than you would you pet. This Brooklyn Jail was without power for over a week while its Staff tried to hide it and then minimalism the situation. It was observed that, “When news of how the inmates were treated reached the world outside, the warden of the federal jail, Herman E. Quay, at first denied there was any problem outside a partial loss of power.” the Warden then stated, “Inmate housing units have been minimally impacted”. These are the type of physical and psychological dehumanizing acts inflicted on humans — ones that no longer can help or leave the situation they are in, forced to wake up to this nightmare daily. These are not isolated instances or just slip ups, these are premeditated actions — a way that keeps all those caged humans, in check.
Reoccurring incidents like these, really show the true colors of the Prison Industry. With the unrepentant responses and repulsive actions it is almost undeniable that the prison system is not here to serve but to capitalize off of the less fortunate. Once you are arrested, you are no longer seen as human but a cash cow that can suck all the profit out of; a predator to keep hidden from society. If you are ever lucky enough to get to see the light of day again, it will be through their lenses.
References:
Correal, Annie, and Joseph Goldstein. “‘It’s Cold as Hell’: Inside a Brooklyn Jail’s Weeklong Collapse.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/09/nyregion/brooklyn-jail-no-heat-inmates.html.
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2019/02/23/us/ap-us-county-jail-cleveland.html (article has since been taken down)
