Inmates in Prison are suffering

                    Does The prison system actually negatively impact Inmates rather than rehabilitate?

  “In seeking to severely penalize criminals society by putting the criminals away behind safe walls actually provide them with the means of greater strength for future atrocities glorious and otherwise (Kerouac)." This quote demonstrates the cruel reality that the reformation Prison is supposed to have on its inmates non existent. Prisons around the country have shown to be unkempt, violent, and dangerous. The culture that resides within the Prisons is one of the main reasons why inmates progress negatively once entering. Although there are many different people that have positively emerged from the prison's harsh environment, ultimately many people leave negatively due to the Inmates drug addictions, harsh prison environment, and  difficulty of obtaining a job after imprisonment.

  One of the main reasons why Inmates that are incarcerated turn out worse than before they were put in is because of the harsh environment that they have to live in for years. Generally, the culture in prisons is violent, and you have to show that you are strong in order to survive. An aspect of this culture is solitary confinement which directly contributes to the negative development of Inmates in Prison. According to Prison Police Initiative, "Solitary Confinement causes long-lasting harm-- premature deaths, by suicide, homicide, or opoid overdose for inmates in solitary confinement are more likely. " (Herring). The stress caused by spending time in solitary confinement can lead to permanent changes to people's brains and personalities. Inmates should not have to deal with this type of torture because it will change their own self and mental health. It is an unfair treatment, and prisons should be more focused on rehabilitating the negative behavior instead of torturing them.

Another major problem in the prison system is the inmates drug abuse. There has been many different incidents where inmates have managed to sneak in contraband and drugs. According to Criminal Justice Facts, An inmate is more likely to be involved with drugs, when drugs are resurfacing inside the prison. Criminal justice states that 85% of the prison population has an active substance use disorder. This fact demonstrates how horrible prison culture is, if the statistic is that overwhelming. The prison system needs to be able to insure that inmates can make a change from their life of crime. People may think that the inmates deserve their punishments because of the crimes they committed. Yet, this is ultimately false because the punishments that are installed in prisons are only enforcing the inmates to create these same crimes again. There are many different scenarios where people have snuck in drugs into the prisons, and in some places new inmates are even expected to bring in drugs. This can also affect how the inmates behave when they are released, it would be harder to pickup a drug while maintaining a drug addiction from jail.

    The next reason why prison systems need to be changed is because of the difficulty to obtain a job after prison. The saddening part of the incarceration process is how difficult it is for inmates to get a job after their sentencing is concluded. Prison is supposed to make the inmates change their lives for the better, but how can they do that when they can't get a job in the real world. This leaves inmates lost in the real world, and further leads to them committing the same crimes to make money. "Among 25-44 year old formerly incarcerated people, 93.3% are either employed or actively looking for work, compared to 83.8% among their general population peers of similar ages" (Kopf). Sadly, the reality of the prison system is that it doesn't inhibit inmates to better their lives.  Instead, The prison system keeps inmates away from the general public, while increasing their likely-hood of committing crimes. As seen in the statistics above, they are are given the short hand when trying to get hired for jobs.

    In conclusion, it is clear to see how the prison system has shown to have a negative impact on inmates. Whether it's the difficulty to get a job after prison, the harsh prison environment, or the likeliness of reoffending. The purpose of a prison should be to teach the inmates that they have to change their way of life, and if they do there is opportunity to live freely in the outside world. They shouldn't have to feel trapped by what they did in the past, but should be able to work on themselves in prison to become a better person for society. By helping fund prisons more, creating more ways to help drug addiction, and exterminating solitary confinement will help them become a safer way of rehabilitation for wrong behavior. Lastly, I leave you with one question. Is it safer to keep inmates in a harsh environment that will only trigger future crimes being committed, or  should the prison system be changed in order to help inmates mental health change for the better.