The Prison System is negatively impacting Inmates

  “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.

   

  Harsh environment in Prisons

  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. "

                                                      Solitary Confinement Prison Cell

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.

Experiences in Harsh environment

A young rapper named Kodak Black has spent most of his childhood in prisons. He was one of the most famous rappers held in solitary confinement. During recent years he has talked about his experiences and how harsh the system really is. Complex states that kodak is suffering with his mental health while he is inside the prison. Kodak goes on to explain in many different tweets sent out by his management team, of his prayers for sanity while in the prison.

                                       Young rapper Kodak Black  during his time in prison

  Below is a picture of a prison cell in Denmark, which is clean and more kept. It shows a distinct difference between America's prison cell, and it is why prisoners from Denmark come out better than they came in. This is how the system should be for inmates, to promote change and a better life.

Drug Addiction In Prison

 Below is an image of the drugs and contraband that has been snuck into a prison in New York.

    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 or were incarcerated for a crime involving drugs or drug use. This fact demonstrates how horrible prison culture is, if the statistic is that overwhelming.

    People might 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.

    To add to that, if there are 85 percent of people with a drug addiction in prison, then they must have access to it inside the prison. 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. 

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. 

                           Above is a protest to help inmates to get hired for jobs

    Instead, The prison system keeps inmates away from the general public, while increasing their likelyhood 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.