Page 19 - Issue-65

Vol 1 - issue 65 ELITE

Protecting Society

First, incapacitation, thought to be
the state's responsibility, is whereby the
public is protected because prisoners are

incarcerated and thus unable to commit
crime, leading to a modest decrease in
crime rates outside prison walls. Many
studies and research indicate that this
Here in prison society, prisoners are
protection is associated with the
deprived from normal social
duration of the sentence. However, once
interactions, forcing them to adopt a
the specified period is over and the
survival instinct where they develop an
released individual re-enters society,
“inmate code” - their only defense in an
they become an outcast in a community
environment characterized by
that does not believe in prison as a
overcrowding, poor sanitation, self -
means of reform and rehabilitation. The
harm , debilitating mental health
struggle continues for an individual
concerns etc. Based on retribution,
desperately trying to integrate into a
prisons are made to be miserable on
society terrified by the mere idea of
purpose and the more brutal the system
dealing with a criminal (from their
is inside those formidable buildings, the
perspective, even if he has served his
better - after all, are criminals not getting
sentence and proven his good conduct).
their “just deserts” ?
Thus, from his sense of injustice and
It then follows that the thought of
exclusion (this time outside the prison
prisons, daunting punishments that take
walls), a fierce desire for revenge
away your freedom, your dignity, any
emerges against those who took away
potential future opportunities and
his freedom twice: once for his crime and
deprive you of your identity, is enough
once without cause.
for some people to not even consider
“An eye for an eye”
committing a criminal act. Those who
Secondly, another underlying
actually end up serving behind bars will
theoretical justification is retribution -
be so scarred from the experience that it
the duty of the criminal justice system is
should deter them from committing
to pay back the criminals for their
further offenses.
offenses - to cause them misery
Unfortunately, we know this is not
commensurate to the graveness of the
the case - how many people do you
crime committed in an attempt of
know go to prison and then return to
creating a sort of balance. Behind bars
commit further offenses? I might even
and away from civilized society, is a
say that they become immune to prison
whole other world called “prison
life - fully integrating themselves into
society”.
prison society that they find they cannot
live anywhere but there.

Sept. 2024, p.19