Jessica Lopez
Ms. Jordan
English 12 / Period 3
May 10, 2015
Villains or Civilians?
According to this article by “The Week” our country’s prisons populate more criminals than anywhere in the world. The idea that we have so many is not such a positive thing. We need more effective ways to keep people out of jail and to keep them out as well. I think this is true but then again I want to make sure that these criminals don’t fall back into their bad habits because nobody wants to live in fear. Rehab in California seems to be like a spa for rich people and apparently in Oslo as well. I believe that the inmates need to be put in an environment with some rules but also in a place where they feel they can improve on their social and life skills. Because the rehabilitation centers here in California do not seem to be working. However; in order to decrease the amount of inmates we need to change their perspectives about their jail time. We can do this by helping them reduce their time in exchange for good behavior and community service. It seemed to work in Texas and maybe it can work in other states as well. Rehabilitation is the one way to try and keep inmates out and clean because that is their main goal.
I think if we help these inmates interact with each other and live more normally like they would on the outside it would balance their views of society. An improved prison, like this would help society and the inmates’ futures. For, change is not a reward for anyone especially if you’re taken out of a system and put into the real world.
I have never been in a juvenile institution or jail but I have seen videos of some terrifying facilities. It looks like a camp with cruel conditions. I would be traumatized if I was placed in one because I am sure it is terrifying to be put in a place with no privacy and no freedom. Drastic changes can lead to very traumatic outcomes. Many people have trouble with changes in their life this is why some inmates are given medication. Depression and other
