Ellen

Most people who are in prison are there because of non-violent crimes or crimes against property, not people.

3:15 PM | June 3, 2020

Wendy

because as many prisoners are incarcerated it does not fix the problem if prisons don't help rehabilitate convicts and release them with the skills they need to get jobs and change their future instead of turning back to crime.

6:18 PM | December 11, 2019

Shah'ada

prisons as they exist now disproportionately incarcerate POC for low level offenses, are not rehabilitative, and further increase the chances of inter-generational poverty continuing in perpetuity.

8:20 PM | May 10, 2019

Trevor

Prisons are useful for holding the worst of the worst; however, in recent years, this is simply not the case. Mass incarceration, resulting from the War on Drugs and Tough on Crime policies, holds low-risk and non-violent but also more often than not, minority and low-income individuals hostage to our CJ system. For instance, African American and Hispanic offenders are often given harsher and longer sentences than their white counterparts convicted of exactly the same crime. Brock Turner anyone? But most notably: African American and Hispanic people are underrepresented in the overall U.S population (32%), but are OVERrepresented in our prison population (56%) (naacp.org). How can prisons foster a sense of security when our most vulnerable populations are being targeted (look up "hot spot policing and racial profiling")? The people who answered yes to this question are most likely not as informed on the interworkings (and flaws) of our system. As I like to say, our system works perfectly for all those who aren't directly affected by it. Out of sight, out of mind. If you have the chance, consider reading "Blind Injustice" by Mark Godsey and "The Wrongful Convictions Reader" by Russell D. Convey and Valena E. Beety. The latter book is far denser but provides more statistics and includes far more examples (using legal/law jargon) explicitly detailing the flaws in our system-from sentencing disparities and false (more so coerced) confessions to cognitive biases and tunnel vision. The first book listed is written by a former prosecutor, now turned co-founder and director of the Ohio Innocence Project. In his book, he explains the psychology behind wrongful convictions but also exposes and details the abuse of power exhibited by the law enforcement, prosecutors, and (state-appointed) judges.

1:13 PM | March 18, 2019