Getting Sick? Commit a Crime!

A major issue and topic in the United States has been the rising cost of healthcare. One of the hardest things for people to do is to pay for the medical attention that is needed at any given time. Even if one has a good job that offers health benefits, the outrageous cost of the medical attention causes the co-pay to be practically unaffordable. However, when one gets sick, need medical assistance or prescriptions while serving time in prison, the state forks out the money at practically no cost to the inmate.

The cost that goes in to healthcare for prison inmates is over $3 billion annually. However, with the prison population still on the rise and the inmates aging due to longer sentences developed by policies like the three strikes law and war on drugs, our prison healthcare cost are rapidly increasing. In the last decade the prison population has almost doubled in elderly inmates; from just around 48,000 in 1998 to about 90,000 in 2007 (Chen, 2009). This is an astounding number when it comes to cost because the elderly are more prone to chronic and terminal diseases while needing more medical attention than the younger population. Some of the most common illnesses for the elderly in prison are dementia, hypertension, and diabetes (Chen, 2009). Although, it is common for prisoners to contract viruses like hepatitis C, tuberculosis, and HIV while serving time (Kaplan, 1999). These illnesses cause the inmates to need vast amounts of medical attention and pharmaceutical drugs to aid in the healing process at a price that is unaffordable to the average citizen.

Over the years prison officials have been trying to fight the cost of healthcare for inmates and have came up with strategies to reduce the annual cost. Some states have implemented a co-pay that an inmate must pay for medical services; these co-pays range from roughly $2 to $10 (Kaplan, 1999). Although, they have waved the co-pay cost for indigents, and over the years we have seen a rapid increase in indigent inmates! Prisons have also started placing elderly inmates in separate wings of the prisons in order to keep them from being attacked and lowering their chances of needing medical attention. But some officials have stated that these wings of the facilities have become more like a nursing home rather than a correctional facility (Chen, 2009). Some facilities have also contracted with private companies that offer medical attention and pharmaceuticals at a lower price than other hospitals, yet those that need special medical needs and operations must go to special medical facilities to get proper treatment (at a much, much higher cost).

Many activists have stood against these prisons fighting to lower the annual budget of healthcare for these inmates and have stated that this money should be allocated to higher education instead. They have fought these officials trying to cut the cost by giving the inmates generic prescriptions rather than expensive top of the line pharmaceuticals. They stated that these inmates should not have access to top notch medical facilities and specialist, but should receive regular mediocre Physicians just like the average citizen. Yet these inmates fight for their rights and say that it is an unfair practice if they don’t receive top of the line medical attention.

This debate over prison healthcare is becoming an even larger problem due to the major deficit our country has accrued. Yet we are still unable to meet the needs of these inmates while cutting the cost and allocating it towards something that would better benefit our society outside the prison walls. With our country rapidly falling deeper into debt we are in desperate need to change the prison healthcare practices and cut the annual cost pouring into the corrections system.

References

Chen, S. (2009, November 13). Prison health-care costs rise as inmates grow older and sicker. Retrieved April 29, 2011, from CNN Justice: http://articles.cnn.com/2009-11-13/justice/aging.inmates_1_prison-inmate-largest-prison-systems-medical-costs?_s=PM:CRIME

Kaplan, S. (1999, June 24). Health Care Costs Rising As Prison Population Grows And Ages. Retrieved April 29, 2011, from Stateline: http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=13721

Prison Painted Black

One of the major controversies in today’s society with regards to our correctional systems is the racial makeup within the United States prison population. Non-Hispanic whites have been and are still currently the majority and dominate culture in society- despite states like California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Texas, and the District of Columbia where the white population makes up less than 50% (Associated Press, 2005). Yet, we see that our prisons are populated by a majority of African American Males who make up only around 12.9% of the U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010).

This overrepresentation has been under mass scrutiny over the past few decades. As a whole the African American communities in our country have over came a lot and were thought to prosper after the civil rights movements where they gained “equality”. However, we are seeing quite the opposite due to the mass incarceration of that ethnic group. In 2006 the U.S. Census reported that of the 2 million inmates incarcerated in U.S. prisons 67% were non-white, of the 2 million people behind bars, around 41% are African American (AP3 News Team, 2010). This is an astounding number considering their ethnicity only makes up one tenth of the U.S. population. Yet, what are the factors that contribute to these overrepresentations of blacks in prison?

We have seen many theories on why people of diverse backgrounds are being targeted. Many scholars have contributed the high rates of incarceration for African Americans and minorities to overall social structure of our society. The constant living in poor neighborhoods with little to no income due to the lack of education and poor social and cultural capital have been the focal issues and contributory factors of the minority incarceration rates– Social capital referring to networking (having families or friends who can offer jobs or act as a referral), cultural capital referring ones education, knowledge, or skills that one has obtained (Walker, Spohn, & DeLone, p. 83).

It is a known fact that most poverty stricken areas are generally populated by minorities. We have also seen these poverty stricken areas which happen to be flooded with crime being targeted by police and patrolled more often than middle class neighborhoods. Yet, this is just the start of the overall issues pertaining to African Americans flooding our criminal justice system. One of the biggest issues with processing our suspects is that the prosecutor has the discretion whether to charge the defendant, what to charge them with, and what type of plea bargain one will get the chance to receive. The issue comes into play because these prosecutors determine whether to charge and how to charge depending on not only the crime arrested for, but if the defendant has any prior criminal record. Statistics have shown over the past few decades that most minorities living in poverty areas have some type of criminal record. So it can be determined that most of these defendants will receive more charges and harsher sentencing due to their priors. The next big problem that poor minorities face is that most of them can’t afford a private attorney, let alone post bail.

One fact that remains today is that most of the defendants that are unable to post bail and who don’t get released on their own recognance are more likely to be convicted of that crime. In a 2000 study done by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that 77% of those individuals that were detained prior to trial were convicted, whereas 45% of those released prior to trail were convicted (Walker, Spohn, & DeLone, p. 182). This is shows that there is huge benefits to being released prior to trial; one can gather witnesses, work hand in hand with the defense attorney, keep his job (if he/she has one), and gather evidence to help ones case.

 It is obvious that the closer you look at the justice system the more obscured and unequal it becomes. So what can be done to lower the number of African Americans that are sent to prison every year? Does it mean that our criminal justice and legal system need to be reformed? Or is it the structure of society that comes into play? There are many theories and studies done to determine the problem, but the fact remains that we have a problem that we have failed to fix. We are in desperate need to lower our prison population and find a better way to punish and rehabilitate or people and society.

(One thing to keep in mind is that I have not even really touched on the war on drugs, or even any of the individual discriminatory factors that might come into play within the criminal justice system!)

References

AP3 News Team. (2010, October 4). 67% of Prison Population Is Nonwhite: Time for a Real Debate on Race and Crime. Retrieved April 15, 2011, from http://american3p.org/establishment-news/67-of-prison-population-is-nonwhite-time-for-a-real-debate-on-race-and-crime/

Associated Press. (2005, August 11). Texas White Anglos Become Minority. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from Fox News: U.S. & World: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,165395,00.html

U.S. Census Bureau. (2010, November 4). State and County QuickFacts. Retrieved April 16, 2011, from U.S. Census Bureau: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html

Walker, S., Spohn, C., & DeLone, M. (2007). The Color of Justice: . Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

Blood In, Blood Out…….

Blood In, Blood Out

The daily lives of prisoners are filled with many issues; violence and drug trafficking are two of the main aspects that they partake in which contribute to the harsh and deadly environment today. But it is the faces behind the problem that contribute to the mass violence both inside and outside of the prison walls. Prison gangs control everything that goes on in the systems; from putting out hits (Murders of targeted inmates/citizens), supplying drugs, and even organizing riots. Housing these gangs has become a major problem for these correctional facilities. It has even caused them to build the Special Housing Units (SHU), and segregate by gang’s identification. Another problem is the special attention needed to be given to gang leaders and any member that defect from the gang, keeping them safe and secluded is a daunting and expensive task.

There are many prison gangs in the United States but there are five that are prominent figures in the prison system. The five prominent gangs include: Black Guerilla Family (BGF), Aryan Brotherhood (AB), Nazi Low Riders, Nuestra Familia (NF), and probably the most renowned Mexican Mafia (EME). Each of these groups were formed on racial boundaries, and most were created to protect inmates from the other gangs and races.. The Nuestra Familia is a Northern based gang that was formed as to protect Northern Mexicans (who were more Americanized) against the dominate Southern Mexican gang the Mexican Mafia (who were from Southern California and had strong cultural ties to their native land Mexico).

 These prison gangs are structured on racial and cultural boundaries. They have strict by-laws and hierarchal system of power. Their hierarchy of power consists of: the President, vice-president, generals, captains, soldiers (or Carnales in the EME), etc… The one law that separates these prison gangs from any other gang in the world is that once you join you join for life, “blood in, blood out”. It also takes years of loyalty and doing the bidding (or dirty work) of the members. The willingness to give your life at any moment for a “brother” and to maintain respect at all cost in order to even be considered as a member. Some of these prison gangs even conduct strict militant type routines; with workouts, purpose and standards. These prison gangs are self perpetuating criminal entities that have built themselves up inside of the prison walls and have branched out toward controlling the activities and structures of the dominate street gangs in America (U.S. Department of Justice).

Prison officials have been trying to control and diminish these gangs by separating their leaders from the general population and by cutting off their communication. Unfortunately for the corrections officials these inmates have the ability to gain access to communication devices; whether it is a kit (note) or even a cell phone. These inmates always find loop holes through the system, even to the extent of using their confidential lawyer documents to smuggle in drugs and money. They also have the ability to corrupt the prison staff due to the money they can offer them compared to the wages the Correction Officers earn while working. These prison gangs have become overly dangerous to our society and our correctional facilities and government units are unable to properly take down and eliminate these gangs and their abilities to cause mayhem. Our countries dept and financial shortcomings have also made it hard for our corrections officials to maintain proper programs and task forces toward diminishing these gangs’ structure and activities. Until our government finds an effective method toward taking down these dominate groups our society will continue to flourish with crime and fear.

References  

Dufresne, D. (2010, December 11). Top 10 US Prison Gangs. Retrieved March 29, 2011, from Top 10 US Prison Gangs: http://listverse.com/2010/12/11/top-10-us-prison-gangs/

Florida Department of Corrections. (n.d.). Gang and Security Threat Group Awareness. Retrieved March 28, 2011, from Florida Department of Corrections: http://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/gangs/prison.html

InsidePrison.com. (2006, May). Mexican Mafia: Prison Gang Profile. Retrieved March 29, 2011, from Inside Prison - inside prison life, prison stories, prison conditions: http://www.insideprison.com/mexican-mafia-prison-gang.asp

U.S. Department of Justice. (n.d.). Prison Gangs. Retrieved March 28, 2011, from United States Department of Justice: http://www.justice.gov/criminal/gangunit/gangs/prison.html

Overcrowding

Over the past few decades the United States prisons have endured a mass influx of prisoners and are now faced with serious overcrowding issues. Many have determined that the reason behind this is due to the tough on sentencing that was incorporated a few decades ago. “The U.S. has less than 5 percent of the world's population but 25 percent of its prisoners. The reasons are clear-cut and startling. Joblessness, poor education and family breakdown are all contributing factors to increases in crime that in part have fueled a rise in incarceration rates. But it is a series of draconian drug laws and mandatory sentencing laws that have resulted in a 500 percent increase in the nation's prison population over the last 30 years” (Ifill, 2010).

As a result prisons have been filled beyond their max capacity by a majority of non-violent offenders. However, not only are these prisons faced with overcrowding, but they are also receiving mass budget cuts and less support from society. This has resulted in staff cuts, depletion of resources for staff, program cuts for inmates, and insufficient medical supplies and staff for treating these inmates. All the while these inmates are stuck in large room with other inmates with nothing but an arms length of air that separates them.

This has forced corrections officers to work in an even more dangerous and hostile environment. Prison staffs must endure working inside of the warehouse like facilities where inmates are being packed and housed like animals. “In the last formal report of the jail system conducted by the Bureau of Justice, the ratio of inmates per correction officer jumped from 2.9 to 4.3. The ratio of inmates per correction officer in state and Federal correctional facilities rose from 4.6 to 4.8” (Seabrook, 2005). Inmates must face on a daily basis a very noisy cramped area where they share items, lockers, and bathrooms. Most of the time these inmates must rely on one another to watch over them while they sleep and use the restroom so that they are not physically attacked or killed. The environment in these facilities have played a large role in the mental and physical states of these inmates, and with the lack of medical care and resources are prisons are becoming a place where inmates are sent to die rather than to be rehabilitated; “The suicide rate in California's overcrowded prisons is nearly twice the national average, and one inmate dies every eight days from inadequate medical care” (Savage & Williams, 2010). We have also seen an increase in the prison violence rate; State and Federal correctional facilities report a 27% increase in inmate-on-inmate assaults and a 32% rise in inmate-on-staff attacks. These stats correspond with the reports that our prison facilities are filled beyond their maximum capacity. It has been reported that the state prisons are operating between one and 16% above capacity and Federal prisons are operating around 31% above their capacity (Seabrook, 2005).

With the mass incarcerations rates in the U.S. our prisons will continue to face this overcrowding issues that result in prison violence and only increase the budget deficits. Our corrections system really needs to be reconstructed and our intermediate sanction should really be utilized more often to help alleviate some of the overcrowding and cost that are associated with our “tough on sentencing” acts and philosophies. Over all, something needs to be done so that our prisoners can be facilitated properly and so that they can receive the proper rehabilitation they need to help prepare for reintegration with society.

Ifill, S. A. (2010, July 2). Incarceration Nation Gets a Reprieve. Retrieved November 23, 2011, from The Root : http://www.theroot.com/views/incarceration-nation-gets-reprieve

Savage, D. G., & Williams, C. J. (2010, November 29). California prison overcrowding case heads to Supreme Court. Retrieved February 23, 2011, from Los Angeles Times: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/nov/29/nation/la-na-california-prisons-20101129

Seabrook, N. (2005, September). Prison violence on the rise. Retrieved February 23, 2011, from USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education): http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_2724_134/ai_n15380394/

Idle Minds are Deadly Minds

Todd (Hyung-Rae) Tarselli, Captive

The overcrowding of prisons combined with the lack of programs and activities are causing prisoners to have unconstructive idle minds. Is the current system potentially causing more harm than good?

There are many reasons why inmates are housed in prison. Regardless of why they are housed, some type of productivity should occur. Programs and activities can help inmates by positively stimulating their minds and keeping them active, bettering their chances for success upon reentering society. However, most prisons fail to supply inmates with adequate activities or special programs. Budget cuts have restricted supplies and tools that inmates use to keep themselves constructive while serving time; causing them to focus on the hostile environment, which forces them to maintain negative brain stimulation. This has a major affect on the prisoners; emotionally, physically, and psychologically. We have heard the saying “idle minds are deadly minds”, so when we place prisoners in a kill or be killed environment without any constructive activities we are setting them up for failure.

This seems to be more than an understatement in the supermax prisons. “A prisoners mind may ‘break’ under supermaximum confinement. Critical accounts of supermaximum prisons emphasize the negative effects of solitary confinement on the mental condition of many prisoners who experience extreme states of rage, depression, or psychosis” (Rhodes, Pathological Effects, p. 1693).  Lack of constructive activities dehumanize inmates and cause them to become prisoners of their own minds. When people are placed in confined areas they must rely on themselves to be proactive and positive. However, being positive is almost impossible for most people to achieve under such stressful circumstances, especially since inmates are surrounded by nothing but violence and concrete. Most prisons have been under mass budget cuts; turning away from the rehabilitation model, heading towards the custodial model. While taking away from educational, recreational, and counseling programs available for inmates. The budget shortfalls are changing the face of the prison system. Due to the ever-growing U.S. population and lack of prison space, inmates are now being facilitated in packed prisons all over. Overcrowding is becoming a major issue within our prison system and has greatly diminished the chances for inmates to participate in productive activities. 

Todd (Hyung-Rae) Tarselli, Decompensation.

Most of our prisons have become drastically overpopulated; they are placing thousands of inmates in facilities that were meant to house hundreds. Most of these prisoners are housed in huge warehouse like environments where they have tight living conditions and no privacy. Placing inmates in these conditions have caused most of them to become hostile and under severe stress. “The opportunities for inmates to participate in self-improvement and rehabilitative programs, such as academic, employment and vocational training are curtailed. The lack of work or work opportunities leads to inmate idleness, often reinforcing the maxim that idleness breeds discontent and disruptive behavior” (John Howard Society of Alberta, 2002). When one is placed in an environment where there is constant noise and the fear of being victimized by another, it causes them to be placed under constant stress and anxiety which ultimately leads to negative effects on their psyche.

 Keeping inmates as busy as possible and allowing them the chance to participate in positive activities may help reduce the chances for inmates to think negatively, possibly saving them from giving into the environment and becoming prisoners of their own minds.

 The concept of prison is to punish people who commit acts of crime and prepare them to re-enter society. However, this seems impossible without adequate programs and activities for inmates.  It seems that with the lack of activities and programs, people are exiting prison in a worse mental state than when they entered. Is this morally justifiable for our system to be conducted this way? Or is there a solution to the issue at hand?

 

Fritner, C. (2008, January 17). Lonely Madness: The Effects of Solitary Confinement and Social Isolation on Mental and Emotional Health. Retrieved December 7, 2010, from Serendip: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1898

John Howard Society of Alberta. (2002, May). THE EFFECTS OF PRISON OVERCROWDING. Retrieved February 11, 2011, from Patrick Crusade: http://www.patrickcrusade.org/EFFECTS_OF_OVERCROWDING.html

Rhodes, L. A. (2005). Changing the Subject: Conversation in Supermax. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Vol. 20, Issue 3 , 388-411.

Rhodes, L. A. (2005). Pathological Effects of the Supermaximum Prison. American Journal of Public Health: Vol 95, No. 10 , 1692-1695.

State Of California. (2009, September 17). CDCR Reduces Offender Rehabilitation Programs. Retrieved December 5, 2010, from California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/News/2009_Press_Releases/Sept_17_Programs.html