Eva Tovar Gil
Professor Monique Williams
English 1A
November 4, 2013
U.S. Prisons: Myth Vs. Mayhem
U.S. Prisons: Myth Vs. Mayhem by Frank Trippett is an article that bases itself on the punishment methods prison systems use to fight crime nationwide in the U.S. Trippett points out the sadly yet factual methods America uses in prisons and how these methods don’t seem to quite bring out positive outcomes. He also makes clear the fact that the overcrowded-ness within prisons and how the system’s other such arrangements don’t make any prospect in fixing criminology among society. Prisons seem to not be carrying out their main purpose; an acceptable punishment for their inmates. According to Trippett, take great amounts of money yet don’t show improvement in repairing any of its attempt; inmates continue being abused mentally and physically in prisons which cause these groups of individuals to outrage and eventually when they are released from jail take it out on society. Prisons are mythical beliefs society has built to believe keeps society from intermingling with convicts and from crime overtaking the outside, from prisons, world. However, jails are not effectively fighting crime. Other punishable methods can be the answer to repair crime within convicts and society. Trippett , in this case, talks about experiments, which have already been set up in the state of Mississippi, that are capably of taking liberty from convicts and make it a punishment while requiring them to make up for the damages they’ve made to society. Overall, making his point more clear, other punishable methods are more useful than prisons, which are doing anything for repairing the crime found in society.
From my standpoint prison is not the best solution for dealing with gang members. Prisons are the most common place known for harsh violence, constant rape, brutal treating is practiced frequent among its inmates; the least tender existing corner on earth. Gang members are mostly young people who grew up lacking a basic need for their survival, paternal love for instance, and incarcerating them inside a hatred commonplace would be the poorest solution for repairing or bettering a gang member and improving him would be the case of least expected. Rather than making these individuals better, prison only cultivates hate among gang members. In prison, every gang member is placed in the region to which his gang affiliation is assigned, and separated from rivals. The system is not teaching inmates how to cope with each other but rather showing them that being apart from one another is for them the very best. So, once a gang member is set free the very first thing they’ll do is to get back to their start point, their gang, and continue practicing the avoidance of allying with their rivals. Crime will preserve between gangs if other than brutal punishment isn’t allocated in prisons. If inmates were to coexist along rival gang members, than the violence and hate between them would decrease. Fighting is exhausting and eventually everyone gives up. The anxiety and crave for violence between gangs will in no time get burned out. So, if rival gang members were to share cells in prisons, they would discontinue their violence against each other and collaborate for their own survival and their own good.
Prisons have not met their aim for over a decade now, however, partnering up prisons with advising centers can help achieve its goal of acceptable punishment towards the inmates. Advice from individuals who have experienced and successfully resolved their prison life can persuade current inmates to cease their society unacceptable conduct, that a living of crime only harms the desired life. Mentoring can lead and encourage others to make better decisions in their lives for their own wellbeing. In the process of in-taking advice, prisoners can become aware for their wrongdoings and be acceptable for them but rather than only taking culprit for their actions they can come into realization of doing good for their community and own good.
