I want to start this article with a few disclaimers. Readers, I do not condone violence, support hateful speech or discrimination in any form. Additionally, all views in this article are my own and do not represent my employers, university or Her Campus. With that being said, I hope that you can surrender your beliefs for a moment and consider the possibility of an American society without mass incarceration with an open mind.
When first introduced to the idea of abolishing the prison system, most people don’t know what to think. Many questions arise, like where would all of the violent offenders go? How would we keep society safe? Where would something like this even begin? All of these questions are valuable in reorienting our perspective on justice and a safe society.
Envisioning America without prisons is a scary thought in today’s world, but what if society could change into a collective unit that understands basic needs, provides them, and nurtures those who require a little extra care? These basic needs for survival are food, water, shelter, clothing and human connection, but when one of those is missing, individuals turn to other means for survival, including crime. We, as a country, spend 80 billion dollars a year, or $260 per resident on locking up our neighbors. If we devoted even half of that money to social programs, we would make significant progress in homelessness, hunger and the prevention of crime in the first place. Supplying American people with the resources required to maintain a well-balanced life will drastically cut down on non-violent offenses. Also, allowing members of our society to fill their most basic needs allows for more room to focus on the issues surrounding violent crimes. Are the people committing violent crimes mentally ill? Is there a “serial killer gene” that can be identified or combated through therapy? Most importantly, why are violent crimes being committed at all?
The questions posed in the above paragraphs all lead to one conclusion, lack of necessary care leads to crime. But when America was founded, we didn’t have prisons as we do now. Penal punishment stems from European roots but has morphed into a system, unlike any other country where justice is defined as punishment in prison. The idea of prisons didn’t even form until after the enslaved population in America was released via the 13th amendment. Prior prisons were just used as holding cells before individuals were tried in court and received their punishment (i.e. lashings, beheadings, exile, etc.). Some argue that our system today is much more civilized than historical justice for crimes, but when one takes a closer look at what actually happens in prison, it resembles history much more than you might think. Today people being held in prisons are subject to sexual assault, forced labor, extended isolation and systems that encourage recidivism. These institutions came after the end of historical slavery in order to punish the newly freed African American population through a new form of enslavement. Abolitionists today compare our system to racist practices that ruled the south, like Jim Crow Laws and refer to our current system as the New Jim Crow
The hundreds of scholars who focus on the racist background that formed the prison system, how America’s history of slavery impacted imprisonment, and how the current prison population is mistreated all point to history when asked who to blame. The moral of their work is that (1) prisons are inherently racist institutions, (2) reforming the prisons does not mitigate the institutional issues and (3) abolishing the prisons does NOT mean that society will be less safe.
I know some of you might be thinking, if an individual is sent to prison, they must deserve the time, right? However, in recent years, organizations like The Innocence Project, have proven that our justice system is not completely foolproof. The ability of law enforcement to racially profile individuals and corrupt the justice system to suit their needs is why the abolition of the prison system is necessary. There are so many ways we can help change society to better provide for individuals, without taking away from our personal needs. The goal of abolition is not to re-introduce Americans who were incarcerated for mass murder, but to free the huge percentage of the prison population that is not a menace to society. It, unfortunately, seems true that we will always have members of society that want to inflict harm on one another, but if we can help individuals meet their own basic needs, we will not need the prison system we have today. If more individuals are aware of the issues with the current system and work to attain a safer, happier society that needs significantly less law enforcement, it would benefit everyone. It is hard to explain and properly analyze the abolition of prisons in just an article, so I encourage you to do your own research and learn what is really occurring behind those barbed-wire fences and beyond. Consider educating yourself on these important issues and learning from history, in hopes of avoiding future injustice.
For more information on this topic refer to Mariame Kaba, Reverend Doris Green and FSU’s very own Laura McTighe.
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