Re-inventing prisons

America's prisons are overflowing with inmates and there is little change on the horizon. Most folks agree that recidivism rates from 30 to 79% are unacceptable, yet despite such dismal performance, prison budgets go up and accountability remains largely non existant. The taxpayers who fund this system are mostly blind to the real life costs of this dysfunctional system and are brainwashed by politicians who strut "tough on crime" platitudes. We all know prisons don't work like they could, yet concrete proposals for reform rarely make it to the public arena.

Apparantly, change does not happen because it is necessary. Once a bureaucracy is established, it seems to take on a self perpetuating life of it's own. Prisons are a perfect example of this. Their history stretches back hundreds, if not thousands of years. The basic idea has been to imprison those who violate existing laws. This, after the fact, response to unacceptable behavior is based on the primal impulses of revenge and punishment. Many people still believe that "Lock'em up and throw away the key" is the proper response to criminal behavior. Little thought or funding is given to attempting to prevent the growth and development of criminals in the first place or to the fact that 95% of those locked up will be back in our communities. Consequently, prisons operate almost on auto pilot......and remain mostly immune to accumulated knowledge of how individuals develop and how they can be changed.

It becomes evident that any reform will have to begin with a rethinking of the role of prisons.
Since so many inmates return to the "world" it makes sense that they be prepared to accept the responsibilities of ordinary citizens. Too many people leaving prison are not prepared because the prisons are not designed to encourage self reliance, self responsibility or cooperation. So instead of enabling a prisoner to exchange his or her crime for free room and board, education, medical care etc., all on the taxpayers dime, why not design prisons so inmates have real jobs, earn real money and pay for their own support, just like the rest of us? Denying inmates the responsibility to support themselves can , in no way, prepare them for life outside of prison.

Up to now, there has been much opposition to prison labor competing with private business. But that is because prisoners are paid about 12 cents an hour, instead of at least minimum wage. We need to move beyond the slave wages now paid in prisons and form public-private partnerships where the needs of all get addressed. Corporations could get tax breaks for outsourcing their jobs to prisons instead of to dictatorships like China and other low wage countries. American businesses need to move beyond their fixation on strictly financial, bottom line, considerations and include moral and social responsibility in their business plans.

Unless substantive changes are made to how prisons are designed and operated, we are all sentenced to an endless stream of new crime victims and the associated huge emotional and financial costs as well as billions of wasted taxpayer dollars. If this is fine with you, just ignore the whole issue and go on with your self centered life. On the other hand, if you believe change is necessary, spend a little time networking with like minded people and explore the possibilities of change.