The U.S. prison system is based on the isolation of the incarcerated and the general public. This separation of "criminals" from "mainstream society" is meant to serve not only a punitive function, but a protective function. In a system infamous for its supermax prisons and solitary confinement, the disconnect between inmates and family, friends, career, hobbies, home, nature, and freedom is huge.
This anthology will explore the theme of connections: how the incarcerated attempt to remain connected to their surroundings, to those they left outside of prison, to those they interact with in prison, to humankind, to God, to nature, etc.
My hope is to show that while prison is meant to correct behavior that creates disconnect and discordance in our country (crime), using prison as a solution only exacerbates the division between the incarcerated and their fellow citizens, and even their country.
Introduction
The theme "connections" can be tied to many of the individual topics we've covered in class this year. From the focus we've put on the use of solitary confinement to the death penalty, the U.S. prison system creates disconnect between not only prisoners but also between humans and their lives. Additionally, we've discussed visitation rights, and I've explored maternal incarceration in terms of pregnant women as well, where much of the research discusses how the separation of mothers from their infants effects both sides of the relationship psychologically.
Another focus of our class this year has been the role of the US prison system in perpetuating racism and the subjugation of black citizens in our country. In the excerpt we read from Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow, we explored and discussed how the systematic disproportionate imprisonment of young black men in the United States has created a culture where we expect a division between races in terms of criminal behavior. This serves as yet another example of the disconnect created in the prison system, one that affects free citizens on a daily basis.
According to The Sentencing Project, many states' criminal justice systems extend their control over how inmates reconnect to our nation long after they leave prison. In all but two states, a felony conviction results in the suspension of the convicted's voting rights. Many of these states continue to suspend these citizens' voting rights past their release date, sometimes extending beyond parole and probation. As of April, 2015, there are roughly 5.85 million Americans who are not able to vote. The disenfranchisement of the incarcerated population is yet another example of how our criminal justice system reinforces the disconnect between the imprisoned and free citizens in the United States, and how this disconnect is preserved even after release.
I will leave this course much more informed about the state of the US prison system. I will also leave this course somewhat disheartened; to find that a system I have long believed served justice is so corrupt and ineffective is saddening, and eye-opening. Knowing that there is so much work to be done to change the way our criminal justice system operates before we can truly serve justice is a huge challenge.
The knowledge I’ve gained in this course has taught me that we have to question the systems in place in our lives. As citizens and future policy makers, it is our responsibility to continue to educate ourselves and fight for reforms that will re-forge the connections destroyed by our current prison system.