Elliott Currie, author of Crime and Punishment in America, once said, “Let me be clear: there is legitimate dispute about the effects of imprisonment on crime, and people of goodwill can and do argue about the precise impact of the incarceration boom of the past twenty-five years. But the legitimate dispute takes place within very narrow boundaries, and the available evidence cannot be comforting to those who put great hopes on the experiment. Nor do we have reason to expect better results in the future; indeed, if anything just the opposite.” Some may know that the United States’ method of imprisonment is unique in comparison to others, but unique does not always mean better. Our system is expected to reform those incarcerated and help them …show more content…
It is the fault of every individual American as well. We have judged our fellow citizens, imprisoned them with the sense of justice, and ultimately forgot that they to, are American. We have looked down on, discriminated against, mistreated, abused, and abandoned our citizens due to their heinous actions that landed them in prison. Our actions have led to them not learning from their mistakes, becoming more of a burden on society due to a lack of education, and become a tremendous strain on our economy and the financial stability of every American. The exact opposite of what is intended of our system. We are the cause for repeat offenders, our constant neglect and mistreatment. Until we become more caring and understanding of how to reform our citizens to become more beneficial to society then we will be stuck, repeating the same mistakes a felon would. We will not be able to produce citizens that are beneficial, economically and socially acceptable until we adjust our broken system and focus more on helping reform our inmates. In the words of Prime Minister Cameron of the United Kingdom, “Not everyone shows remorse, and not everyone seeks redemption. But I also strongly believe that we must offer chances to change, that for those trying hard to turn themselves around, we should offer hope, that in a compassionate country, we should help those who’ve made mistakes to find their way back onto the right path. In short: we need a prison system that doesn’t see prisoners as simply liabilities to be managed, but instead as potential assets to be harnessed… This failure really matters. It matters to the public purse: this cycle of reoffending costs up to £13 billion a year. It matters to you: because in the end, who are the victims of this re-offending? It’s the mother who gets burgled or the young boy who gets mugged. It matters to the prison staff - some of the