The conditions of prisons range from inhumane to a luxurious life that most people outside of bars are not even lucky enough to have. But, what kind of conditions do they deserve?
Most prisons are well over capacity, At the San Quentin State Prison; the death row at the maximum-security lockup is at 157 percent capacity.
California's archipelago of 33 prisons houses more than 170,000 inmates that is nearly twice the number it was designed to safely hold. More than 16,000 of those prisoners sleep on what are known as "ugly beds" which are extra bunks stuffed into cells, gyms, dayrooms, and hallways. There are severe effects of the overcrowding that include electrical blackouts, sewage spills, riots, and more than 1,600 attacks on prison guards in the previous year. The overcrowding is most likely due to the huge increase in the prison population that has doubled since 1990. The reception center in the desert city of Lancaster, California is designed for a 1,350 inmates and holds more than 5,000. About 51 percent of inmates were parole violators. Does this mean that prison is not reforming the prisoners and over half of the prisoners that walk out the door will be right back in?
Nearly one in 20 prisoners report being raped or sexually abused while behind bars. Prisoners who are young, physically small or weak, gay, first offenders, or who have been convicted of a sexual offense against a minor are especially at risk for sexual abuse. About 3 percent
reported staff sexual misconduct.
The procedure for purchasing soap, brushes, and buckets is long and tedious. However, there is no proof that the prisoners ever get these items. An hour is said to be spent on laundry but most inmates wash their clothing and sheets in the toilets. Services for prisoners including literacy classes
have fallen apart completely. Nearly one-fifth of California's inmates leave prison illiterate. Inadequate medical services in
jail are the cause of death of about one inmate each week. Drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis spread throughout the jails and once the prisoners are released spread it outside of bars. Prison employees ferry in illegal drugs. Inmates will often share needles to take these drugs and spread diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C. Prisons have cut back on testing because they do not have money to pay for treatments.
People who are so seriously mentally ill have no access to any sort of psychiatric help. Psychiatric care in most facilities is nonexistent. One quarter of inmates that are assigned to cells 23 hours a day were mentally ill and
only worsened their existing conditions. One-half of these inmates tried to commit suicide.
At the jail in San Quentin, CA, prisoners ate out of pails and were forced to remain in solitary confinement with no light.
Most inmates are forced to spend all of their time inside. They have no access to rehab, classes, contact to the outside world, and no phone calls except to attorneys.
California would have to greatly reduce its inmate population to even begin to start to function effectively.
Most inmates are fed a type of food called "nutraloaf" composed of whole wheat bread, cheese, raw carrots, spinach, seedless raisins, beans, vegetable
oil, tomato paste, powdered milk, and dehydrated potato flakes. These ingredients are mixed and baked. Often prisoners who are sick of the food served
to them attempt to create their own food. Prison moonshine is made by sealing fruit, sugar, ketchup, and water in a garbage bag and stored inside a toilet for several days. Another type of food is prison pizza, which is ramen noodles, crushed chips or crackers, and topped with cheese spread and sausage.
Judges have continued to find jails and prisons as a form cruel and unusual punishment but with the continuous increase in inmates not many reforms have been successful.
California's archipelago of 33 prisons houses more than 170,000 inmates that is nearly twice the number it was designed to safely hold. More than 16,000 of those prisoners sleep on what are known as "ugly beds" which are extra bunks stuffed into cells, gyms, dayrooms, and hallways. There are severe effects of the overcrowding that include electrical blackouts, sewage spills, riots, and more than 1,600 attacks on prison guards in the previous year. The overcrowding is most likely due to the huge increase in the prison population that has doubled since 1990. The reception center in the desert city of Lancaster, California is designed for a 1,350 inmates and holds more than 5,000. About 51 percent of inmates were parole violators. Does this mean that prison is not reforming the prisoners and over half of the prisoners that walk out the door will be right back in?
Nearly one in 20 prisoners report being raped or sexually abused while behind bars. Prisoners who are young, physically small or weak, gay, first offenders, or who have been convicted of a sexual offense against a minor are especially at risk for sexual abuse. About 3 percent
reported staff sexual misconduct.
The procedure for purchasing soap, brushes, and buckets is long and tedious. However, there is no proof that the prisoners ever get these items. An hour is said to be spent on laundry but most inmates wash their clothing and sheets in the toilets. Services for prisoners including literacy classes
have fallen apart completely. Nearly one-fifth of California's inmates leave prison illiterate. Inadequate medical services in
jail are the cause of death of about one inmate each week. Drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis spread throughout the jails and once the prisoners are released spread it outside of bars. Prison employees ferry in illegal drugs. Inmates will often share needles to take these drugs and spread diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C. Prisons have cut back on testing because they do not have money to pay for treatments.
People who are so seriously mentally ill have no access to any sort of psychiatric help. Psychiatric care in most facilities is nonexistent. One quarter of inmates that are assigned to cells 23 hours a day were mentally ill and
only worsened their existing conditions. One-half of these inmates tried to commit suicide.
At the jail in San Quentin, CA, prisoners ate out of pails and were forced to remain in solitary confinement with no light.
Most inmates are forced to spend all of their time inside. They have no access to rehab, classes, contact to the outside world, and no phone calls except to attorneys.
California would have to greatly reduce its inmate population to even begin to start to function effectively.
Most inmates are fed a type of food called "nutraloaf" composed of whole wheat bread, cheese, raw carrots, spinach, seedless raisins, beans, vegetable
oil, tomato paste, powdered milk, and dehydrated potato flakes. These ingredients are mixed and baked. Often prisoners who are sick of the food served
to them attempt to create their own food. Prison moonshine is made by sealing fruit, sugar, ketchup, and water in a garbage bag and stored inside a toilet for several days. Another type of food is prison pizza, which is ramen noodles, crushed chips or crackers, and topped with cheese spread and sausage.
Judges have continued to find jails and prisons as a form cruel and unusual punishment but with the continuous increase in inmates not many reforms have been successful.
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Yes, many prisons suffer from these cruel and unusual punishments. However, there are other prisons that are quite the opposite. Some prisons, the inmates describe as being luxurious. These luxurious prisons include things such as organic menus, state of the art gyms, lounge areas, and libraries, cells with TVs and minifridges, and open courtyards. Most of these inmates would rather stay in these prisons rather than go home where they would not have access to such luxuries.
One man was in jail for repeatedly stabbing his wife and he described how he was "better off inside". He had outstanding food and other accommodations such as color TVs and high standard education. Other prisons offer a choice of five gourmet meals.
Most can agree that a facility that offers gourmet meals and a life better for the prisoner than outside of bars is one that these prisoners do not
deserve. But does that mean they deserve a facility with inhumane conditions. This is one thing that most prisons struggle with. They need to create a
facility that is dreadful and a place that people do not want to go without making it inhumane.
One man was in jail for repeatedly stabbing his wife and he described how he was "better off inside". He had outstanding food and other accommodations such as color TVs and high standard education. Other prisons offer a choice of five gourmet meals.
Most can agree that a facility that offers gourmet meals and a life better for the prisoner than outside of bars is one that these prisoners do not
deserve. But does that mean they deserve a facility with inhumane conditions. This is one thing that most prisons struggle with. They need to create a
facility that is dreadful and a place that people do not want to go without making it inhumane.