Reflection Paper On Valdosta State Prison

Andersonville Prison epitomized the ultimate crime against humanity. The atrocities that transpired in this confederate prison sparked reaction and outrage at the conclusion of the Civil War.

Prior to visiting the prison, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was nervous but also excited to see how everything operated. I had never been to a jail or a prison prior to this field trip. I was expecting to see one big building surrounded by high fences and coiled barbed wire. Once inside, I was expecting to see people dressed in orange doing various activities, much like in movies and television shows, even though I knew these weren’t true.

After listening to and or reading the transcripts of Locked Down: Gangs in the Supermax by Michael Montgomery, one gets a glimpse of prison life, sociological issues inmates and staff face, and the subculture of prison life faced by staff and prisoners alike on a daily basis. However, instead of delving completely in to the situational circumstances of prisoner life, it is more important to understand the history of this Supermax prison and why it was constructed to begin with. Further, it is important to understand the philosophy of the need for the Secure Housing Unit, which is the most secure and isolated portion of Pelican Bay Prison.

In America, crime rates are going up and prisoners are being released from prison with a wrong sense of direction resulting in their finding themselves back behind bars within a short period of time after being released for an action that could have been prevented if the proper precautions had been taken. Prisons need to put forth the effort to resolve these issues and make America’s streets secure again. The criminal justice system in prisons is a rising concern in this country that is affecting many and it is time it was improved by reforming the inside of prisons, providing prisoners with more when released, and keeping them under surveillance after release to help ensure they will not return to prison, thus keeping crime at a lower rate.

Andersonville Prison, officially named Camp Sumter, was among the largest of the prison camps during the civil war (Holst). Events that took place there and the actions of Captain Henry Wirz, the man in charge of the camp, are of the most speculated incidents that occurred during the war. However, Henry Wirz should not have been found guilty of the war crimes at Andersonville.

For my discovery event, I went on a tour of The California Health Care Facility in Stockton. I selected this event because I was very curious to know what it was like to work in a prison setting. My desire for future work settings has been between a nursing facility and prison facility. Before the visit I expected to know how a group was done in lower level prison and the safety precautions implemented. The facility tour was lead by CTRS John Widenmann and Gaganjot Singh. The first thing we toured was there medical mall building where all the prisons went to thee appointments for physical therapy occupational therapy, dentist, diagnostics, x-rays and medical needs. John told us that some inmates walk with out a guard because they have a card to specify where there suppose to be. If they refuse to go to there appointment than force is used too make them. Along the tour he mentioned that the rec therapists sees the inmate five time more in a week than other members of a treatment team. We were able to visit a facilitation room, which had a class for inmates to do artwork. One of the CTRS on staff mentioned that it is hard to have supplies for the art projects.

The United States prison system struggles eminently with keeping offenders out of prison after being released. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than third of all prisoners who were arrested within five years of released were arrested within six months after release, with more than half arrested by the end of the year (Hughes, Wilson, & Beck, 2001). Among prisoners released in 2005 in 23 states with available data on inmates returned to prison, about half (55 percent) had either a parole or probation violation or an arrest for a new offense within three years that led to imprisonment (Durose, Cooper, & Snyder, 2014). Why are there many ex-offenders going back to prison within the first five years of release? Are there not enough resources to help offenders before or/and after being released from prison.

This paper is about three differences between the Huntington County Jail and the Wabash County Jail. The Huntington County Jail and the Wabash County Jail are both similar and different. The jails are more similar than different; however, my essay is three ways they are different. The jails are different in capacity, the rec areas are different, and the community corrections are in different places.

Thesis: Private prisons actually exacerbate many of the issues they were designed to solve by incentivizing increased incarceration, and at the same time they produce lower value than regular prisons while ultimately costing more, such that private prisons should be abolished and incarceration should remain exclusively public.

On September 11, the Cuban government stated that 3,522 prisoners will be released from its jails before the pope visits the country. The prisoners’ freedom is considered a gift to Pope Francis. According to the New York Times, “The Cuban government has twice before released prisoners preceding a papal visit, measures to elicit good will for the state.”

It might still be fresh from the minds of the people of Florida when Sarasota County Jail’s reputation got dragged into the controversy about the death of two inmates and a total of 14 overdose cases that were reported earlier this summer. This incident is a proof that there is currently a budding up problem about Opiate addition with the inmates that has to be tackled and solved in the best effective way.

Within this paper, you will find a comprehensive review of the United States prison system, and why it needs to analyzed to better support and reform the people of this country. I plan to persuade the other side (politicians and society) into seeing that the way the prison system is now, is not ethical nor economical and it must change. We have one of the world’s largest prison population, but also a very high rate of recidivism. Recidivism is when the prisoners continuously return to prison without being reformed. They return for the same things that they were doing before. So, this leads us to ask what exactly are we doing wrong? When this happens, we as a nation must continuously pay to house and feed these inmates. The purpose of a prison needs to be examined so we can decide if we really are reforming our inmates, or just continuing a vicious cycle. What is the true purpose of prison besides just holding them in a cell? There must be more we can do for these hopeless members of society.

The minimum security is federal prison camps adjacent to other federal prisons near military bases. Male prisoners who need only minimum security are set up in camps and those who will be transitioned [Passive voice] back into society and served their sentence will be set-up in a halfway house.

When an individual is introduced to the prison life, after violating rules and laws, he or she must come to terms about the journey he or she are about to take behind bars in prison. No one can save them, or do their time for them, and a majority of their freedom has been stripped from them either temporarily or permanently. Prison life deals with all walks of life and is not discriminative toward any race. In this paper I will discuss my perspective on prison life, policies I would enforce an inmate’s need for respect, changes on correctional policy, and why people commit crimes.

Someone once told me that, everyday is a new day and all your wounds and problems will heal with time, and your bonds made with love will grow stronger. However, I do not agree with this philosophy. You see once you have spent so much time in a cold, dark, unbearable place such as I have, you begin to wonder something. When will I see my next day. Will I ever see my next day. In this statement, a day represents a new set of issues, a new set of gifts. However, my life since I got to this facility. Has been two days. There was something clandestine about it. My first day seemed wonderful. It was magical, I saw my dreams coming true before my eyes, and yet. The second day never seems to end. Perhaps I shall see a third day, one day. I sincerely hope that no more people are forced to go through this intolerable, insufferable, unendurable experience.