Prison

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A prison is a government facility -- or, in some cases (and especially in the United States), a privately owned facility that operates under contract with a government -- that is intended to prevent criminal behavior by isolating convicted perpetrators from the general population. There is also an effort to "rehabilitate" offenders, although some offenders like serial rapists and child molesters, and those who are deemed sociopathic or psychopathic, are usually more difficult (if not impossible) to change. During wartime, there are also facilities designed to hold enemy combatants (prisoners of war), though these institutions are generally called "detention centers" or "camps" or whatever will be the least provocative at the time.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Although most people would prefer to never be forcibly held in a prison, it is an excellent alternative to simply killing everyone who commits crimes or having no order to society at all. Banishment was formerly an option, but now that virtually all habitable land is held by sovereign states, kicking a person out of one country means forcing them into another and then that country may just send them right back.

When a government imprisons a person, no matter their crime, that government is then responsible for that person's life and well-being. This is because that person is no longer capable of providing for themselves, and a civilized nation should expect nothing less than perfect health care, opportunity for self-improvement and meaningful education for prisoners. Unfortunately, many prisons located in, or operated by, civilized nations are lacking in such expertise or provision.

While prisons can generally be regarded as clean in appearance, cramming many people in a confined space often leads to endemic problems only seen otherwise in nursing homes. Even the most basic sanitation is difficult, due to the nature of prisons. Most prisons have local medical staff, but are unequipped to deal with many ill prisoners. Even without such hassles, perfectly treatable diseases such as asthma and diabetes often go undertreated due to these limitations, leading to further complications.

[edit] In the United States

The United States holds the world record for imprisoning members of its population. The so-called War on Drugs and Three-Strikes-Laws along with the recent growth of the for-profit prison industry are important reasons for this state of affairs.

One possible positive sign is that Republican Texas has seen rehab is more cost effective than prison. [1]

[edit] Prison rape

What makes matters worse is prisoners raping one another. Violence and sexually transmitted diseases are rampant. These rapes are rarely about physical attraction and more about power/domination, which sadly hasn't put the whole "she was asking for it the way she was dressed" canard to bed yet.

Inmates have little sanctuary to turn to and the rapists suffer few, if any, repercussions for their sexual assaults. Remember this next time before you snicker at someone who mentions "dropping the soap", which is probably the height to which the "media" has raised awareness of this issue.

And as we all know, years of physical and psychological torture, massive amounts of stress, and the physical disabilities as a result are the best way to produce model citizens. Wait, no, the opposite of that[2].

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Footnotes

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