Does Correctional Centers create criminals?

buroo

buroo

Legacy Member
Prisons are also referred as 'Correctional Centers' in some countries like the U.S., as the general idea is that a prison term is not only a punishment for the crimes committed by an individual and will act as a deterrent for impending criminals but a prison term will also help in reforming a person from his or her evil status that led to the jail term in the first place, through acts of penance in form of punishment endured because of imposed restrictions on freedom and free movement and other acts of constructive service performed in the jail.

If the idea was implemented properly then it would have made better persons out of hardened criminals, but sadly, the conditions prevailing in many so-called 'Correctional Centers' around the world are really pathetic and they are actually breeding grounds for creating new criminals rather than reforming the bad ones.

There are countless prisons in Latin America, South-east Asia, Africa and other parts of the world that to describe in one word is a 'Living Hell'! Inmates are made to live there in unthinkable and inhuman conditions, at times worse than even animals in small dingy cells, taking away the most basic human right of an individual person that is provided to the worst of criminals even by the "United Nations Declaration of Human Rights". In such places not only people caught for petty crimes or under trials are herded into cells with hardened criminals, but also there is nobody to protect them from being beaten up, sexually assaulted or even killed by the more-seasoned offenders.

Countless people around the world rot in such jails without even a single trial for years, as there were none to fight their cases, until their cases come to the notice of any good NGO, fighting for the cause of such abandoned people. Many of them are even innocent and appear to have been framed by a corrupt system. Officials of such jails are mostly corrupt and at many times they work in cahoots with mafias and crime syndicates, besides being exploiters of the inmates.

In such prisons those who are physically tough, manipulative and are easily able to get into the good book of the officials by helping them carry on their depraved actions within the jail premises get lots of advantages and privileges from the authorities for their allegiance, including quality food, drugs, alcohol, gadgets, etc…for others it's a life of terrible suffering with little food or no food.

I don't think any average normal person would come out of such a jail reformed ever? If someone survives the full-term then it would take him or her much longer in recovering from the traumatic experiences of such a prison. Many others begin their journey of crime from these very places, as conforming appears the easy way out. History is testimony to the fact of how juvenile delinquents or first time offenders have been converted to hardened criminals by rubbing shoulders with their likes.

Amid all the darkness there is also a ray of light and all is not lost. There are honest and dedicated officers trying their best to bring about positive changes and programs within the jail premises that would help the convicts find better ways of integrating into the mainstream once they finish their jail term. Innumerable prisoners have acquired vocational training courses from such unique prison campuses and even got master degrees on various subjects. I have even read about jails where some companies were ready to hold campus interviews after initial hesitancy, for their prospective new recruits and ultimately found some fresh new talents and the concerned persons got good paying high-skilled jobs after their release.

These positive stories inspire us and will continue to do so, but it cannot take away the focus from the vast darkness that prevails in the countless jails across the world. So naturally the obvious question that arises out of all this is that, does prisons or 'Correctional Centers' actually create criminals rather than reforming them? Is it a place where innocents and minor offenders are persecuted while the big bad boys get away? Well the ones I mentioned above certainly creates such an atmosphere. It is time for the 'United Nations Human Rights Council' to pull-up the nations that allow such horror penitentiaries to function? It is a shame for humanity!
 
I'd like to see some back up links to corroborate what you're saying. Yes, there are bad prisons, and there are also good prisons that do reform offenders. I wouldn't term them 'criminals,' because I don't think it is possible to reform career criminals. The ones who are liable to be reformed are those who have offended out of desperation, or on the spur of the moment.

I don't think you can make generalisations about this, because prisons - and the people who run them - are different the world over. In some cases, a bad prison is possibly a better deterrent than a more enlightened one, because of the experience has been dreadful, the offender will not wish to repeat it. However, a prisoner serving his term in a prison where he can receive vocational training and other privileges may decide that prison is not so bad after all.
 
I am shocked :O :O :O by your reply!!! First of all, if you need information about such prisons, just go to google and type the word "horror prisons of Asia/Africa/America", I think if you are open-minded you'll get your reply. I can tell you from the information regarding such horror prisons I've seen, heard or read from various credible sources and quarters for years now, that the information that you might find in google is just a tip of the real iceberg. There are innumerable sufferings happening even as we hotly debate and most ordinary people don't have a clue. Still it is enough to hurt a sensitive person immensely, provided the person is sensitive!

As far as making generalisation is concerned, I absolutely can make it, since as I said there are countless such prisons in the world. Even if you forget Asia, Africa, just search for latin America and you'll get many such prisons. This is a serious issue even the U.N.H.R.C. is mulling over.

I am terribly aghast and angry :@ :@ :@ that you mentioned about various types of criminals and that how such 'terrible' incidents can act as a deterrent to them, yet you didn't have the openness of mind or insight to mention even a word about the innocent sufferings in jail, about those who had been wrongly charged, about those who had been framed, about those who were picked up for minor offences like travelling without a ticket, or roaming suspiciously in a protected area and then allowed to rot in jail for years, about those who were brutalised, raped, beaten up, gunned down, tortured to death, in jail. I specifically know of such cases and people as because such cases are happening regularly in the region where I live and also in various other places in the world. These are no isolated incidents. There are no some are good, some are bad prisons kind of thing here. It's the bad officials, the system of law in that nation, the level of corruption, the degree of nexus between wrongful powers, that make the prison systems bad. The criminals don't make it good or bad. They are just pawns of a larger game!

Even though my post is inspired by a National Geographic Documentary Series named 'Banged Up Abroad', telling the horror stories of people trapped in a foreign country, but I tried to highlight the much larger humianitarian crisis in this area.

I expect a little more sensitivity from people and not pass insensitive hard-hearted judgments like that, who knows tomorrow you might have to go to visit such a prison by chance, maybe under a project or reporting, and you'd find the horrible conditions for yourself, as so many social workers and activists find out by themselves.

I am sorry but I've respect for various kinds of people, but somehow I couldn't find any respect for insensitive people. I think there are many other nice and reasonable people in this world whom I would like to respect, for being human!
 
Correctional and penitentiary systems are responsible for either success on failure rehabilitating people or making them true criminals. And I do agree with you, sensitivity from people also contributes to make of people in prison a better persons when they are ready to be reintegrated into society.
 
I would agree that in some other countries people are treated in these inhumane ways, and yes even in the United States to a smaller degree as we do have a system of justice, which I will agree is somewhat corrupt pretty frequently. However I do not agree that at least in countries that have a set of ground rules that require people a trial and such correctional facilities create criminals. I believe that our laws that target certain groups of people create criminals, and that the prison system RARELY truly reforms someone. But I feel that the places society puts it's citizens in are the reasons for the crime rate.
 
I live here in the US and I can truthfully tell you that both the jails and prisons are HORRENDOUS!
Its just sad. I have no feelings for some crazed psycho killer who goes into these jails and gets dealt a raw
deal. However I feel really bad for the youngsters who just come in on a menacing charge or something similar and get
assaulted or harmed in anyway. Some things make you stronger, other things(like rape) ruin your life(from personal experience).
 
This is the situation in some of de correctionals of my country:

In the current context of conflict, some prisons have become an asset for criminal organizations. First, the criminal can serve as a source of income, because they live in a captive population to which they can extort steadily and there is a lucrative business of drug distribution. Additionally, some prisons operate as operational centers for crimes ranging from extortion call to night raids to carry out kidnappings and killings. Finally, in some criminal cases can also serve as a haven for criminals who fear the revenge of a rival gang. The high profitability and the strategic role that criminal organized crime have to explain, at least three of the main causes of the riots: the fighting for control of the criminal, the appointment or removal of officers (which may jeopardize the arrangements reached between the dominant organization and administration of the criminal) and the transfer of prisoners, which affects the balance of forces allows an organization to control the criminal (or several organizations that share control)
Overcrowding and corruption, as described, prevails in rehabilitation systems of various entities, is a factor that has facilitated criminal organizations take control of the prisons. This is because the prisons operate with informal rules, with a quota system, and without authority to defend the rights of prisoners or at least ensure their physical integrity.
Another factor that facilitates the control of the criminal by criminal organizations is the inability of authorities to exercise effective control over their surroundings (the so-called "customs"). It is documented that criminal organizations have the ability to operate drug distribution, the introduction of weapons, conducting parties and even the "outputs" of prisoners.
Finally, a third factor (linked to the previous two) that explains the current crisis is the discretion with which the prison staff operates. The unlikely story of criminal control over the prisons can only be explained by the absence of the most basic oversight of management by governments and state legislatures. The discretion of prison authorities also persists for the indifference of society.
 
The problem with many jails in the United States is that so few of them separate prisoners based on violent and non-violent offenses. Ever since Regan introduced the drug war in the late 80's, there have been people incarcerated for possession and intent-to-sell felonies who are put in with the general population. Prison culture is so different from the outside world-the biggest, baddest, craziest guy is the boss, and the gangs have so much inside presence that if you don't affiliate with somebody and get protection, you'll be beaten at the least, sometimes raped. Someone arrested on a drug charge lives in that culture for a few years and they come out a totally different person. It's very difficult to go back to normal life, and there are many who were non-violent when they went in who are violent when they come out. The U.S. rate of recidivism for higher level or more violent felonies on the second arrest than the first is incredibly high.
 
well, lets just say that all correctional facilities have an average level of criminality that everyone achieves when they go through the system. That is to say that if you go in innocent, you surely wouldn't come out innocent, and if you are really hard core, you would either soften up to that ideal level of criminality, or you wouldn't get out of the prison. That's what I think :)
 
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