Rehabilitation of Inmates

Rehabilitation or punishment? These two philosophies are at the heart of the discussion of

how the prison system should be run. Should criminals, whom many are violent offenders, be

punished for their crimes? Should they pay for what they have done and not see the light of day?

Or should we look at these inmates as people that have made mistakes and try to rehabilitate

them into better citizens? My goal for this final paper is to explain how rehabilitation should be

the number one priority for our prison systems. We should not look to punish and humiliate

inmates, but to help them become better people and help them reintegrate back into society.

The United States has over 2 million people in prisons or jails. Within that 2 million

people, 15%-20% have some sort of mental illness 1. Most of these people will eventually be

released back into society where they will have to become functioning members. Sadly this

rarely comes to fruition. Two thirds of the inmates that are released will reoffend within three

years of leaving prison. Often they will commit a more serious or violent crime when

reoffending 2. These numbers are shocking. The numbers also tell a story of how our prison

system is failing to help the inmates. These inmates have no chance of succeeding in society

once they have been released. The way that our prisons are set up, inmates are punished, abused,

and humiliated to the point where they cannot function as a normal human being. This is not the

formula for producing productive members of society.

Is punishing someone (who may have a mental illness based off of the numbers) an

effective way of making them learn a lesson? Many people will say yes and many people will

also make the statement that the inmates deserve to be punished for the crimes they have

committed regardless of them learning their lesson. A lot of people will say an eye for an eye
when it comes to the treatment of inmates, especially when it comes to violent crime. Let them

rot in prison they say. If they have no compassion, why should we?

Well what a lot of people dont realize is that these inmates will be released back into

society. If you are not going to show compassion to these people, what makes you think that they

will be a better person when they get out? The Stanford Prison Experiment showed that if you

treat people with no humanity or compassion, they will lose their own humanity and identity 3.

During the experiment, the inmates were forced to participate in grueling physical punishment

such as doing push ups and jumping jacks for several hours. They were also subject to being

humiliated in front of the other inmates by being stripped naked and having to wash toilet

bowls with their bare hands. They were also stripped of their identity by no longer having a

name. They were referred to by a prison id number. All of this turned the inmates into zombies

in a way. They had no identity. They would only do what was necessary to avoid punishment and

other humiliating situations. The inmates also broke down. They could not handle the constant

abuse that they would suffer. These inmates were students that were in perfect mental health

and they ended up breaking down emotionally.

The Stanford study used this analogue to examine the real thing, looking at the mirror

instance, but in a more intense setting and with people that are violent or mentally ill. Also

remember that most of these people are not serving life long sentences. These people that have

been abused physically and mentally, will have to contribute to society in some way. One inmate

from an Ohio penitentiary that had been subject of cruel punishment was quoted as saying I

dont think that I will be a thief when I am released. No, I am not rehabilitated either. It is just

that I no longer think of becoming wealthy or stealing. I now only think of killing-killing those

that have beaten me and treated me as if I were a dog.3 That is the type of person will be
released into society. Granted it is an extreme case, but nonetheless it shows that inmates are not

being rehabilitated. Instead they are harboring anger and aggression towards authority figures.

You get what you put in. If you treat people with hatred, aggression, and no humanity, then you

get a person that replicates those emotions. Treat them with respect and give them responsibility,

and they will show you respect.

In my opinion, we need to focus on rehabilitating inmates and making sure that they will

be productive members of society while not wanting to commit any crimes. In Norway, the

Bastoy prison island takes these ideas and philosophies and puts them to use 4. On the island they

teach the inmates how to live once they are reintegrated back into society. Inmates have jobs and

have to pay for everything including groceries, bikes, etc. They give inmates responsibilities and

put them in scenarios which they will encounter upon release into society. They also give

inmates psychological help. They help them understand why they committed the crime and how

to not have the urge to commit any further crimes. Inmates are also given respect. They are

treated like humans that have made mistakes. Not animals that must be punished. As simple as

that statement sounds, it can go a long way in real world application. Rehabilitation is much

more than just psychological help. It is showing people how to contribute to society. By giving

inmates jobs, they will develop work skills that can translate once they are released. Giving

inmates and education will also give them skills that will translate to the outside world. Showing

these inmates how to properly live (in a way) is a big part in rehabilitation. They will learn the

values in earning a fair wage, being responsible, and being a part of a community. Norway runs

all of the prisons in the country on the same principle. Norway also has one of the lowest

reoffending figures in Europe at less than 30% 4. That number suggests that this principle and

philosophy works. Give people trust and respect, and they will show it back. I am not naive
though, I know that this concept does not work for everyone. Yet in Bastoy they have murderers,

rapists, and every other type of criminal. There is still a need for maximum security prisons, but

perhaps we should be looking at changing our perception of prison.

To quote Arne Nilsen, governor of Bastoy, You dont change people by power. For the

victim, the offender is in prison. That is justice. Here I give prisoners respect; this way we teach

them to respect others. It is important that when they are released they are less likely to commit

more crimes. That is justice for society.4 The punishment for committing crimes is losing your

freedom. It is not stated that you must suffer in a terrible prison. If we as a society truly want to

help our fellow citizens reintegrate into society and be productive members, we must first change

the way we view prisons and criminals. We must view criminals as people that need help

understanding what is expected of them in a community. We must stop viewing them as animals

that need to be punished and made to suffer. We as a society have as big of a part in changing the

way that the prison systems work as the government does. It all starts with empathy. Yes these

people have done wrong. They may have committed horrible crimes, but we must show the

willingness to forgive. We need to be able to show humanity to those that have never felt or

reciprocated it. As I mentioned before, kindness and respect can go a long way for people. To

show empathy instead of inflicting punishment and humiliation, would be a step forward for us

as a society. With current events and leaders in todays society, I believe that showing empathy

towards our fellow man is something that would bring a breath of fresh air in these troubling

times.

Sources

1 Benson, Etienne. (July/August 2003). Rehabilitate or Punish?

American Psychological Association, Vol 34, No. 7. Retrieved from

 http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug03/rehab.aspx

2 Gilligan, James. (December 19, 2012). Punishment Fails. Rehabilitation Works.

The New York Times. Retrieved from

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/12/18/prison-could-be-

productive/punishment-fails-rehabilitation-works

3 Zimbardo, Philip G. (1999-2017). The Stanford Prison Experiment: A Simulation Study On

The Psychology Of Imprisonment.

Stanford Prison Experiment. Retrieved from

http://www.prisonexp.org/

4 James, Erwin. (February 25, 2013). The Norwegian Prison Where Inmates Are Treated Like

People.

The Guardian. Retrieved from

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/feb/25/norwegian-prison-inmates-treated-

like-people