Prison System

Every experience is an opportunity to learn and grow.

-Unknown Author

            -Prisons do not diminish the crime rate: they can be extended, multiplied, or transformed: the quality of crime and criminals remain stable or worse, increases” (Foucault, 2010, p.456). Mr. Foucault believes that the prison system only houses more criminals and does nothing but feed and produce a shelter for them.  In some ways this is true, but it is not the prisons fault that the system of justice is not working.  Inmates will be criminals no matter where they go or where there at.  It’s up to the establishment to produce laws that will govern the officers in hand to reinforce them.  If certain laws and punishments are not being furcated, then how are they to learn from their wrong doings?  The establishment needs to govern stricter rule to which they must follow; hence, they will need a strong leader who will make sure these rules are being followed.  The so called prison is only at fault because the commander in chief is not following the rule nor have ductile rules that many do not find plausible.

            Prisons do not produce delinquents like Mr. Foucault states in his writing.  Prisons house the delinquents that are taken from the streets so that the public can rest at night.  If the proper authority figure was at place in the prison, these delinquents would learn a lesson.  I think the prison system is too weak when it comes to rules.  I am not saying abuse the power, which unfortunately, so do, but I mean force the rules when need be.  Foucault writes “When he sees himself exposed in this way of suffering, which law has neither ordered nor envisaged he becomes habitually angry against everything around him” (Foucault, 2010, p. 457).  He goes on to state that the prisoner sees any agent of authority as an executioner.  This to me sounds like abuse of authority.  This is somebody abusing their powers of the badge. 

            In the eyes of the prisoner, they see any officer as an executioner because from what they have seen or felt from them is unnecessary force that needs no place there.  This is how prisons produce delinquents.  Why should they listen and follow the rules, if the ones who govern them do not follow suit. If the prison system wanted, they can stop producing these so call delinquents from within.  All they have to do is enforce the rules they provide and they themselves lead by example.  Right now they do not have good role models.  The prison system has failed because they themselves have failed.  If you want the problem fixed, then you have to be part of the solution. Fix the prison and the rest will follow through.