Jul 12

The Positives of a Little Negative Stigma

What the Anti-Smoking Campaign Got Right
If there’s one thing that the United States has gotten right, it’s smoking. Or the lack of smoking, to be more exact. I first realized this while studying abroad in Italy last semester. While I was in Italy, I was shocked by the amount of people who smoked, and by how often they smoked. People smoked on the street, in between classes, and even at sporting events. My clothes constantly reeked of cigarette smoke. It wasn’t just Italy, though. Almost every country I traveled to in Europe was the exact same way. I had never realized that smoking was such a popular habit worldwide until that moment. Why was there such a cultural divide?

According to the World Health Organization, about 48% of people ages fifteen years or older smoke daily in Greece. Austria is approximately 40%. And Spain, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany follow at 26-30% daily. While the numbers may sound high, such statistics are consistent across Europe. The thing is that in Europe, smoking generally is socially accepted. It’s a cultural norm. On the contrary, the number of American adults who smoke is now at 18%, dropping below 20% for the first time in 2007. Why the cultural divide? Credit the strong anti-tobacco campaigns, which forever changed the social stigma of smoking in the United States.

Anti-tobacco ads began in the late 1960s, shortly following the Surgeon General’s first report linking smoking to cancer. The Federal Communications Commission allowed the ads to due to the Fairness Doctrine, which required public service messages to be run which showed a different perspective from the advertising run by tobacco companies. However, in 1971, cigarette advertising was banned, consequently ending the ads run in accordance with the Fairness Doctrine. From this point on, efforts were continued on at the state level instead. That finally changed this spring, when the Centers for Disease Control revealed a $54 million nationwide campaign, which demonstrates the graphic consequences of smoking.

The anti-tobacco campaigns have succeeded where many other nationwide campaigns have failed- they didn’t just send a message, they changed our ways of thinking. Research shows that the campaigns didn’t necessarily convince individuals to quit smoking for medical reasons. Rather, the message was to quit smoking because everyone else thought it was bad. Turns out peer pressure doesn’t end in middle school. The success of the anti-smoking campaign came in how well it was able to change social norms.

“In the last half century the cigarette has been transformed. The fragrant has become foul. . . . An emblem of attraction has become repulsive. A mark of sociability has become deviant. A public behavior is now virtually private. Not only has the meaning of the cigarette been transformed but even more the meaning of the smoker [who] has become a pariah . . . the object of scorn and hostility.” -Medical historian Allan Brandt

What else has changed in the last half century? Smoking has declined by half in the United States. Smoking is no longer in the mainstream. It’s framed as something for the misfits. Essentially, it’s become deviant behavior.

Social stigma is a strong thing. Strong enough to change attitudes, transform beliefs, and therefore affect one’s actions. The beauty in the anti-tobacco campaign came in its ability to change the social stigma surrounding smoking in the nation. Why not try similar campaigns to transform other pressing social problems? Why not stigmatize other preventable issues, like distracted driving? Laws clearly don’t work. (Even though recent data shows that 1 in every 10 traffic fatalities is now caused by distracted driving.) Stigmatize distracted driving the same way that Mothers Against Drunk Driving stigmatized driving under the influence. Make it personal, and make it clear that people do care.

While stigma often has negative connotations, it’s also the best way to ignite change in a society. What ultimately prevented individuals from smoking was not the cigarettes’ dangerous effects. It’s that they thought their friends, their family, and the general American public would be disappointed, or even disgusted, in them. In the end, it came down to social stigma. It’s one powerful motivator.

 

CDC: Tips From Former Smokers – Terrie’s Ad

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Jul 12

North African Migrants and The Peril at Sea

The topic of Libyan refugees is one that is so large, so broad and so important that I haven’t known where exactly to begin with it even though it’s something that is important to talk about. We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of Libyans have fled the country since the start of the conflict in early 2011. But, a news story I read today about migrants from Northern Africa, many Libyan, dying at sea while fleeing to Italy was just so sad and moving that it seemed like a good place to start.

 

What’s tragic about this story is that it is known that North Africans, especially Libyans and others fleeing areas of conflict, are escaping to European countries across the Mediterranean Sea. The UNHCR in 2011 reported that 50,000 Libyans fled across the Mediterranean with 2,000 reported dying en route. No doubt this number is in reality higher given the clandestine nature of fleeing a conflict country. This is not exactly something those fleeing go around keeping record of. Some of these migrants have been lucky and were rescued when they were in danger, but many others, like the ones in the news story, were not.

 

I’ve talked in a previous blog post about the burden refugees can pose for neighboring host countries. Receiving host countries don’t necessarily have the desire, resources or need to go around safely assisting migrants trying to enter their countries. But, what about international organizations (like UN agencies or NATO; especially those specifically concerned with refugees, migrants and human rights) patrolling the waters looking for people fleeing? Since this is known to happen, are they not out there looking for Libyans and others fleeing on shoddy little rubber or overcrowded boats? Well, kind of. This does happen to a certain extent; but sadly, there are multiple stories of boatloads of African migrants being ignored by those with the capacity to rescue them and instead they are left to die at sea.

 

I know it’s not feasible for one organization to solely be responsible for dedicating a significant amount of resources towards monitoring the waters where people migrate from conflict. In a perfect world it would be. But, I think there is a problem of responsibility and accountability that can be addressed. The collaboration between national coastguards and international organizations like NATO is already there, which is great. But, this Continue reading

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Jul 12

The Unchecked Power of Parole Boards

When people talk about court cases or when they’re depicted on tv, the story ends once the judge reads the jury’s verdict. But that’s not where the story ends for the person convicted. 5-10 years,15-20, 25-life, judges give all kinds ranges in sentence length, but what do they really mean? It means a person will be eligible for parole at some point during his or her time in prison. You’d think people would consider this to be almost as important as the original sentencing trial. And the person convicted does, but not the state or the justice system. They pay next to no attention to parole proceedings. Parole boards have almost total control over whether or not a person gets out of prison early and yet the state exercises almost no oversight. Parole boards need to be much more closely monitored so that they effectively provide justice instead of the reverse, which is much more common.

The parole system is regulated on a state to state basis, so an exact description does not exist of what a parole hearing would look like. But generally a parole hearing involves remarks from the potential parolee, a written proposal for their plan after release, behavior descriptions, letters of support, and sometimes testimony from victims and their families. After receiving all the information, the board evaluates the potential parolee based on certain criteria (which again vary from state to state) and make their recommendation on whether or not a person should be released on parole. The governor has to power to overturn their recommendations if they wish, but the parole board generally makes the final decision. So as you can see the parole board holds a lot of power and responsibility. We need to be able to trust the people who fill those roles. But who exactly makes up parole boards?

Parole boards consist of a small group of people who have been appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state senate. Sometimes they’ll be people with some sort of experience in the field: ex-officers, lawyers, judges, psychologists. But equally as often they’re just community members who volunteered to serve on the board. It all depends on which state parole board we’re talking about and what their requirements are. Given that these people have so much power over people’s lives, I think it’s entirely unfair that there are minimal to no requirements for their position. They have almost as much responsibility as a judge when it comes to impact on an inmate’s life and yet they could be almost anyone.

This is especially important and disturbing because it is entirely too easy for parole boards to unfairly keep someone in prison. In a movie I recently watched, The Farm: Life Inside Angola Prison, they showed a parole hearing. During the hearing, the man in question maintained his innocence throughout and brought what I thought to be conclusive evidence of his innocence. The parole board didn’t agree with me. Now, that would be fine on its own because I obviously don’t have all the available information and perhaps the man really didn’t deserve to get parole. But the members of the board made some very disturbing comments when they clearly forgot they were on camera. Once the prisoner left the room they immediately looked at each other and proclaimed his “obvious guilt” with no factual basis. They clearly hadn’t listened to a word the man said and weren’t concerned with providing him justice. The man did not end up receiving parole and the board was never questioned over this. Inmates have few opportunities to protest parole denials, so it’s up to the state to ensure they receive fair and just treatment.

Situations like this and others can’t be allowed to continue. Obviously not everyone should be paroled when they come before the parole board, but they should have a fair chance at justice. I think board members should at least have some experience in the criminal justice field, whether from work or their own personal experiences. And they should make decisions based on a number of things including, the crime committed, inmate history, perceived behavioral changes, anything so they get a full picture of the person in question. I know some states already meet these requirements, but most don’t actually spend the time and resources to see that they’re met. State officials need to read parole cases, investigate claims of unfair parole denials, and really hold parole boards accountable for their actions in order for the system to work. People’s freedom is at stake when they come before a parole board and that needs to be taken seriously. What other changes could we make to ensure fairness in the system? How can we see justice served?

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Jul 10

What About the Boys?

It’s not just the girls. Boys also are influenced by the images they see in the media.

When you look at the numbers, it’s clear that girls’ body image in the United States is in grave danger. 42% of first, second, and third grade girls want to lose weight.  More than 50% of ten-year-old girls wish they were thinner. And more than 90% of girls want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance. What about the other side of the story though? How are the boys holding up? What about the boys?

I first realized my lack of insight into the world of male body insecurities last week as I watched two boys race for a cheese ball container at a 4th of July barbeque. One boy reached the container first, however was quickly pushed aside by the other one who stated, “Let me have them. You’re the fatter one anyway”. I stood there in awe, processing what I just heard. “He’s the fatter one?” He’s was a perfectly normal ten-year-old boy. And on the skinny side, if that. Kidding or not, the comment caught me off guard.

To be honest with you, I never really considered that boys might have body image issues too. I’ve put so much focus on the girls, that I didn’t leave much room for the boys. However, in that moment, I realized my error in judgement. Maybe girls aren’t the only ones with body insecurities.

You already know about the statistics for girls, but how about for the boys? Research shows that by age seven, more than 50% of boys desire to have a more muscular body, a percentage which increases to around 90% through adolescence. In fact, a recent study found the demographic group who was most unhappy with their weight was not girls, like expected. It wasn’t even overweight boys. It was the underweight boys. And statistics show that the state of boys’ body image in the modern era is not getting better anytime soon. Around 45% of Western men are currently unhappy with some aspect of their body, a dramatic increase from only 15% twenty-five years ago.

The problem is that it’s not easy having the “ideal” male body. It’s not just about being muscular anymore. It’s about hitting the perfect balance- most boys want to be both muscular and lean at the same time. As a result, many males become overly preoccupied with exercise as a way to hide their insecurities. And while a little gym time is good for anyone, it becomes important to recognize that for some boys, it’s not just “a little gym time”. It becomes an unhealthy obsession. Unhealthy eating and exercise behaviors are more popular among teenage boys these days than you might think. And many boys go to other extremes- like purging, laxatives, skipping meals, and taking steroids- as a means to achieving the perfect body.

It’s interesting how it always seems to come back to the media and culture values, doesn’t it? A study done by the Harvard University Gazette compared the body image of men in the West versus those from Asian countries, specifically in Taiwan. They found that men in Taiwan were generally more satisfied with their bodies and had lower rates of steroid use than men in the West. The difference? There aren’t any fitness or bodybuilding magazines in Taiwan. The other difference? Intellectual and cultural achievements are more highly valued cultural values than an individual’s attractiveness in society. No wonder they have higher body satisfaction.

Men have their fair share of body insecurities, and it’s time that we acknowledged that.
Unhealthy eating and exercise behaviors are serious problems, which need to be addressed too. It’s important to note that body image problems aren’t isolated to just eating disorders. And they aren’t isolated to just females either. Male insecurities over body image have been swept under the rug for too long. It’s time that the battle for better body image is fought for both the girls and the boys. All people should have the right to live in a society that tells them that it’s alright to look the way they are. And while the media may not care, family and friends have the ability to say otherwise. The best way to win the fight is to admit that it exists. Make male body image a public issue. Shed its private facade. Only then can real changes take place.

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Jul 10

H-2B Visa: The Potential for Forced Labor

When we talk about immigration in this country we almost always focus on undocumented migrants rather than documented ones. Because for some reason, we have this idea that our immigration system has no real issues and we just need to solve the problem of undocumented workers to make it perfect. Unfortunately, that simply isn’t the case. Strengthening our borders is, in fact, one of the last things we should be worrying about when discussing immigration reform. Instead, we should be working on creating a safe environment for the immigrants who come to this country. An environment that currently doesn’t exist. Immigrants on visas face many dangers while here, often because of the very requirements they have to fulfill in order to gain access to this country. We need to rethink our visa programs, particularly work visa programs, so that people will be protected by our laws while here, not put at risk.

One of the first programs that needs to be addressed is the H-2B visa. It is a nonimmigrant program that permits employers to hire workers to come temporarily to the U.S. and perform labor on a one-time, peak load basis. Companies must petition the government in order for workers to receive these visas and meet multiple requirements in order to qualify for approval. The most important of which is proof that US workers either cannot or do not want to fill the available positions, which means these are often lower level jobs. The visa restricts the immigrant to the sponsor company, regardless of the situation, and will be revoked if the worker attempts to find new employment. Though these visas potentially provide good opportunities for work, people must sacrifice a lot of their freedoms and accept a lot of risk in order to gain them. They put great faith in our system by coming on these visas and we are not currently living up to expectations.
The requirements for the visa and the strong connection between a specific company and an individual worker make it extremely easy for companies to take advantage of workers. Companies can force them into accepting harsh conditions, including long hours and low pay, with little fear for repercussions. In one case, a company that acted as a supplier for Walmart, C.J.’s Seafood, was manipulating workers on H-2B visas into working 16-24 hour days, locking them in warehouses, and paying them next to nothing. You’d think that workers would revolt against such conditions, but they can’t really afford to protest because it would almost definitely result in their removal from the United States. The company could simply revoke their visa support and unfortunately they would probably get away with it because of the extreme lack of accountability within the system. The government implemented new rules in April to keep working conditions safe and to hold companies responsible for the safety and well-being of their immigrant employees. But due to protests from the department of labor, senators (from both parties) blocked the funding necessary to enforce the new rules, making them essentially useless. So the government knows there’s a problem, but they’re not taking any real steps to fix it.

What could be so important that the government would BLOCK the steps necessary to enforce common human rights? Money. Business interests won out over common human decency in this case, which I think is unacceptable. By no means am I saying that we should end the H-2B visa program. But we need to properly regulate it, if we’re going to continue with the program. Promoting business can never and should never come at the cost of human rights as it does right now. These individuals are our responsibility once they enter the US. They’re in our country, supporting our economy, adding to our labor force, and the government owes it to them to protect them. Proper funding needs to be given to enforce the new rules, so that these individuals can have a safe working environment and feel able to protest when certain standards are not met. Once the US government accepts responsibility for these individuals and protects them appropriately, then maybe we can start talking about the positive impact of our immigration system, but until then we can make no such claims.

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Jul 10

HPV Vaccine: No information for Men?

Have you heard of Human Papillomavirus or HPV? Some of us that have heard of the vaccine are probably even vaccinated against it, but do we really know anything else about it? The Human Papillomavirus is a sexually transmitted disease with multiple different strains. Some strains are naturally fought off by our body’s immune system. However, some lethal strains of HPV cannot be fought by our immune system and can be dangerous for an individual’s health. For instance, the Human Papillomavirus and its dangerous strains are known to cause cervical cancer in women.  In 2006, Merck introduced an new HPV vaccine called Gardasil to protect women against HPV and some of its lethal strains particularly strains 16 and 18. Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (also known as HPV Vaccine) is given in three doses over a period of six months. Within three years, FDA also approved Garadsil for males and in 2011, the CDC officially recommended that young boys and men should get vaccinated against the virus to protect themselves from gential warts, anal and oral cancers.

The most common misconception today is that women are only affected by the virus, however men are also at risk. For example, one out of fifteen Americans are infected with HPV related oral cancer, and the majority of those Americans are men.  The problem is that many men do not know enough about HPV and the vaccine and most men probably do not even know they are at risk. There is not enough information out there for men to refer to from healthcare providers or government health agencies. Less than one percent of american men are vaccinated against HPV and its most dangerous strains. Men have trouble getting access and information regarding HPV and the vaccine because many doctors and nearby clinics do not even offer the vaccine for men.

Women are very well informed of the HPV virus because of the educational efforts of healthcare professionals. There are many resources that they have at their disposal. For instance, in 2008, 87% of women learned about HPV from the mass media. I have seen commercials about HPV and Gardasil vaccines constantly on television and the Gardasil commercials only target women, and discussed cervical cancer. There was no mention of men also being affected by HPV, or even other problems that may occur when infected by HPV. Even after the FDA approved the vaccination for males, I have not seen any information targeting and encouraging men to get vaccinated against HPV. It is very important to  educate men about HPV and the vaccine because vaccinations can help decrease the amount of HPV infections that are spread from person to person.

There needs to be a health education program and campaign that helps spread awareness about HPV and provides men with information that they can use to make decisions regarding their health. The Center of Disease Control is the most prominent governmental public health agency in the country, and has the resources to create public awareness about this issue. The CDC should implement a HPV health education campaign in various cities and towns especially targeting males in the United States. The CDC should also urge health departments and community health clinics to participate in the campaign to spread more awareness about HPV. The CDC can create special informational resources such as pamphlets, booklets, and even a website just for men to go to and learn about the virus. This campaign should also use social media to spread the message because it is a effective tool and can reach many people easily. Also, the CDC can work with well-known organizations that work for men’s health and create an effective marketing strategy to spread awareness through mass media and social media. Finally, one aspect of the campaign can be a similar initiative to No Shave November where men pledge to not to shave in the month of November to spread awareness about prostate cancer. Similarly, there can be initiative where one day is dedicated to HPV awareness. Men can show their support by wearing teal or white (teal and white are generally considered to be HPV colors). It is time that there is more information available to men regarding HPV and the vaccine and to remove the common misconception about HPV.

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Jul 09

Electricity and the Arab Spring

If you were wondering why I missed my post last week, it’s  because I was one of the million+ people who lost power during the storm that hit the east coast on the 29th.  I was without power for 6 days–almost 7–which meant no internet, no television, no air conditioning, and, since our house has well water, no showers.  By American standards this made my family and I basically refugees: we hadn’t had a home-cooked meal or watched television in almost a week, and to bathe and rinse our dishes we had to haul buckets of water out of the pool.   Despite my misery (and my constant complaining, my parents would probably like me to add) I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that I was suffering from a “first world problem.”  See, in much of the world, going a little less than a week without air conditioning or showering, not to mention internet or television, is not an unfortunate circumstance, but simply everyday life.  I’m not saying we should give up these things–trust me, I am thrilled to be back on the grid and have already reverted to taking electricity and running water entirely for granted–but it is interesting to think about how privileged we are when just a few days without electricity is enough to send us into a panic, and yet 1.6 billion people live without any electricity at all.

 Many of the Arab Spring nations, for example, are currently struggling with this issue–but it wont be resolved as easily as it was in Northern Virginia. In Syria camps housing internally displaced persons (IDPs) lack water and electricity, and there are some in Turkey who have suggested turning off the electricity the government sells to Syria.  In Tunisia citizens complain about high electricity bills they cannot afford pay.  Egypt ranks 101st out of 183 economies for ease of getting electricity, and many of those who do have electricity could lose it in the coming days, as Egyptian power stations are not equipped to deal with hot summer weather.  In Jordan rising electricity prices have prompted people to take to the streets in anti-government protests.

As you can see, the energy situation in the Arab Spring nations is precarious, but it gets worse.  In the last decade or so nearly a dozen Arab states began working on nuclear energy projects to meet skyrocketing electricity demand spurred by demographic growth, but the uprisings halted these projects.  All the political uncertainty and threats of violence have made investors hesitant to deal with these Arab nations, and the new governments have other priorities besides energy policy.  Further, anti-nuclear movements inspired by the Arab Spring protests have thrown another wrench into the works.

In the United States we take our electricity and water largely for granted–I know I do–but elsewhere in the world electricity is hardly a given.  The fledlging governments of the Arab Spring nations have a lot to worry about: establishing legitimacy, consolidating power, drafting and ratifying constitutions, retaining control over the military and the civilians, and so it is likely that energy policy will fall by the wayside until these things are dealt with.  Do you think this is acceptable?  The UN recently declared internet access and online freedom basic human rights; should access to electricity also be declared a right?  Could you live without electricity?  Or do you think rising electricity costs and/or lack of access to electricity will lead to more protests in this already unstable region?

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Jul 09

Holy Heat Wave: Is this proof of Climate Change?

I’m sure most of you reading this have experienced or have heard about how triple digit hot, and I mean hot, it has been from the Midwest to the East Coast the past week and a half. This summer is brutal and it’s only just started. Already dozens have died from these record high temperatures. Transportation has been disrupted. The heat has exacerbated Colorado wildfires and a drought in the nation’s Dust Bowl which threatens to disrupt the US food supply. Ironically major thunderstorms known as a ‘Derecho’ have left millions without power and have been the only source of cooler temperatures, cooler as in 90 degrees.

Remember how everyone kept talking about how mild this past winter was? It was always a topic of conversation at every get-together, party, etc. that I went to. It was unanimously awesome. Everyone was talking about how lucky we were, especially living in NYC where we experienced a few heavy snowstorms the year before. Even though I actually like cold weather, it was nice to not feel like I was freezing to death my second winter in the city. Well, we’re eating our words now aren’t we?

Many are speculating that this extreme weather can be considered proof of climate change. Climate scientists are having their “I told you so moment” against climate change naysayers by claiming that finally this is “What global warming looks like.” It’s interesting that this dramatic weather we’ve experienced provides an excuse for both sides of the climate change debate. But who is right? Believers say this weather is caused by climate change; non-Believers say it’s just one hot summer. But is it? Are we finally feeling the effects of global warming this summer? Yeah, I think so.

 

This is the kind of weather that climate scientists predicted would generally be caused by global warming. Yes, you could argue that this heat wave could just be one freak weather event, which does happen. Yes heat waves happen. But heat waves in conjunction with harsher than normal Continue reading

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Jul 06

Using Social Media to Track Infectious Diseases

Next time you are sick with the flu, make sure you tweet about it!  By tweeting, you may be helping health professionals around the world track potential outbreaks. Social Media is a huge part of people’s lives and has become a societal norm. People are constantly updating their facebook statuses, or tweeting about everything they see or hear. Many people also get their news through their twitter timeline. There is a constant stream of information that is available on social networking sites. Now entrepreneurs and public health professionals are taking advantage of that information to track infectious diseases around the globe. For example, a new disease tracking website called sickweather.com has recently been unveiled. When people are sick, they may usually send a tweet out to their followers saying “I am sick with the flu.” Often those posts contain location information. The website then uses that information and a special computer algorithm to track that data on a map. Alternately, individuals can also log into the website, and report any sickness. I really think this novel idea because it integrates social media in an such an innovative way in comparison to prior established disease tracking websites such as google flu trends and flunearyou.org.

In general, disease tracking websites are becoming more and more useful to government health agencies, hospitals, and healthcare providers. These websites can also help hospitals or health departments to prepare in advance if they see a potential outbreak. The websites also offer real, fast and accurate data compared to older methods used in disease surveillance. However, I think the current illness tracking websites are not used to their full potential. The best part of sickweather.com is that is not only focused on the flu like other websites. It tracks any type of infectious disease. Flunearyou.org and google flu trends are only focused on the flu. After flu season is officially over, these websites are not very useful for disease surveillance.

Google flu trends and flunearyou.org use different reporting mechanisms. Google flu trends only focus on google searches and flunearyou.org relies on people reporting directly on the website. The ways to report or to track illness cases are quite limited through these websites. For instance, Google flu trends only record searches made from only google, not any other search engine. Also, the data that is tracked is quite general. Google flu data does not show a specific outbreak in a town, instead it shows a risk level in a larger location such as a state. Flunearyou.org represents cases by simple pinpoint by town and state.

Sickweather.com is the first to intergrate and use social media to its full advantage. According to Online MBA, almost 68% of facebook users are over the age of 35. Similarly, 58% of twitter users are also over the age of 35. Infectious disease is more likely to affect individuals over the age of 35 because as people age, the risks of acquiring an infectious disease increase dramatically. The ability of the body to respond to vaccinations and medicines also falls with age. Since many people are over the age of 35 are majority users of social media, many more cases can be reported through social media than usual methods. It is also convenient as well. There is no extra effort needed by the consumer, except perhaps to allow the website to access his or her information. Also, sickweather.com shows detailed information of individual cases in a specific town, or even a street. Sickweather.com can also help search for potential illness based on the individual’s symptoms.

Sickweather.com has great potential to become a successful disease surveillance website. To make the website even better, sickweather.com can use a similar tracking techinque that google flu trends uses. They can get information from different search engines to track more cases. Many people who are sick, often use search engines to find more information about their illness. This method of surveillance can provide even additional data. Thus, tracking diseases can be more accurate and up to date. Sickweather.com does a great job at integrating social media into disease surveillance and creating real results. Overall, it is a very good health resource. Next time when you are sick, try using sickweather.com!

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Jul 06

What is the Purpose of Imprisonment?

Over the last month and a half I’ve written a lot about prison reform and the changes that I think are necessary to fix our system. But it occurred to me today that before we can implement any truly sustainable fixes there needs to be an attitudinal shift regarding the purpose of imprisonment. Right now imprisonment functions as a method of deterrence, punishment, and protection, which are all good uses. But I don’t think they’re enough. In fact, in some ways this ideology is detrimental to our system because it has created new issues on top of the already existing ones. In essence, we’re currently using a band-aid approach to combating criminality without looking at long-term problems, namely the massive prison population. We need to include rehabilitation in our understanding of the purpose of imprisonment if we want to actually create lasting, positive change.

Don’t get me wrong, our current policies function as politicians envisioned and address our stated purposes of imprisonment. Studies have shown imprisonment really is a deterrent. People are less likely to commit a crime if they know there’s a high probability they’ll go to prison after. But this is only effective to a point and there will always be people who commit crimes for one reason or another. Punishment is also a necessary function because there should of course be consequences when people break the law. However, if people don’t have any programming during their time, there is little reason to think their behavior will change once they’re out. They could very easily make the same choices again and end up back in prison. Finally, prison does protect the population and keeps the streets safer by removing criminals in general. But few criminals are actually imprisoned for violent crimes, so there is less need for “protection” in that sense.

If we were to make rehabilitation an additional goal of incarceration, we could create a long term solution without sacrificing deterrence, punishment, and protection. Our original objectives would remain the same in the short term, but we could also make more productive use of people’s time in prison. Rehabilitation programming addresses many issues ranging from physical, to emotional, to social needs. You can see examples of programming in different prisons around the country, but only a small minority of prisoners have access to them. In Philadelphia, prisoners help train dogs for the blind. Federal prisons often provide access to GED programs. Social groups hold classes on meditation and religion in select prisons. Programs like these and others have proven to be effective and would sustainably reduce the prison population if implemented properly. They teach offenders new behaviors to replace the old ones, so they can break free from the neverending cycle in and out of prison. But no prison implements programming that the entire prison has access to or that addresses all physical, emotional, and social issues. There is just not currently enough funding because it’s not a priority for the government or prison officials.

As the situation stands, at the most basic level we imprison people for long periods of time when they commit a crime, with no plan for once they get out of prison. This is a shortsighted approach that clearly cannot continue. Deterrence, punishment, and protection only confront the issue of criminality, they don’t fix it. I believe rehabilitation is the missing piece of our prison system that could lead to broader sustainable changes by helping people while they’re in prison and giving them the tools to help themselves. But this is more than just a small shift in funding because it needs to impact all prisoners. Rehabilitation programming needs to become central to the prison experience. It can’t be held aside for a lucky few. The idea of rehabilitation needs to be just as important to people within the prison and policy systems as deterrence, punishment, and protection.

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