I’ve written a lot of articles over the past few months surrounding the US prison system. The problems I see. How they came about. Changes I think we should make. But I’ve never discussed prison systems outside the United States. And I’ve never actually described what an alternative prison system could look like. But just …
Tag: prison reform
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 …
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 …
Jun 26
Should Convicted Felons Have the Right to Vote?
It’s an election year again. Which means you, just like me, have been getting bombarded with press releases, flyers, news articles, debates, and more information than you could ever possibly require about this round of candidates. Sure, this can be irritating at times, but it’s what you’ve come to expect this time of year and …
May 29
The People Left Behind
As prison reform becomes a bigger issue in politics and social movements, people have started contributing more and more resources towards enacting change. This is wonderful for the beneficiaries of this progress, the prisoners and parolees, but it leaves out a large group of people who are equally as affected by the prison system: the …
May 23
What about the Women? -The Issue of Female Prisoners
When most people think about incarceration, they typically imagine a place filled with men in orange jumpsuits. Though this does represent a large portion of the prison population, it ignores the fastest growing population: women, which has increased by 757% since 1977. With statistics like this you would think that women in the penal system …