Are prison cells the best option?

Human beings are Social creatures by nature and require human interaction to survive and stay sane. All of us have experienced the depression caused by living in isolation away from our friends and family due to the global pandemic and therefore it puts forth the argument of is it ethical to isolate an individual from their family. Although it may seem that prison isolation is a necessity to protect society from individuals that may commit dangerous violent crimes against them such as Murder, Rape etc., is it fair to impose this same punishment on those who have done crimes of a substantially smaller nature such as stealing or possession of drugs? Is it fair that they too are isolated from the rest of the world, kept behind bars in a confined space surrounded by four walls? The current prison population in the United States of America rests close to 2.3 million individuals. This number has skyrocketed drastically due to the War on Drugs and mass incarceration program which have resulted in thousands of African Americans being held in prison for a considerable amount of time.

The argument that prisons can rehabilitate the individual is only correct if the system allows for that rehabilitation to be carried out smoothly. Treating those that have done petty crimes in the same nature as those that have committed the most gruesome of crimes is not the solution. Keeping them locked up behind bars as if they are “animals in the zoo” is not what is required. An extract from the autobiography of Malcolm X, who spent six and a half years in jail for the crime of larceny states

“Any person who claims to have deep feeling for other human beings should think a long, long time before he votes to have other men kept behind bars…. Behind bars a man never reforms…. he will tell you he can’t forget those bars.”

In a nutshell what this statement attempts to give attention to is the fact that the ‘bars’ in a cell which depicts a scenario of an animal in a zoo, makes the prisoner believe that he is not fit to be released into society as a normal human being is detrimental to the psyche of the prisoner and does more harm than good. That may however be the reasoning behind the bars. We punish people because of what they have done. Since human beings first emerged on the planet there has been a set of commands and orders that needed to be adhered by which although may have varied from culture to culture gave rise to the same message, if you commit a wrong be prepared to be punished. There are countless examples in history for individuals being punished inhumanely, those that did not receive prison cells were not fortunate, they were hung from trees, put in gas chambers, beaten to death etc. We live in a society where punishment is prevalent however with the evolution of mankind and the advancements of the 21st century, would it be correct to ensure that the same punishments are being handed out. Is it fair that human beings are kept in small cells where they can barely stretch their legs? Where they only see sunshine for a few minutes a day?

The argument that prison cells are necessary for our protection from dangerous individuals that have committed heinous crimes is extremely relevant and valid, it cannot be debated that some individuals deserve to rot away for their crimes to ensure justice prevails. However, should those that have been wrongly incarcerated and falsely accused suffer the same fate? The example that springs to mind is the ‘War on Terror’ after the 9/11 bombings which lead to countless numbers of arrests that landed innocent individuals in Guantanamo Bay to suffer inside prison cells and waste away years of their lives in complete misery. Individuals such as Mohamedou Ould Slahi who spent 14 years in Guantanamo Bay without ever being charged for a crime. Innocent individuals such as Richard Phillips who spent 45 years behind bars for a murder he did not commit. Do these people deserve the same harsh punishments? An innocent life, a life of freedom taken away in seconds simply due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It could happen to any of us. That is why these conversations are important……

Written By: Rtr. Kaliq Nizamdeen

Edited By: Rtr. Dulithi Jagoda

Design By: Rtr. Nethmi Hasna Fernando