In a previous post, Man Facing Life For Pot Brownies, we looked at the absurdity of the massive amounts of non-violent people thrown in prison for various victimless crimes. In fact, as cited with sources in that article, only 8% of inmates in the United States are incarcerated for violent offenses. In the vast majority of cases, prisons are not protecting the rest of us from aggressively violent people, but rather the very act of imprisoning all these non-violent people is itself the act of aggressive violence.
In another previous post, Recidivism And The Prison Industry, we explored why the system is set up in such an expensively destructive way. Long story short, the special interests who pocket the billions of dollars that inefficient government programs waste use the influence money has over politics to continue these horrible practices. While it is horrible for the peaceful inmates who are suffering and the taxpayers whose money is being given away, it is great for the special interests receiving the money.
Perhaps in a massive act of common cognitive dissonance, many non-incarcerated people somehow convince themselves that the millions of human beings in the United States who are shoved in terrible prisons–for things like smoking marijuana–are “bad people” who don’t deserve much sympathy.
An awesome recent story shatters that ridiculous illusion. The New York Daily News reports: Rikers Island inmates save prison guard from rape.
The article states, “A skinny inmate slipped inside the so-called ‘A station’ bubble through the small crack and opened the security door. A team of inmates then took down the assailant, Raleek Young, 27, until other officers arrived.”
According to the NY Daily News article, Correction Officers Benevolent Association President Norman Seabrook said that “the situation could have been a lot worse if it was not for the inmates’ assistance.”
“I appreciate (them) helping a sister officer because that could have been their mother, wife or sister,” Seabrook said, noting 90% of the inmates “are there to do their time and go home.”
What do you think? Let me know by leaving a comment below!
Monday, May 11th 2015 at 9:17 pm
Yes, the overall perception of inmates is that they are all bad as you’ve stated. It’s really unfortunate that so many people are imprisoned for a “drug” that is slowly getting legalized in states across the country. I don’t personally care for it, but locking people up over it is a waste of time and resources. However, the bravery these inmates showed by saving the correctional officer is to be commended. Who knows what kind of trouble it caused the rescuers behind locked cells?