Academic

Yet more problems at Riker's Island

By Laura Appleman

Last week I posted on how Riker's Island was being sued for its neglect and dangerous mismanagement of adolescent inmates.  Today, we learn from the New York Times that Riker's Island is no stranger to lawsuits, having been sued multiple times in recent years by inmates alleging abusive behavior by guards and other inmates:

This series of articles highlights a major problem with our criminal justice system:  our neglect of criminal offenders post-conviction.  Although as a society, we are preoccupied with crime, our interest effectively ends post-trial or guilty plea.  Once the prison door shuts, it's as if prisoners no longer exist.

This is foolish thinking for two reasons (at least).  First, as I've mentioned before, our warehousing of ever larger prison populations is extremely expensive, both fiscally and socially.  Locking up large segments of our population, often for non-violent crimes,  is not only a huge monetary drain (how many states spend more on prisons than schools?), but a sociological problem as well.  We have little assistance for released prisoners, which frequently results in recidivism.  Even those who manage to stay on the straight and narrow face life-long restrictions on their ability to work, vote, and generally function in society.

The Riker's Island lawsuits just highlight another problem with our prison blindness:  ignoring the abuse and neglect that often goes on in prison and jails.  Surely our prisoners deserve the bare minimum of safety and freedom from abuse? 

Full post as published by The Faculty Lounge on February 04, 2009 (boomark / email).