Two huge reasons to support reform of our justice system, particular the juvenile segments of it. First, rehabilitation is cheaper and more effective. Second, the conditions within the American penal system and its adjuncts are often violent and deplorable.
Let’s put a face on that, shall we? Liz Ryan, writing on the Open Society Institute blog, brings us the words of Rachel Carron from her testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee last March. Carron had been sentenced to one year in a placement center in Upstate New York, and her tales of the conditions there are disturbing to say the least:
[…] Rachel stated that she had ‘some horrible experiences’ which had left her ‘scarred for life.’ She witnessed and was subjected to violence, particularly excessive force by guards designed to ‘keep control in the center.’ She talked about the sexual exploitation of girls by guards and the rampant availability of drugs sold by guards to residents in exchange for favors by the girls.
In this case the location was New York, but studies show that this sort of environment is not uncommon across the U.S. Another thing supported by evidence is the difference between this and more rehabilitative approaches. Rachel’s case simply illustrates those findings, as Ryan continues.
Rachel eventually received assistance from a residential treatment program that helped her address her addiction, obtain her GED and get training to become a home health aide. This program was close to home and gave her the opportunity to stay in contact and receive support from her family. She had access to counselors and positive interaction with her peers.
The experience in the juvenile prison and the treatment center ‘could not be more different’ according to Rachel. What she experienced in the juvenile prison not only did not help her to deal with the substance abuse issue she was facing, she was removed from her family support system and was subjected to exploitation and abuse from facility guards. By contrast, she was able to get the positive rehabilitation support in another program that brought her closer to her community and family.
Pure punishment does not work, the merest glance at our national penal system illustrates that, whereas community driven approaches that address root causes like substance addiction can have substantive results. (Did I mention that it’s cheaper as well?)
Image Source: Egenerica on Flickr, used under it’s Creative Commons license
