Understanding Criminal Justice and Incarceration

Introduction to Incarceration

• Current state of prisons in the U.S.: more than 2.2 million people incarcerated.

• Description of prison cell environment (example: Eastern State Penitentiary, 8x12 ft).

• Historical perspective: Individual prison cells introduced in 1829 aimed at rehabilitation.

Shift in Criminal Justice Philosophy

• Original goal: Help inmates become better individuals and reintegrate into society after short sentences.

• Contemporary perspective focuses on punishment rather than rehabilitation.

• Long prison sentences hinder reintegration into society — difficulties in finding jobs, housing, voting, and education.

Case Studies: Impact of Incarceration

Winfred Rembert

• Artist from New Haven, Connecticut who spent seven years in prison.

• Expresses ongoing impact of incarceration: "Your prison sentence follows you wherever you go."

Eric Clark

• Convicted for killing a police officer; underwent trial to appeal conviction due to delusional schizophrenia.

• Court upheld conviction despite acknowledging his mental illness, illustrating challenges in understanding culpability in criminal acts.

• Questions whether individuals with mental illness, like Clark, deserve severe punishment.

Sharon Patterson

• Convicted of criminally negligent homicide for restricting a child’s water intake, leading to the child’s death.

• Intellectually disabled and did not understand the harm she was causing.

• The court recognized her disability but still upheld conviction based on reasonable person standard.

• Raises further questions on the justice system's treatment of vulnerable individuals.

Underlying Issues in Criminal Punishments

• Many incarcerated individuals have histories of trauma, mental illness, addiction, or poverty.

• Over half of prison inmates have serious mental health disorders; does this affect their culpability?

• The impact of societal factors on crime: studies show that childhood abuse significantly contributes to criminal delinquency.

• The disparity in sentencing between different socioeconomic and racial groups in the criminal justice system.

Ethical Implications of Punishment

• The belief in individual responsibility often ignores social and economic contexts of offenses.

• Raises moral questions about retributive justice: Is punishment truly just if it’s disproportionately applied?

Rethinking Justice

• Critiques the notion of retribution and advocates for justice that transcends punishment.

• Encourages consideration of full human impact — not only victims but also defendants and their backgrounds.

• Suggests a shift from warehousing individuals to addressing root causes: mental illness, addiction, and poverty.

• Emphasizes treating all individuals with dignity, regardless of their criminal history.

Conclusion

• Call to action: Society must work towards equal treatment and care for all individuals.

• Emphasis on the collective responsibility in creating a fair and just society for all, promoting the idea of equality as a foundational principle.