The following was submitted to Missouri Prison Reform by Christopher Gray, who has spent the last seventeen years incarcerated. His personal reflection questions the effectiveness of incarceration, particularly for “non-violent” charges, and exposes the harsh realities of prison life. Christopher’s account challenges the purpose of the Department of Corrections and calls for a reexamination of America’s approach to crime and punishment:
“Prison Is Primitive and Ineffective, should all crimes be treated the same? In other words, is incarceration the remedy for nonviolent offenses, as much as it is for violent offenses, or is it even a remedy at all? Why do we call it the Department of Corrections when the recidivism rate is (so high)? What are we correcting if anything? A survey done by Lartey, Weihua, and Cruz, founders of “The Marshall Project” say that prison is a rest haven for seasoned criminals, and those who wish to devise a scheme to re-offend. With plenty of time and resources to execute their plan, many feel as if the challenge is to re-offend and this time to get it right. I have spent the last seventeen years of my life incarcerated. I have witnessed the atrocities in prisons that go unnoticed by the public, and the injustice done to the accused by the courts. My research is credible and my facts are verifiable. Why does America, who leads the world in innovation, have the highest rate of incarceration? All these questions, and more, are what plague the nation with abnormal sentencing and injustice in our courts.
The answers to these questions are simple, but with a complex legal system, that is bogged down with over zealous legislatures, wrapped in endless rolls of red tape, the criminal or as the courts call it, “the offender” has been buried in an onslaught of wrongdoing, by the very people elected to serve, protect, and adjudicate justice. Now the criminal is the victim of: unjust sentences, cruel and unusual punishment, harsh living conditions, while being abandoned in a hostile, and unprotected environment, where money, and sexual favors are a way of life. Killings, overdoses, and suicides, are common, almost daily behind the walls of American prisons. Killing someone will not help bring a loved one back, or make the victim, or the perpetrator even. Nor was it ever meant to. The death penalty is a concise form of punishment for certain crimes, not an equalizer or deterrent for crime.
There is no deterrent for crime. As long as the earth remains, there will always be crime, how we deal with it, will determine what type of society we are. Society needs to get out from under the illusion that crime can be abolished. When in fact, crime is a part of the cycle of life. If there was a deterrent for crime, it would have already been discovered, and most, if not all societies would have already implemented it. There is no solution for criminal behavior. Once society accepts this as truth, society can progress forward with a means to administer proper and fair punishment. Many can not handle incarceration, and end their lives by suicide. Being put in a small isolated concrete vault, with a total stranger and having the door slammed closed, with an automatic locking mechanism, is one of many ways the Criminal Justice System promotes abuse to its prisoners. If you are too old, too young, or just naive, you are most likely going to be the victim of some form of prison violence. Whether the offense is violent or nonviolent, America says “lock em up.”
One out of 100 citizens in America is directly connected to the criminal justice system. Why does America, who leads the world in innovation, have the highest rate of incarceration? Because the more laws you have, the more opportunities for crimes you have. Does America need all these laws? Where is our freedom? Laws against possession, not wearing a seat belt, not wearing a helmet, carrying a concealed weapon, manufacturing drugs, or liquor. Why do we care if someone engages in the use of illegal drugs? Because it leads to other crimes? That is an assumption, it could lead to other crimes, it does not always. Many people use illegal substances, and never break any laws. Remember, it is not illegal to use drugs it is only illegal to posses drugs. Mass amount of laws, leads to mass amounts of criminals, which leads to mass incarceration. Yet if more things were legal, instead of illegal, then the same people who did not wear their seatbelts, helmets, or used illicit drugs, would no longer be viewed as criminals, but law abiding citizens. Gaes and Laskorunsky, members of a prison task force designed to observe the relationship between the length of a sentence, the amount of time served, show that America keeps her children in time out on an average of fifteen – to life. Over 63% of all incarcerated prison sentences ranges from 10-20 years. Every time Legislation enacts a new law, it proposes the opportunity for more incarceration. The Library of Congress reports that Congress alone averages 115 laws a year. Incarceration was a means of dealing with crimes back before Christ was crucified. These tactics are ancient and Gothic in nature, and were set in motion in mid evil times. America is a society of the modern age, and with all her technological advances, she should have a more humane and suitable means to deal with her disobedient children. Sharon Lohr the author of book “Up, Down, or Sideways?” confirms that prison is primitive and ineffective based on the obvious observation, that crime is increasing and not decreasing. Standing a child in the corner (a form of time out) for eight hours, is illegal, and considered to be child abuse.
America used to test harsh chemicals on animals, but that was viewed as animal abuse, and now it is illegal. America used to kill her unborn children, but that was viewed as murder, and now that is illegal. America used to spank her children, but that was viewed as child abuse, and now that is illegal. America used to operate under the slave trade, but that was viewed as a violation of human rights, now slavery is illegal. When will America wake up and see that prison is primitive, ineffective, cruel and unusual punishment, and acknowledge the abuse she turns a blind eye to concerning her own suffering children?”
Cite Page United States Library of Congress/Library of Congress Blogg/Brammer, Robert. Web pages. 2023, pdf. Harlow Caroline Wolf , Ph.D. BJS Statistician US Department of Justice. April 2023. pp. 27-32. Gaes and Laskorunsky. The Relationship between Sentence Length, Time Served, and State Prison Population Levels – Task Force on Long Sentences. Feburary 2023 Lartey, Weihua and Cruz. Americans Say Crime is Up. Is It? The Marshall Project. June 2023. Lohr, Sharon. “Up, Down, or Sideways?” Looking at the 2021 Crime Statistics. October Issue 2022.
Wow, I have never heard anyone explain incarnation this way. It is so simple. But we will never see it happen because of closed minded people but also because of the money. Everytime a person is admitted into DOC there’s lump sum given. That’s just the beginning of the money coming in. That is why a lot of prisons are privately owned. It’s a huge money maker. So nobody will want anything to change. And I’m so sad to say that. Because he was spot on with every single thing he said. I’ve watched very young men go in and that same young man did not come home. With all of that being said, I completely support and agree with everything this man said.