Prisons are places where individuals are legally held for their committed crimes or awaiting trial. These detention centers were created for four main principles: retribution, incapacitation, deterrence, and transformation. Some prisons even alter the term transformation to rehabilitation. Jails are a place that punishes people for committing a felony. These people are then removed from society to these centers to discourage threatful behavior and overall change them for the better. The first-ever “jail” created was in 1790 in Philadelphia. Although this creation was “part of an effort to relieve crowded conditions,” it has managed to officially become the first penitentiary in the country (Sweet). With a safe and sanitary designed environment than most, this penitentiary’s goal was to encourage prisoners to reflect on their behavior with little to no human contact. Following up on this idea of imprisonment, the eastern state’s first modern prison was formed in 1829. Once again, this prison was created in Philadelphia, but this time, it practiced the method of solitary confinement. This method put extreme stress on the prisoner’s independence and regulations were stricter. Moving on through history lane, 1833 was the year when the federal government of the United States “abolished debtors’ prisons” (Sweet). This made it so people were not prisoned for their debts to an extent. Additionally, in 1835 the first women’s prison opened up, while in 1866 convict leasing spread throughout. Convict leasing is when prisoners were rented out for a fee. As the years and decades continued, many laws, rules, and systems were created to make the prisons that we know today. Throughout the years, many ex-prisoners have come out and described their life in prison. First things first, they were sorted based on their age, gender, and legal reason. For some, it was the judge’s responsibility for the final decision while for others, it was the prison’s responsibility. After arrival, prisoners are screened by staff, taken off their contraband, given new clothing, and assigned to the A&O program. The A&O program is a program that “provides inmates with valuable information regarding institution and unit regulations, operations, and program opportunities” (Sawyer). This program also provides a chance for the staff to help inmates who may be experiencing trouble entering incarceration. During their period in jail, most inmates agreed to the experience being boring because of the minimal activities available, and the TV being controlled by the guards (Cavallari). Additionally, medical checkups are present and there are two meals a day. On top of that, there were constant isolation, violence, and deprivation (Delaney et al.) Despite all the development programs and transitional systems that prisons prepare for their inmates, one cannot help but think that the government’s method of criminal discipline lacks the basic qualities and functions that they try to uphold because of criminal discrimination, mass incarceration, and mental trauma.

After being released from prison, many have argued that their rate of employment has significantly declined because of their now-criminal record.  Many employers acknowledged this employment drop and explained that they just did not want to take the risk of hiring an ex-inmate. This indirectly affects the opportunities and resources offered. Suppose the reason for the existence of prisons is to prevent the chances of offenses. In that case, one of the logical solutions is to give ex-criminals a chance of getting a normal life again, in this case, providing an opportunity for a job. Moreover, there are even more obstacles for ex-prisoners. There are only certain occupations available for them. All of these challenges may be the reason why only 79% look for a job after release. The rest of the percentage is a bit less fortunate. Contrarily, 20% said parole officers were helpful for job finding, which is not too many. Possibly because of the minimal job opportunities and resources, ⅔ of the prisoner population is known to be rearrested while 50% are incarcerated again (Benecchi). Benecchi explains that a “successful re-entry into society seems nearly impossible for former prisoners” because of the absence of “employment opportunities and bare necessities.” It is no lie that prison provides inmates with classes that may serve as a hobby or even a future career for inmates. These classes, unfortunately, don’t work as effectively as they should.

Along with those classes, the correction classes available for prisoners also seem to miss their primary goal as the United States has the highest reincarceration rate. Moreover, to get a job, one must have an occupational license which can be extremely harsh for those with criminal records. To make this process harder, “both federal and state governments” put over “20,000 licensing restrictions on those with criminal records” (Benecchi).To put it short, the stricter the licensing requirements, the higher the recidivism (chance of relapsing into crime) rates. These negative traits of re-entrance into society are inexcusable and lead to my next claim – how mass incarceration leads to the downfall of prisons.

Being the top incarcerated country in the world, the United States has a huge, yet laughable, prison system mainly due to its problem with mass incarceration. Since the 1960s, the rate of United States incarceration level had been more than tripled. Because of this massive increase in prisoners, justice systems have started to defund, impacting the incarceration rate greatly (Benecchi). America is not necessarily known for its merciful punishments or its criminal sentences. These punishments indirectly harm the public which leads many to believe that America’s way of disciplining inmates lacks the character and thought required. America’s high incarceration rate may be because “other countries do not use prison as a one-size-fits-all solution to crime” (Cullen). This claim is backed up by the research study that 39% of people in prison during 2016 received harsher punishment than necessary. Rather than community service, they received jail sentences. Even without this percentage of prisoners, the United States would still be the highest incarcerated among the countries to a great extent. Another cause may be because the United States focuses on the less fortunate population of the nation (National Academies). Crimes are inevitable in these areas because of the food shortage and poor education. Even so, the incarceration rate is going down. The incarceration trends have been declining “sharply in the recent decades” (Gramlich). Certain violent and property crimes decreased while murder has increased. There have also been literal laws to reduce the number of people in prisons. However, according to Cullen, it would take decades for the rate to be at its normal, steady, and justifiable amount again. 

Last but certainly not least, motivation is replaced with mental health and trauma. Research has shown that 81% of inmates (37% of incarcerated individuals and 44% of individuals in jail) have been diagnosed with a mental illness (Benecchi). Despite this huge percentage, 66% have not received a proper form of mental health care during their incarceration period. Those that did receive some help would get the incorrection diagnosis from time to time (Jackson). Some individuals have come up with ideas to improve mental health in prisons by “investing in mental health care, by devising personalized education plans for prisoners, and by connecting prisoners with job opportunities and valuable skills to aid in creating a prison-to-work pipeline” (Benecchi). If prisons were to improve, they should start with arranging “accessible mental health care and substance abuse recovery for prisoners” (Benecchi). Moreover, finding a job after release relies heavily on the connections of the inmate. These connections may not provide a big enough range of careers, not including difficulties that the criminal records, experience, and skills bring. In spite of the help from ex-offenders family members, this support can “fracture over time” (Jackson). As said before, health disadvantages can impact future job findings. The lack of experience is important as well. This may not be a problem for those incarcerated during their adult life, but for others, they would miss some vital years of their life. All in all, mental health, trauma, and lack of motivation all create an almost impossible career probability for ex-inmates. 

Conversely, prisons are showing indications that they are attempting to raise their standard of quality. As said before, the incarceration amount is going down. By all means, the rate is still very high, but it is going down, which is a good sign of improvement and progress. Furthermore, the US recognizes the alarming situation of incarceration and addresses it by trying to better the system even if it is little by little. For mental trauma, therapy may fulfill some individuals’ needs. CBT is a “cognitive-behavioral therapy” intended to be used by offenders (“Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Offenders”). It has shown signs of effectiveness. Lastly, the rate of job opportunities for inmates is improving as well. Unfortunately, there is still discrimination towards ex-offenders, but there are also specific job chances as well. The internet contains some job advice and particular careers for ex-offenders. These jobs can range from government jobs to mobile app developers, film editors, and so much more (Publisher)! Another good news is that numerous colleges do not discriminate against ex-offenders (Publisher). The activities taught in prisons may help with some of these careers. Ultimately, prisons are improving slightly every day, yet these improvements, ironically, must be improved. 

All of these facts contribute to the poor standard of prisons. As a matter of fact, citizens can help prisons be better. The most obvious one, of course, is to not commit a crime of any level. Whether it be pick-pocketing or drunk driving, all crimes negatively affect the justice system and support the unsatisfactory ways of prison. Simply avoiding crime can help with mass incarceration and save oneself from mental trauma and a potential career-finding curse. Second, assisting an ex-offender who is desperately in need of help of any kind is a very small, yet practical assistance for jails. No matter what one does to help, the help is greatly appreciated.   

Regardless of the changes prisons are making for society, three main points prove that these changes lack the speed and sincerity necessary. The three points include ex-offender discrimination, mass incarceration, and mental trauma. All three exemplify the flaw in penitentiaries and their inadequate justice systems. Jails have the potential to strive for more but choose to not. Waiting on a miracle is too tedious; therefore, now is the time to exceed set expectations and optimistically, let the present and future generations determine the new justice systems that everyone can be proud of.