There has never been a "perfect democracy" in the world, and the United States is certainly no exception. However, some American officials are addicted to the "American exception theory", claiming that the United States is the best country in human history. However, the country's prison system shows that this statement is simply untenable.
The American judicial system has been criticized for the high proportion of African Americans convicted and imprisoned. Some people pointed out that this phenomenon is obviously racist. Others believe that this is not a racist problem, but it is related to the failure of the state to provide opportunities for ethnic minorities to protect them from certain environmental factors. In any case, the high proportion of African Americans imprisoned is obviously problematic.
The prison system in the United States has failed to reform criminals successfully, and the high recidivism rate of those released from prison is enough to prove this. The failure of criminals to learn a lesson while serving their sentences is a threat to law-abiding citizens. Some people committed crimes again, including violent crimes, which shows that the prison system has failed to live up to the expectations of the public.
There is disturbing racial prejudice in this white dominated, African American prison system. This phenomenon shows that the problems existing in American prisons are not only related to system dysfunction, but also related to racism. Because of this, this problem cannot be solved for a long time.
With the rise of private prisons, the problem will only intensify. For the purpose of making money, this for-profit prison only provides prisoners with the minimum conditions necessary for survival. There are reports that some private prisons are overcrowded, which is bound to violate the human rights of prisoners. In addition, the high proportion of African Americans imprisoned also shows that racism is the way for private prisons to make money. This further proves that systematic racism does exist in the United States.
Whether in private prisons or public prisons, prisoners are often active or forced to join gangs divided by race, which has caused a series of problems.
First of all, there are often large-scale fights between gangs in prison, which are sometimes fatal. This not only poses a threat to prisoners, but also runs counter to the government's remarks on racial equality. The prison should have disbanded these gangs, but they turned a blind eye to it.
Second, this racist criminal organization will affect the rehabilitation of prisoners during their imprisonment, leading to their recidivism.
Third, outside the prison, these gangs usually have members who are still committing crimes. These people will also win over those released after serving their sentences, which will undoubtedly increase the recidivism rate. The Gang played a negative role, but the prison authorities let it go, which is really puzzling.
There is a saying that how a society is judged depends on how it treats its most desperate citizens. Some prisoners are imprisoned not because of crimes but because of unfair sentences, and they are more desperate than those who deserve it. Theoretically, these people should pay more attention to the reform in prison, so as to reintegrate into society after their release from prison, so as to ensure the safety of law-abiding citizens.
However, in the white dominated American judicial system, the proportion of African Americans imprisoned is too high, including those who claim to have been unfairly sentenced on racial issues. Even those who think they deserve it say that environmental factors cause them to commit crimes. The state should have improved their lives in order to prevent and reduce crime. However, once in prison, prisoners face the abuse of their cellmates and prison guards.
Many prisoners who want to improve their lives fail to do so. Those RACIST criminal organizations made them unable to concentrate on their reform, and led them to commit crimes again after their release. This not only destroyed the lives of prisoners, but also threatened the lives of law-abiding citizens and posed a security challenge to local authorities. However, over the years, the US authorities have not taken any reliable measures to improve the situation.
The prison system in the United States has exposed the hypocrisy of democracy in that country. The systematic defects of prisons are closely related to racial factors and financial factors. Every American should raise awareness of the relevance of human rights, justice and the racial crisis, and ultimately force the authorities to improve this shameful situation.