What Do Prisons Accomplish for Society?

• Paper: Chapel Hill Herald (NC)
• Author: BERNADETTE PELISSIER Columnist
• December 22, 2007
• Section: Editorial Page: 2

When crime is in the forefront of election issues, politicians promise to be tough on crime. This has led to growth in the prison industry. We are told that prisons will provide the clear message that crime doesn't pay. Crime does pay for the prison industry. Prisons represent one of the fastest-growing industries in our country. They provide great opportunities for jobs with promotion potential.

I do not dispute the necessity of prisons to provide protection for citizens against those who commit violent crimes. I do question whether our current policy of imprisonment, as implemented, is worth the monies spent. I retired from the federal prison system feeling that we are wasting, in part, precious taxpayer monies. Our prison system has some negative consequences.

Prisons are not visible to most citizens. As a result most citizens do not have a clear picture about prisons. There are two aspects of the burgeoning prison system that are not beneficial to society.

The first has to do with the effects of prisons on its employees. The growth in the prison industry can be seen as valuable because it provides additional jobs. But is that a desirable industry to grow? My answer is no.

The federal prison system has a hazardous duty retirement system. Employees, with some exceptions, are required to retire by age 57. The duty is considered hazardous because you never know when and if there will be a hostage-taking situation, an assault or a riot.

But aside from that, I found the nature of human interactions in prisons to be stressful. Interactions with inmates are very constrained because some will want to manipulate staff to bring in drugs or have you fall in love with them. The social interaction sets up an "us versus them" mentality where politeness can be present but no more. Mistrust is fostered. I told friends that I had to put on psychological armor every day I walked into prison.

One psychologist told me that it takes at least a year to recover from the stress developed while working in prison, a stress which you don't always notice until after retirement. I don't want to promote an increase in jobs which make it difficult to have normal human interactions and which do not bring out the best of our human nature, either for inmates or employees.

This concern is amplified when considering the profile of those incarcerated. This profile is the second aspect of a prison system without societal benefits.

The public conversation on criminal behavior focuses on proving that society won't tolerate these acts. But criminal behavior represents only one aspect of our complex human behavioral patterns.

Is prison the best response to illegal behavior for individuals with drug and/or mental health problems? How many of us know that in state prisons more than 40 percent of inmates have both a mental health problem and a drug problem? How many of us know that inmates who have mental health problems are more likely to have been unemployed, been homeless or have a history of past sexual or physical abuse, than those without a mental health problem? Only one-third of inmates with a mental health problem receive mental health services while in prison.

How many of us know that among state prison inmates more than 40 percent do not have a GED or high school diploma? In our general population, only 18 percent do not have a high school diploma.

Individuals with mental health problems and poor education are not likely to successfully function independently after release from prison. They are often recycled into prison and continue to cost $22,000 per year.

Punishment through lengthy incarceration will not solve the education and mental health problems we face. I hope you will think about this when there is political talk about getting tough in crime. With whom do we want to get tough and why?

Alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent individuals with drug and other mental health problems can provide jobs for our citizens that are not dehumanizing and hazardous. Let us have jobs that will bring out the best in everyone.

Our taxpayer monies can be better used to teach and guide individuals with mental health problems to live independently and avoid criminal behavior.

Let us do more to ensure that all of our citizens receive the education needed to find a job. Let us reduce the inappropriate use of the criminal justice system and its negative atmosphere with a more positive system.

I want to make sure that our imprisonment policy serves a greater good for our society and doesn't perpetuate problems while spending a lot of taxpayer monies. We will always need prisons for public safety purposes, but let's use our prison resources wisely.

Bernadette Pelissier is a retired social scientist who lives in Orange County and serves on several community boards. Readers can contact her at bpelissier@juno.com or c/o The Chapel Hill Herald, 106 Mallette St., Chapel Hill, NC 27516.