StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Prison System in the US - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper "Prison System in the US" states that the torture in the prisons of the United States has been a familiar scene since the early historical era. The practices of torture are still carried forward even in the present age in various locations in America…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.7% of users find it useful
Prison System in the US
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Prison System in the US"

Prison System The prisons in the American society have become a vital It has integrated itself with the cultural, economic and politicalsphere of the United States of America (USA). During the period of 1976 to 2000, the USA was engaged in building a new prison every week on average that eventually resulted in a significant rise in the number of imprisonment (Franklin). The current prison and jail population in recent times has shown a substantial rise of over two million. America undoubtedly leads the world in terms of number of imprisoned population and that is a disgrace. USA prison system has made millions lives to live constantly under the threat of torture. This is precisely true for the 6.9 million individuals in USA who are at present imprisoned or some way or the other subject to the USA penal body (Franklin). More insidiously, the prison system has essentially assisted in turning torture into a normal, lawful, and a common part of American culture. Imprisonment can be classified as a form of torture owing to the fact that it is considered as the legal form of both punishment and avoidance. Moreover, the American prison system is typically designed and run to maximize filth, brutality, and punishment. As mentioned by Franklin “Beatings, electric shock, prolonged exposure to heat and even immersion in scalding water, sodomy with riot batons, nightsticks, flashlights, and broom handles, shackled prisoners forced to lie in their own excrement for hours or even days, months of solitary confinement, rape and murder by guards or prisoners instructed by guards” (Franklin) are very common within the closed walls of the American prison. CIA black sites, Prison torture and Christian beliefs Any sort of torture is immoral. The main point to be emphasized upon is the necessity of Christians to oppose not only torture, but also the legal gymnastics performed to create the extra-legal physical spaces where the incidents of torture take place. The torture phenomenon in USA rely on spaces such as the CIA black sites, as they are beyond any kind of legal jurisdiction. The Christian belief is in sharp contrast with what is being practiced within the confinement of a prison in USA. According to the theology grounded in the bible and Christian tradition the legal rule is provisionary of god’s rule. Christianity does not provide an easy answer to the viability of torture that is practiced by mankind. It does provide a sense of hope about something that Christians should respect and consider even more than their individual and national security. Due to the fact that the portrayal of the black sites are as elusive as attempts to define their legal status, a chronology from the past eight years of information pertinent to them can efficiently aid in understanding the phenomenon of the black sites. It is true that the black sites function beyond the jurisdiction of international and even, for all intents and purposes the American law. However, the way in which they do so is dependent and logically coherent with the divisions of power and accountability between various government agencies and departments-in particular, the pentagon, FBI, and CIA. The black sites are on the fringe of places that common man is able to see, but are cordoned off by essential makeshift legal fences. After the incident of 9/11, the CIA was ordered to operate and carry on their procedures without any legal restraints. By late 2001, empowered to act without restraints, the CIA fell short of places to hide their high valued detainees. Again the additional freedom that was granted to CIA instigated a desire to acquire greater control over their investigation without any sort of external indulgence. Due to this, the government of United States of America allotted millions of dollars to construct private prisons that were exclusively meant for the CIA. These private prisons are known as black sites. The first known and prominent black site was constructed in Kabul on an old factory site named as the ‘salt pit’. In the present day, black sites exists in most parts of the world due to widespread terrorism. Although the use of black sites was banned after the year of 2006, CIA still manages to practice and maintain their autonomous robust power by keeping some of the banned sites operational. In the black sites, there was no possibility of diminishing the torture of an individual even if he/she obeyed the rules, as there was no significance of rules in black sites (Gushee and Zimmer, 246). Many Christians in America are struggling how to respond to this situation, as there is a conflict in realizing the relationship between law, politics, and the kingdom of god. Renowned theologian, Wolfhart Pannenberg, articulates that one traditional Christian method of relating faith and culture by demonstrating how political and legal orders prepare our society for the Almighty’s redemption of all creations. The theology emphasizes the fact that an individual belonging to the Christian religion, cannot under any circumstances, accept the presence of extra legal spaces, let alone the torture that summons in these places. Pannenberg emphasized on the fact that the almighty is righteous, and in the future god will come to rule its creation directly establishing an ideal order that will consist of “justice, peace, and the mutual fellowship of all humanity” (Gushee and Zimmer, 246). The renowned theologian emphasizes that through the process of life and death, and resurrections of Jesus Christ, this particular end-of-time rule is present to us as a promise. We all are waiting for the fulfillment of this promise with hope. Christian life is sustained amidst a hopeful anticipation of the time, when the almighty will reign as the supreme power. The theories acknowledge that, Christians sanctioning black sites or any spheres of action without legal jurisdiction is essentially immoral. It is certain that god, is the only supreme power who judges and redeems individuals. From a Christians perspective to eliminate any kind of action that they practice in their real life is to falsely believe what a human being pretends to be before god. This is precisely the practice of the black sites. The extra legal status of the black sites exempts the tortures from judgment by the law. Thereby an individual falsely imagine god turning a blind eye towards the relationship that links torture and the law to each other. However, in true essence of Christianity god’s action is not indifferent in nature rather it consists of judgment, redemption, and reconciliation. This judgment, redemption and reconciliation consider both the torture and the law in their relation to each other, and to the rest of the creation. It emphasizes that, neither the phenomenon of torture, nor the legal systems are completed ends in themselves. Rather, the ends of both are sustained in the Almighty’s redemption of each within the broader context of divinely creation and sustained existence. (Gushee and Zimmer, 243-247) The torture in the prisons of the United States has been a familiar scenario since the early historical era. The practices of torture are still carried forward even in the present age in various locations in America. Evidence of inhuman torture was eminently reported by many American news channels and by the media around the world. Sometimes the incidents are covered up by the officials of the CIA and the American government. The phenomenon of torture and Christianity does not go hand in hand, as Christianity does not support torture in any form to a fellow brother. Christianity emphasizes that nothing should be practiced outside the jurisdiction, and also the fact that god is the ultimate creator of mankind and the supreme power of judgment lies in his hand. References Franklin, Bruce H. American prison and the normalization of torture, n.d., April 21, 2012 from: http://www.historiansagainstwar.org/resources/torture/brucefranklin.html Gushee, David and Zimmer, Drew, Religious Faith, Torture, and Our National Soul, USA, Mercer University Press, 2010 Read More
Tags
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(Prison System in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words, n.d.)
Prison System in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words. https://studentshare.org/social-science/1772516-prison-system
(Prison System in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words)
Prison System in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words. https://studentshare.org/social-science/1772516-prison-system.
“Prison System in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 Words”. https://studentshare.org/social-science/1772516-prison-system.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Prison System in the US

Prisons as Total Intitutions

They break down as the prisoners have to conduct their prison lives in one place that leaves no barriers for different activities of life like sleep, play and work.... hellip; This totalistic character of a prison as defined by Goffman enforces staying in group performing rigidly scheduled activities all intended to serve the purpose for which the prison is set up.... They break down as the prisoners have to conduct their prison lives in one place that leaves no barriers for different activities of life like sleep, play and work....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Overcrowding in Prisons Systems

s noted by Schlusselberg (2007), America pays a heavy price for the prison system it maintains and this system has been called, “a vacuum that sucks up $60 billion a year in taxpayer dollars (Schlusselberg, 2007, Pg.... t seems that calling a prison a correctional facility is a misnomer because the aims of the prison system are not being met.... This system certainly does not deserve more money from the people since to keep society safe from criminal elements; we the people are paying the cost for medical, educational as well as the living expenses of prisoners whereas a much simpler solution could be presented to the government....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Community Sentencing

Community sentencing was first introduce into the legal system in the year 1907 and was proposed as an initial punishment for low-level, non-violent; first-time criminals who do not pose any threat to the society at large and hence do not require imprisonment (Scottish Executive, 2007; Anderson, 1998; Jingyin, 2010; 121st International Training Course, n.... Reports suggest that the number of criminals involved in such programs is larger than the prison inmate population which is reflective of the notion that these programs are considered as a means of improving the legal system of a country and the society at large (Jingyin, 2010)....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

In the Shoes of a Parolee: How a Prisoner is Controlled by the Parole System

The author focuses on the incentive in the process of the parole system, describes the positive impact and negative consequence of no early release and concludes that the positive outcomes and repercussions do suggest that the parole system does exert strong control and influence on prisoners… The author examines the setbacks and positive outcomes from the parole system.... We can generate insights on how parole can control an inmate's behavior Their traits and behaviors are controlled by this system; this for sure is eventually not only for the benefit of the parolee but for safety and security of the State more importantly....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

Prison Life and Strategies

The essay entitled "Prison Life and Strategies " states that the purpose of this research project is to present the reader with a more clear understanding of some of the most pertinent problems that currently face the prison system within the United States.... Whereas traditional prisons have long been a fixture of the American criminal justice system, so-called for-profit prisons are a relatively new construct that has begun to have a profound effect on the way that the criminal justice system operates....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

Training to Prison Staff in Post Conflict Areas

In order to prevent violent confrontations from each participant of the post-conflict regions, it is imperative to reform the penal system and create a sense of equality.... Further, the NGO supports other reforms in the justice system including spacious prisons to address the challenge of overcrowding (PRI, 2014).... In the essay “Training to prison Staff in Post Conflict Areas,” the author discusses the initiatives to train prison staff in accordance with human rights standards....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

International Crime Witness

in the us, fourth, fifth and the sixth Notably, as per the fourth amendment of the US, courts orders police not to involve in unnecessary seizure or search of any place or individual without any warrants.... Furthermore, to seek fast trail as per the sixth amendment is also another right of accused in the us that is taken into consideration by the court of law (Missouri Protection and Advocacy Services, n.... Similarly, in the us court, criminal defendants are provided with equal opportunities to clarify their point or justify themselves as an innocent....
4 Pages (1000 words) Assignment

Advantages of Probation and Prison system

The author describes the advantages and disadvantages of probation and prison system in the U.... They are enclosures where prisoners are locked in to ensure that they are monitored on a daily basis… prison system can be traced back to 1800.... Only two states mimicked this system including New Jersey and Rhode Island It is traced back in Boston in the 1700s when the prisoners were taken home by John Augustus as an alternative to the issue of incarceration....
4 Pages (1000 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us