The Rights of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners in Dominant American Thought

The data of “No Real Release” and “Reentry” has caused me to wonder about some of our contradictory views of criminals and prisoners in the United States. I think the federal rhetoric of the last forty years has primed many Americans to support increasingly merciless criminal punishment laws, but they simultaneously do not seem to wish for most offenders to suffer painfully or indefinitely. The existence of parole suggests that our government understands this and acknowledges the basic reintegration needs of ex-prisoners, but its understanding is rigid and unsympathetic to the real obstacles these people face when they are released, as Western’s examination of technical parole violations and their severe consequences indicates. While some regions, like New York City, have developed some programs to address the need for help with social reintegration that former prisoners generally require, most parts of the nation lack equivalent programs. The onus for reintegration in these places is therefore placed upon ex-prisoners themselves, even though during their imprisonments many of them lose the familial and communal ties that could help them navigate this process.

            In much of the United States, ex-felons are denied access to necessities like housing and sufficient healthcare that are enjoyed by most other citizens. Why do we allow them full access to these things in prison but prevent them from acquiring them after they are released?  Moreover, if we consider it just to deny former criminals of these things after they have ‘paid’ for their crime, why do we try to help them at all with parole’s requirements for drug abstinence and employment or local programs like New York’s Center for Employment Opportunities?

To me these views reflect a general American sentiment against the cruel treatment of prisoners and ex-prisoners, but only in cases where that cruelty is absolutely undeniable. More subtle cruelties seem to be readily justified by our politicians and criminal justice workers and readily overlooked by others.