Should Prisoners Lodging Be More Spartan - Essay Example

The punishment sought to inflict pain in the body of the guilty. The nineteenth century represented a more civilized and humanitarian response to wrongdoing and penology seeks a humanitarian aspect of 'imprisonment' by reduction of rights rather than infliction of pain. Life in prison is more disciplined and tough to transform the idleness and social irresponsibility of the prisoner into more constructive one. (Sundaram 24) whole idea of incarceration is punishment, not comfort. These critics would argue that conditions of the prisoners should be spartan, if not hard.

But, the hard treatment should not be inhumanness and degradingness. Environment such as overcrowded prisons, an inadequate low calorie diet, unsanitary conditions that go unrectified, are inhumane. The person who has committed a crime by breaking law is deprived of some liberty in a prison environment. The lodging conditions should not be so constrained that the prisoners are deprived of the kinds of choices that manifest their human standing and self-respect. They should be having freedom to worship, access to the courts and to express their opinions on various matters.

(Victor 225) What kinds of comforts may prisoners expect to have Prisoners lodging should have some basic needs such as disease-free beds, a place to write, sanitary toilet and washing facilities, and access to current information about the world outside should have access to medical care. Should they expect color TVs, video players, and movies of their choice, coffeemakers, libraries, and so on Or should prisoners be deprived of cigarettes, access to the entertainment and news media, have their mail censored, and required to perform hard labor.

If we make it worse then we aren't really increasing their punishment much, having to be in jail and all the other problems with being in jail is tough enough. If we cut down on the few luxuries that they have then will be harder to control.Page 3As rightly quoted by Victor Hassine, from JPP1 -"People who believe prisoners are not being punished point with disdain to a color television set and a ghetto blaster in a prison cell to support their arguments. To them, it appears that physical, emotional, and psychological pain that one can see with the naked eye is the only real form of punishment.

Likewise, there are parents who punish their children by physical beatings because they believe anything short of physical pain will not be effective. I suggest the same applies to some guards and their daily treatment of prisoners. If a prisoner is not in obvious pain and anguish, if he is not being made to visibly suffer, punishment is not being properly administered. Still, any person who has suffered long term emotional and psychological abuse would be horrified that anyone would be so lacking in insight and understanding that they would point to