Archive for March, 2006
Experts Claim California Prison Reform is Urgently Needed
The departure of Corrections Chief Rod Hickman from the California Department of Corrections has been seen by many analysts as a major sign of a desperate need for reform. The California prison system is by far the largest prison system in the country, and the problems that have plagued it in recent years – the least of those being administrative and politically-motivated – have pushed it toward the brink of disaster.
Caught in the middle of this need for reform are those who are affected the most – both the officers and the inmates – as both groups are the ones who suffer most at the hands of the often negligent administration. Experts say that it is only a matter of time until these institutions see even more violence and controversy due greatly to the inaction of those in charge.
Craig Haney, a professor of psychology at UC Santa Cruz has examined the failing prison system and says that the current methods do nothing to address the issues of why people commit crimes and that the conditions experienced during incarceration may indeed make things worse. Overcrowded and “inhumane” conditions have proven to encourage adverse psychological consequences, the effects of which, Haney says, can be long-lasting.
While many view Haney’s views as extremely liberal and all around “anti-prison” for the most part, many of his observations do have merit. Anyone who has experience working within the prison systems of today and is at all familiar with the administrative red tape and neglect that works behind the scenes, guiding the system toward ultimate failure, knows that there is much room for reform.