Peer Podcast - Incarceration

The speaker agrees with Ahad that prioritizing rehabilitation in prisons is a more effective and humane approach to addressing crime. They mention the importance of reducing crime rates, being cost-effective for taxpayers, promoting public safety, and focusing on the human approach. They also cite statistics on average sentence lengths and emphasize the need to consider prison conditions and how individuals will reintegrate into society. They note that policy changes at the state level, such as the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, can signify a shift towards rehabilitation. While they believe criminals should be punished, they also advocate for rebuilding the prison system to focus on rehabilitation, ultimately benefiting society in the long-term. Hey, Ahad, you know, I'm so happy that you're bringing this topic to light because it has not been something that I've been able to dive into myself, and I've always been interested in this topic. I also want to start off by thanking you for incorporating different viewpoints into this podcast. To start off, yes, I agree with you that prioritizing rehabilitation in prisons offers a more effective, humane, and socially beneficial approach to addressing crime and promoting public safety. Every point that you brought up, reducing crime rates, cost-effectiveness for taxpayer, public safety, restorative justice, and focusing on the human approach to all, are key and essential points to include when talking about this. Some research I found myself included that according to data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Justice and Statistics, the average sentence length in state courts is about four years, and an average time served is about two and a half years. Those sentenced with violent offenses have an average of 4.7 years, and those sentenced for murder or manslaughter serving an average of 15 years. All these statistics show that it's important to consider the conditions of prison life and understand how individuals are going to rejoin society at the conclusion of their sentence. The average sentence length is hypothetically not too long, so understanding this shift is essential because prison cultures and environment are essential to public health and safety of our communities. Changing this can be seen as a state level. Policy changing within institutions has begun at the state level through the Department of Corrections. For example, California has rebranded their state corrections divisions and renamed it the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. However, many people would hear this name and not think too much of it, like, oh, cool, a name change. However, this change in the title can be seen as a shift in policy and practice. Incarcerated individuals are deprived of liberty, separation from support systems, and loss of control of one's life. However, I think this is a great place to note that I still believe that criminals should be punished. These individuals made significant choices to end them up in this spot. However, I believe that we should switch our focus to rebuild the prison system for rehabilitation so when these individuals are released, they have the ability to be more productive, law-abiding citizens. It all comes down to the topics previously discussed and how long-term societal benefits of this new prison system. By helping individuals break the cycle of crime and incarceration by focusing on bettering themselves while in prison to be released as better individuals, we are doing the greater good of society as a whole. Thank you.