Usually, when thinking about a prison, one thinks of a place filled with convicts, murderers, crooks, and just overall awful people. One thinks of brutality, threats and animosity. However, most people would not consider this description for anyone other than the prisoners. The people that fill these characteristics are those running the prison system. The guards, security and even district attorneys are the ones fitting this role. Over the years, they have been accused of brutality, cover ups, murder, and creating overall disgraceful conditions for the convicts. The worst part is some of these so called criminals are truly innocent. Numerous people have been in jail for years for crimes they did not commit. On top of that, district attorneys are unwilling to admit to wrongdoing because of their obstinacy. These problems are truly terrible, and should be improved. Even though the majority of those in jail deserve it, they should still be treated like human beings, not animals.
The Power of One is an example of a piece of literature that expresses the cruelty in prisons. The first example within the novel that expresses this idea is when Doc is arrested. The sergeant arresting Doc harms him by aggressively handcuffing him and hitting him. When Peekay sees this, he tries to help Doc but is knocked out from it. The sergeant tries to blame the whole incident on Doc by saying Doc is the one that injured Peekay. The sergeant almost successfully blames the situation on Doc, as Doc is looked down upon by society for a period of time. However, luckily, Doc’s reputation is eventually restored. The other example from the novel that relates to the topic is the general abuse taking place in the Barberton prison. The warder Borman was especially guilty of dishing out this extreme abuse. He constantly physically and verbally abused Geel Piet, and eventually murdered him. Other guards within the prison were also guilty of abusing prisoners, but to a lesser extent. It goes to show that those running the prison system are just as deserving of jail time as those actually in jail.
The way the prison system is being managed at this time is disgraceful. Those working within this system are going way beyond their limits and are using excessive force on the inmates. I believe that the prison system needs to be improved immediately. The role of those in the prison system must be strictly enforced by leadership. Also, the convicting process must be improved. Each year, hundreds to thousands of people are found guilty when they are not. No man or woman should be forced to go to jail for any period of time for a crime they did not commit. There have been instances where citizens have sat in jail for years, or even sentenced to death. That is quite a burden the prison system must live with, as they killed an guiltless human being. That is unacceptable and no person should go through that type of situation.
