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| JUSTICE: Attica: lessons not learned |
| By rochestercitynewspaper.com - Jeremy Moule |
| Published: 09/07/2011 |
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The bloody conclusion to the 1971 inmate uprising at Attica got the whole country talking about prison conditions. Some attempts at reform were made in the aftermath, but four decades after Attica, reform on a large scale hasn't materialized. Instead, more people are in prison, sentences are longer, and fewer public resources are devoted to helping inmates transition back into society. This month marks the 40th anniversary of the Attica uprising, the deadliest prison revolt in the nation's history. Poor conditions at the prison are said to have been the overriding factor responsible for the revolt. "It was a tragic event but it was probably a necessary event, given what the heck was going on," says Stan Stojkovic, dean and professor at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Helen Bader School of Social Welfare. "But when you fast forward, we just haven't made much progress since then." In some respects, the country has gone in the opposite direction. The 1970's and 1980's brought the Rockefeller Drug Laws, the War on Drugs, less judicial discretion in sentencing, less discretion in releasing inmates, and other tough-on-crime measures. In-prison rehabilitation programs were cut, as were work-release programs meant to help prisoners get on their feet before full release. New York and other states have also expanded their prisons. And in 1996, Congress passed legislation imposing restrictions on prisoner litigation; lawsuits and court orders have historically been the primary drivers of prison reform. States have seen substantial growth in their prison populations since the Attica revolt. For example, New York had 12,579 people in state prisons in 1970, but has approximately 56,000 prisoners now. The number peaked in 1999 at 71,600. The growth in the prison population raises two questions: is the justice system sending too many people to prison, and what should the role of prisons be? Ultimately, prison-reform advocates want a shift in the underpinning philosophy of the criminal-justice system. The focus should be on rehabilitation and not punishment, they say. The complaints of inmates today are similar to those made by the 1971 Attica prisoners. The Correctional Association of New York regularly visits state prisons and prepares a report on the conditions at each one. The reports note inmate complaints, which include the quality of their food, the way they're treated by guards and medical staff, lack of access to education or vocation programs, the conditions of the showers, and high prices at the commissary. Reformers are focusing on newer issues, as well. One is the widespread use of segregated housing units - areas of small cells used for solitary confinement - for disciplinary purposes or to separate gang members. Some prisons expanded these units during the 1980's and 1990's. Inmates are generally kept in the small cells for 23 hours a day. They get one hour of exercise, and that happens in another small, enclosed area. Read More. |
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