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Pros And Cons Of Unfair Treatment Of Inmates

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Pros And Cons Of Unfair Treatment Of Inmates
Over the past decade, the media has broadcasted many reports of inmate abuse. By subjecting prisoners to unfair treatment by guards and inhumane living conditions, the United States criminal justice system violates the “nor cruel and unusual punishment” clause of the eighth amendment. (Mrs. Brown has approved this introduction) The system should hold prison guards accountable for excessive or vicious treatment of prisoners. Guards do not possess the right to hit or harm inmates unless it is reasonable, given the situation. The case, Brown v. Lippard (5th Cir. 2006) tested the definition of reasonable. An officer escorted an inmate, whose hands are handcuffed behind his back, to the recreation area. Lippard exchanged a few words with Brown, …show more content…
For example, there is approximately 106% occupancy in Oklahoma prisons today. Although many people don’t think too much of the increasing population in prisons, overcrowding hinders the work of social rehabilitation and increases the prevalence of diseases: infectious and psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. These problems also develop while a prisoner spends time in isolation. Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which prison staff place an inmate in an isolated cell cut off from other inmates. Isolation can take a heavy mental and social toll. If an inmate spends too long by themselves, they can suffer hallucinations and become a danger to themselves. In a report by the Human Rights Watch, ⅕ to ⅔ of inmates in solitary confinement have some form of mental illness and their conditions dramatically deteriorate throughout their time in isolation. After years of living in the cramped conditions of an isolation cell with no hope of getting out, it’s easy to see why a many would prefer death. Prison conditions as described exist throughout many institutions in Oklahoma, and occur across the United States. The hidden conditions that exist in isolation and overcrowding violate the eighth amendment because it exposes prisoners to unreasonable risk of serious

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