Shawshank Redemption Ethical Issues

RP#I: “The Shawshank Redemption” Humans are by nature social beings, this means we have to communicate and interact with other people. Attempting to establish a polite relationship between people, control mechanisms were created to correct people from taking bad decisions and doing unaccepted actions such as stealing, murder, fighting, and rape. Margin someone from society and imprison him could be for the police and society the best solution, but the circumstances lived in jail are for sure the worst experiences for the internees. Based on the movie The Shawshank Redemption, this paper analyzes three of the amount of issues presented on the film and ties them to problems occurring now days. The issues described on this paper are infidelity,
power abuse, and suicide. Marriage is for many a way to ensure love, fidelity and compromise, but the reality is that a signed paper has not stop many couples form being unfaithful to their partner. The film presents the story of Andrew “Andy”, who is wrong accused from killing his wife and lover when he caught them having relations. Even when the movie is adapted to the latest 40’s and 50’s, now day’s infidelity has dramatically increased.

Twenty-six percent of men from the heterosexual group accepted they have cheat on their wives or girlfriends at least one time, and twelve percent of women have done the same to their partners in the last ten years.
“Elevated power is positively associated with infidelity because power increases confidence in the ability to attract partners” (Diederik A. Staple, 1191). Gender does not affect the result, but in some countries female infidelity is the result of many murders. The probability of wives being killed in a context of love triangles is much higher that the chance of a man being killed by his wife for the same
reason.
Supposed culpability of Andy assigned him two life sentences in jail where he learned that kindness and obedience will not always result on good things.
Physical abuse is the second analyzed issue. Just as Andy gets in jail, one of the new internees was hit by a police because of an inopportune comment, and as the movie develops we see many examples of how prisoners are beaten, cooped, and raped by guards and other prisoners. Not long time ago, prisons were still using physical torture to obtain information from the accused, or to punish them. Being beaten and copped became normal until government authorities decide to delete their image of punishers to one that could offer safety and rehabilitation to the internees. Thanks to new laws and restrictions the use of physical punishments is decreasing. Rape between the internees has also decrease, but it is one of the most difficult problems to solve. “Very few of the sexual assaults that occur behind bars are officially reported” (Levan Miller, Kristine, 693). Research indicates that victims may avoid officially reporting sexual assault due to feelings of shame or embarrassment. They may also believe that they are partially responsible for the crime, or that no official action will be taken against the perpetrator.
Wolf Nancy and Shi Jing (2011) estimate that the most likely average rate of prison rape is 1.9%. This range is supported by recently studies of rape in prison systems in California, New Jersey, and
Texas.
Physical abuse in prisons commonly causes psychological traumas such as: nightmares, anger, loss of self-esteem, sexual confusion, violence, and suicide. This last one is the last analyzed issue in this paper. The Shawshank Redemption exemplifies suicide in two different ways. Brook is the first example, a man who entered prison as a young man and did not want to go out from jail. He committed suicide because he didn’t find himself outside, he was used to the routine and the life he had in prison. His depression made him feel as nothing but an old ex-convicted. Depression is among the most frequent reason of suicide in developed countries. In Mexico, its overall prevalence is 9.5% in women and 5% in men age 60 or more who do not find a reason to continue and feel useless in the new society (Abel Pena, 72). The second example showed in the film is Warden; a man whose life did not look easy when his frauds with money were caught and decides to kill himself before he had to confront the stress and difficulties that law would bring him. Socio-Economic problems, failed relationship, unemployment, and death of a loved are common causes of suicide, but the root of this problem is fear. People are not longer used to try and to work for something, and at the first sign of loss they look for the easy way to escape.
We all are different, but as we all are social beings, we all have problems to share. No one has an easy life, what makes us different is how we react and what we do with what life brings us. Many things can be avoided, it is always better to prevent then to fix. As this movie shows us, decisions are what make the difference between being free or being imprisoned in our own problems and lives.
Works Credit
Abel Peña-Valdovinos, et al. "GUÍA DE PRÁCTICA CLÍNICA PARA EL DIAGNÓSTICO Y TRATAMIENTO DE DEPRESIÓN EN LOS ADULTOS MAYORES. (Spanish)." Salud Mental 30.6 (2007): 69-80. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Feb. 2012.
Diederik A. Stapel, et al. "Power Increases Infidelity Among Men And Women." Psychological Science (Sage Publications Inc.) 22.9 (2011): 1191-1197. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Feb. 2012.
Levan Miller, Kristine. "The Darkest Figure Of Crime: Perceptions Of Reasons For Male Inmates To Not Report Sexual Assault." JQ: Justice Quarterly 27.5 (2010): 692-712. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Feb. 2012.
Maynard, W. Barksdale. "Thoreau's House at Walden." Art Bulletin 81.2 (1999): 303.Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 19 Nov. 2002.
Wolff, Nancy, and Shi Jing. "Patterns Of Victimization And Feelings Of Safety Inside Prison: The Experience Of Male And Female Inmates." Crime & Delinquency 57.1 (2011): 29-55. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Feb. 2012.