Purpose of the System: Impression About American Prison System

Writer’s Name
Instructor’s Name
Subject
Date
American Prison System
Introduction
The purpose of American prison system is to provide justice and to impose punishment on criminals. The prison system seeks to provide good to the society through incarceration of individuals convicted of crime. However, it has been often argued that American prison system has resulted in more harm than good. It is often considered as biased and it also has traumatic affect on the criminal (DeVeaux n.d.). In this paper I intend to provide an overview of the American prison system and racial profiling of minorities. Racial discrimination is a social issue that has created negative impact on the people; however, since the prison system is intended to deliver justice it is imperative that the focus should be on avoiding mistreatment of the incarcerated particularly members of the African American community.
Discussion
Impression about American Prison System
The prison system in America is massive, but it is important to understand whether the nation has been able to achieve the purpose of the system or not. The rates of imprisonment has been increasing with a relatively greater proportion than increase in the crime rates. Reading the sources relevant to the America’s prison system, it is considered as being unfair and creates an harmful psychological effect on the prisoners. It has also been noticed that the justice system is prejudiced as it punishes individuals for false convictions, moreover they are mistreated. Stevenson highlights the case of Walter McMillan of being wrongly convicted for the death of a white woman in Monroe­ville, Ala (p. 22). This case is indicative that the system is likely to be unfair, although it does in somecases convicts individuals for crime there is also a greater possibility for imprisonment of those who have not committed the crime.
DeVeaux, shares his experience of being incarcerated and compares the prisoners as being treated as animals (n.d.). The work portrays that the entire system as unjust and partial, where the prisoners are mistreated and become victim of racial discrimination. I believe, that the authorities are prejudiced towards the black, which is also depicted through the documentary 13th and also the account of DeVeaux, where he narrates the mistreatment of Hispanic passenger in a bus. He was slapped, kicked and thrown out of the bus, this behavior shows the prejudice towards the Hispanics (n.d.). Hence, this calls for a more just and balanced prison system.
Purpose of the System
The prison system is intended to punish deviant behavior and convict the criminal. Philip Zimbardo argues taking the example of angel Lucifer who was God’s favorite yet he was sent to Hell. This indicates that it is possible for even good people to become perpetrators of evil, depending on the circumstances (Zimbardo, n.d.). By witnessing one of the guards in the prison and getting reports and photos he concluded that people are not evil, but often the system they are put in, compels them to exercise their power in an evil manner.
It is important to take corrective measures to address these problem in the prison. Philip showed in his Ted Talk how prisoners were stacked nak...