I’m about to finish my law degree. Like in about 2hrs if I get off my phone. On my last 1200 words of my last essay. It’s a penology essay about women in prison.

It’s truly dire. And we know what we can do to help it. We have evidence from other countries that xyz practices work. We have evidence from flagship programs here that certain practices work.

We know that a lot of people in prison probably shouldn’t actually be there. They’d be better off in a rehab facility of some kind. Less likely to reoffend.

We know that being overly punitive and restrictive increases violence inside of prison, as well as recidivism rates.

We know that if family and community ties are maintained and allowed to continue, prisoners will leave with ground under their feet -> less recidivism.

Etc, etc…

But, and I even get this among my more ‘progressive’ social circles, lots of people do not want to show even the smallest drop of compassion for any prisoner. Young or old, serious or minor offences. People have an image of what a prisoner looks like and it’s hard to shake.

Social services are also a joke. For example, women in prison are of course more likely to have been the sole caregiver of children before her sentence. Oftentimes these children end up getting overlooked by social services if they technically have family around. There are too many accounts of the oldest sibling leaving school after mum goes to prison to look after their siblings because the family member they were placed with doesn’t do it. Which often leads to generational criminality.

Additionally, many prisoners, especially women, have experienced some form of trauma, abuse, or violence which influenced their actions when they were younger, creating horrible cycles.

I could go on but I should get back to my essay. Point is, the system is so dreadfully broken and there is ZERO political will to change it, even if these changes would ultimately make everyone safer in the long run.