Residents of the United States themselves do not fully understand how many fellow citizens are in prison. Some may have heard that there are 2.3 million people in prison, but this is only part of the statistics. About how many prisoners are in US prisons, what conditions they are kept in, as well as other interesting facts are described in this article.
Number of penitentiaries in the US
The United States has one of the largest correctional systems in the world. It contains:
- 1719 state prisons;
- 102 federal prisons;
- 901 Juvenile Correctional Facility;
- 3163 local prisons in various states.
In addition to the above institutions, you need to add immigration, military prisons in the United States. In addition to those incarcerated, there are 8.4 million more Americans on parole under supervision. Another 3.7 million people are on probation.
Private prisons
Commercial use of prisoner labor is a phenomenon inherent in American society. Despite the fact that the use of forced labor is prohibited at the legislative level, there is an amendment in the constitution stating that slavery and forced labor are prohibited in the United States, with the exception of imprisonment.
From this amendment, successful businesses have sprung up, bringing in trillions of dollars a year in profits.
Private prisons in the US contain about 220 thousand people. State correctional facilities also employ prisoners, but in the case of commercial prisons, this work is used by private capital for profit.
Use cheap prison labor
In America, the exploitation of the labor of people in prison has taken two forms:
- Hirement of state prisoners to business representatives. On the basis of this agreement, the prisoners work in private enterprises or are involved in agriculture. Labor is paid at the lowest tariff rates that exist in the country. It's about $2 for an hour of work. But in fact, about 50 cents are paid into the hands of the employee.
- Privatization of prisons. In this case, the prison in the United States becomes a kind of private property, on the basis of which a commercial enterprise is opened. This form of institutionalized slavery originated under President Reagan, and the first prison privatization was by Massey Burch Investment in Tennessee in 1983.
Besides low paylabor, in commercial prisons, a reward system has been introduced in the form of a reduction in the term of imprisonment for exemplary behavior and the fulfillment of labor obligations. However, there is also a system of fines that extends the term, up to life imprisonment.
Arrest
When making an arrest, they take fingerprints, take photographs and take away all items that are with the detainee, including valuables and money. Things are put in special containers, an inventory is made.
Then, prison clothes are issued, which differ in color depending on the severity of the crime committed by the person. Newly arrived prisoners are given orange overalls, white socks, rubber slates.
Untried prisoners often have their sentence read online without being taken to the court. The sentenced person sits on a chair in front of the monitor, and the authorities are on the sides.
Prison conditions
After the verdict is passed, the person is taken to the place of detention. There he is dressed again. Persons who have committed minor crimes are given blue clothes. For serious violations of the law - a green robe. And finally, yellow clothes are given to especially dangerous criminals.
The prison is divided into several sections, in which there are prisoners who have committed crimes of varying severity. The cells are designed to contain two people. All furniture: beds, chairs, tables are made of metal and screwed to the floor and walls.
3 meals a day strictly according toschedule. The menu is very varied, but the amount of food is only enough to maintain body functions. Fresh fruit is given once a day. Inmates held in the block for dangerous criminals receive food directly to their cells.
Public telephones are installed in each department, from which you can call relatives or friends. Calls are paid for by the receiving party. There is a shower for common use and a separate one for those infected with AIDS.
A lot of films have been shot about US prisons, which show the opposition of different groups, but in fact the bulk of the prisoners are imprisoned for domestic crimes. They are friendly and do not go to conflict. Disassembly on the basis of clan and racial affiliation also exist. But this happens in maximum security prisons, where people serve time for serious crimes.
Strange punishment in the women's zone
Prisons in the US use different methods of re-education of their wards. In the state of Arizona, in the city of Phoenix, there is a women's correctional facility called Estrella. An interesting way of punishment in this institution. It may seem wild to modern people, nevertheless, prisoners choose it voluntarily.
This method is called Chain Gang, which can be translated as "chained gang". Prisoners are sent to perform dirty and unskilled work, during which they are chained to each other with a long chain.
This type of punishment was not rare and was used everywhere, starting from 19centuries to the middle of the 20th century. It was then canceled as inhumane.
In 1995, this type of punishment was reintroduced in male prisons, but Estrella decided to use it on women, logically reasoning that in an age of emancipation and equality, women should be punished on an equal basis with men.
The program under which prisoners are punished is called "Last Chance" and applies to women who have committed minor crimes:
- supermarket theft;
- drunk driving;
- petty hooliganism;
- crimes that involve imprisonment for up to 1 year as punishment.
Why do women volunteer to be punished like this? The fact is that the conditions of detention in a women's prison in the United States are quite strict. They are limited in movement, food, in the ability to buy coffee, cigarettes.
The work they will have to do is cleaning the roadsides, burying the homeless, mowing weeds. Women are chained together in groups of 5.
However, after practicing the punishment in a chained form for a month, the conditions of detention of the prisoners change significantly for the better. They are being transferred to a light security camp until the end of their sentence.
American celebrities who have been imprisoned
Don't renounce the bag and prison. Blind Themis can throw both a commoner and a celebrity on the bunk. How many famous people have been in US prisons? Here are some of them:
- Robert Downey Jr., best known for starring in the Iron Man trilogy. From a young age, he was under police surveillance because of his addiction to alcohol and drugs. In 1996, he received a suspended sentence for illegal possession of weapons and drugs. After the verdict, he was obliged to undergo treatment and regularly take drug tests. Ignoring the court decision, Robert Downey ended up behind bars for a period of one year.
- Mark Wahlberg, a Golden Globe, Oscar nominee who starred in Transformers, Planet of the Apes, was a regular at the police station in his youth. He often participated in fights and committed hooligan acts. Under the influence of a drug frenzy, he robbed a pharmacy, beating 2 Vietnamese along the way, one of whom lost his sight. Mark was sentenced to 2 years in prison. After serving 45 days, he was released.
- Mike Tyson. The infamous star of world boxing. He received 6 years in prison, of which he served 3 years, having gone out for exemplary behavior. Mike was accused of raping 18-year-old Miss Black America Desiree Washington. He himself never admitted to violence, saying that everything happened by mutual consent.
A prison you can't escape from
There is one prison in the US, the existence of which has given rise to the creation of many films. It is located on Alcatraz Island near San Francisco and is known for the fact that there were no successful escapes from it.
Prior to the founding of the prison, Alcatraz Island was used as a defensive fort. At the beginning of the 20th century heresent military prisoners, but during the Great Depression, the prison received federal status, and especially notorious criminals such as Al Capone began to serve their sentences in it.
She was also known because of the strict detention of prisoners. Violators were punished with hard work, strict isolation, poor food, consisting of bread and water.
The building was repeatedly rebuilt, but one thing remained unchanged - the impossibility of escaping from a US prison. The distance to the mainland was 2 miles, and it was not possible to overcome them, being in cold water. 15 escape attempts were made, but there is no mention of their successful outcome.
Museum from Prison
Now the institution, located on the island of Alcatraz, has moved into the category of former US prisons. The lack of funds to finance the correctional facility, located at a distance from the mainland, led to its closure. Now this place is a museum that anyone can visit.
This fact once again confirms the ability of Americans to make money from everything.
