Other Books of Related Interest OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS SERIES America’s Victims Crime and Criminals Criminal Justice The Death Penalty Gangs Gun Violence Juvenile Crime The Legal System Opposing Viewpoints in Social Issues Police Brutality Pornography Teens at Risk Violence CURRENT CONTROVERSIES SERIES Capital Punishment Crime Guns and Violence Police Brutality Prisons Urban Terrorism Youth Violence AT ISSUE SERIES Does Capital Punishment Deter Crime? Guns and Crime How Should Prisons Treat Inmates? School Shootings What Is a Hate Crime? Roman Espejo, Book Editor Daniel Leone, Publisher Bonnie Szumski, Editorial Director Scott Barbour, Managing Editor Greenhaven Press, Inc., San Diego, California Cover photo: California Department of Corrections Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data America’s prisons / Roman Espejo, book editor. p. cm. — (Opposing viewpoints series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7377-0787-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7377-0788-7 (lib. : alk. paper) 1. Prisons—United States. 2. Imprisonment—United States. 3. Alternatives to imprisonment—United States. 4. Criminals— Rehabilitation—United States. I. Espejo, Roman, 1977– II. Series. III. Opposing viewpoints series (Unnumbered) HV9471 .A488 2002 365'.973—dc21 2001023814 CIP Copyright © 2002 by Greenhaven Press, Inc. Printed in the U.S.A. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, electrical, mechanical, or otherwise, including, but not limited to, photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher. Every effort has been made to trace the owners of copyrighted material. Greenhaven Press, Inc., P.O. Box 289009 San Diego, CA 92198-9009 “Congress shall make no law. .abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution The basic foundation of our democracy is the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of expression. The Opposing Viewpoints Series is dedicated to the concept of this basic freedom and the idea that it is more important to practice it than to enshrine it. Contents Why Consider Opposing Viewpoints? 11 Introduction 14 Chapter 1: Are Prisons Effective? Chapter Preface 19 1. The Prison System Works 20 Peter du Pont 2. The Prison System Does Not Work 24 Jerome Miller 3. More Imprisonment Is Needed 31 Patrick F. Fagan and Robert E. Moffit 4. More Imprisonment Is Not Needed 41 Elliot Currie 5. Imprisonment Reduces Crime 49 Morgan Reynolds 6. Imprisonment Does Not Reduce Crime 57 Todd R. Clear 7. Privatization Would Benefit the Prison System 66 Jeff Becker 8. Privatization Would Not Benefit the Prison System 71 Barry Yeoman Periodical Bibliography 78 Chapter 2: How Should Prisons Treat Inmates? Chapter Preface 80 1. Prisons Should Punish Inmates 81 Francis T. Murphy 2. Prisons Should Rehabilitate Inmates 87 Katarina Ivanko 3. Violent Offenders Should Be Placed in Supermax Prisons 91 Jessica Gavora 4. Offenders Should Not Be Placed in Supermax Prisons 95 Mara Taub 5. Prisons Should Not Coddle Inmates 100 Roger Stubblefield 6. Prisons Do Not Coddle Inmates 105 Jess Maghan Periodical Bibliography 110 Chapter 3: Should Prisons Use Inmate Labor? Chapter Preface 112 1. Inmate Labor Is Beneficial 113 Warren Richey 2. Inmate Labor Is Not Beneficial 118 Gordon Lafer 3. Inmate Chain Gangs Are a Proper Form of Punishment 124 Jayce Warman 4. Inmate Chain Gangs Are an Improper Form of Punishment 130 Tracey L. Meares Periodical Bibliography 136 Chapter 4: What Are the Alternatives to Prisons? Chapter Preface 138 1. Parole Can Succeed as an Alternative 139 Neely Tucker 2. Parole and Probation Have Not Succeeded as Alternatives 145 Joseph M. Bessette 3. Drug Treatment Can Succeed as an Alternative 152 Cristina Everett 4. Drug Offenders Should Be Imprisoned 157 Charles L. Hobson 5. Creative Sentencing Can Provide Effective Alternatives 163 David Mulholland 6. Creative Sentencing May Not Provide Effective Alternatives 168 Jeffrey Abramson 7. Shame-Based Punishment Can Be an Effective Alternative 173 Amitai Etzioni 8. Shame-Based Punishment May Not Be an Effective Alternative 181 Suzanne M. Retzinger and Thomas J. Scheff Periodical Bibliography 187 For Further Discussion 188 Organizations to Contact 190 Bibliography of Books 195 Index 197 Why Consider Opposing Viewpoints? “The only way in which a human being can make some approach to knowing the whole of a subject is by hearing what can be said about it by persons of every variety of opinion and studying all modes in which it can be looked at by every character of mind. No wise man ever acquired his wisdom in any mode but this.” John Stuart Mill In our media-intensive culture it is not difficult to find dif- fering opinions. Thousands of newspapers and magazines and dozens of radio and television talk shows resound with differing points of view. The difficulty lies in deciding which opinion to agree with and which “experts” seem the most credible. The more inundated we become with differing opinions and claims, the more essential it is to hone critical reading and thinking skills to evaluate these ideas. Opposing Viewpoints books address this problem directly by present- ing stimulating debates that can be used to enhance and teach these skills. The varied opinions contained in each book examine many different aspects of a single issue. While examining these conveniently edited opposing views, readers can develop critical thinking skills such as the ability to com- pare and contrast authors’ credibility, facts, argumentation styles, use of persuasive techniques, and other stylistic tools. In short, the Opposing Viewpoints Series is an ideal way to attain the higher-level thinking and reading skills so essential in a culture of diverse and contradictory opinions. In addition to providing a tool for critical thinking, Op- posing Viewpoints books challenge readers to question their own strongly held opinions and assumptions. Most people form their opinions on the basis of upbringing, peer pressure, and personal, cultural, or professional bias. By reading care- fully balanced opposing views, readers must directly confront new ideas as well as the opinions of those with whom they dis- agree. This is not to simplistically argue that everyone who 11 reads opposing views will—or should—change his or her opinion. Instead, the series enhances readers’ understanding of their own views by encouraging confrontation with oppos- ing ideas. Careful examination of others’ views can lead to the readers’ understanding of the logical inconsistencies in their own opinions, perspective on why they hold an opinion, and the consideration of the possibility that their opinion requires further evaluation. Evaluating Other Opinions To ensure that this type of examination occurs, Opposing Viewpoints books present all types of opinions. Prominent spokespeople on different sides of each issue as well as well- known professionals from many disciplines challenge the reader. An additional goal of the series is to provide a forum for other, less known, or even unpopular viewpoints. The opinion of an ordinary person who has had to make the de- cision to cut off life support from a terminally ill relative, for example, may be just as valuable and provide just as much in- sight as a medical ethicist’s professional opinion. The editors have two additional purposes in including these less known views. One, the editors encourage readers to respect others’ opinions—even when not enhanced by professional credibil- ity. It is only by reading or listening to and objectively eval- uating others’ ideas that one can determine whether they are worthy of consideration. Two, the inclusion of such view- points encourages the important critical thinking skill of ob- jectively evaluating an author’s credentials and bias. This evaluation will illuminate an author’s reasons for taking a particular stance on an issue and will aid in readers’ evalua- tion of the author’s ideas. It is our hope that these books will give readers a deeper understanding of the issues debated and an appreciation of the complexity of even seemingly simple issues when good and honest people disagree. This awareness is particularly important in a democratic society such as ours in which people enter into public debate to determine the common good. Those with whom one disagrees should not be re- garded as enemies but rather as people whose views deserve careful examination and may shed light on one’s own. 12 Thomas Jefferson once said that “difference of opinion leads to inquiry, and inquiry to truth.” Jefferson, a broadly educated man, argued that “if a nation expects to be ignorant and free . it expects what never was and never will be.” As individuals and as a nation, it is imperative that we consider the opinions of others and examine them with skill and dis- cernment. The Opposing Viewpoints Series is intended to help readers achieve this goal. David L. Bender and Bruno Leone, Founders Greenhaven Press anthologies primarily consist of previ- ously published material taken from a variety of sources, in- cluding periodicals, books, scholarly journals, newspapers, government documents, and position papers from private and public organizations. These original sources are often edited for length and to ensure their accessibility for a young adult audience. The anthology editors also change the orig- inal titles of these works in order to clearly present the main thesis of each viewpoint and to explicitly indicate the opin- ion presented in the viewpoint. These alterations are made in consideration of both the reading and comprehension lev- els of a young adult audience. Every effort is made to ensure that Greenhaven Press accurately reflects the original intent of the authors included in this anthology. 13 Introduction “Drug abuse is a health, moral, and spiritual problem; it is time to stop treating it as a criminal problem.” —Doug Bandow, Christian Science Monitor, December 11, 2000 “For many addicted individuals, it is important to have enforcement—incarceration—attached to treatment.” —Dick Spees, quoted in the San Francisco Recorder, November 3, 2000 The United States is often described as a punitive nation.