My Thoughts on the US Prison System

1) They need to focus more on rehabilitation than punishment. Some prisoners don't know that what they did was wrong. Some have mental disorders they don't even know about. Others are medicated for mental disorders they don't even have. Locking someone away in a small cell with limited human contact can be extremely damaging on one's mental state. When you put your child in time-out and seclude them from other people, you tell them why they are in time out and explain to them what they did was wrong. If you notice they do it multiple times or they aren't listening, you find alternate ways and sometimes you even consult a doctor because maybe your child isn't understanding the way they should. Prisoners shouldn't just be locked away, they need help understanding and being set back on course sometimes. Prisons are the wrong place for the mentally ill.

2)They need to help prisoners or offenders get back on their feet. You just kept them behind bars for a while, the least you can do is refer them to people or send them through programs so they can learn job skills and even everyday skills for some.

3) Offer prisoners incentives. If someone who usually gets in fights every week hasn't gotten in a fight in over a month, reward them with extra time outside their cell, computer/library privileges, or something. Or in extreme cases, take time off their sentence.

4) Providing education. So many offenders haven't gone to college, or even middle and high school. Offering them education  can set them back on track and give them something to live for. Maybe that would decrease suicide rates in prisoners? Give them a purpose and hope for the future.

5)Stop placing violent prisoners with nonviolent prisoners. I can't tell you the amount of stories I've heard about a nonviolent prisoner getting attacked, defending himself, and then being penalized for fighting even though it was self-defense.

6)Staff: Don't hire staff that is not capable of handling the job. They need to be educated and trained as much as possible. Also, don't put guards in prison areas for the opposite gender of offenders. Women probably shouldn't be working in a prison area full of rapists and same goes for men, unless they have the physical capabilities to fight them off (and yes, I know women have raped women and men have raped men before, it's just more common the other way around.)

PS: My research is not complete. I've never been to a prison and have never talked to a person about them being in prison. My knowledge or lack thereof comes from documentaries and interviews others have made. 

Reviews

[William Liston]

Not my most constructive review: If you haven't already, I'd suggest you to watch an episode of "Adam Ruins Everything" titled "Adam Ruins Prison." Here's a link: https://www.animmex.net/video/26718/adam-ruins-everything-s01e21-adam-ruins-prison

Also (since you seem to enjoy reading more than watching tv), here are some articles on prison that you may enjoy: http://www.trutv.com/shows/adam-ruins-everything/blog/adams-sources/adam-ruins-prison.html