Akhiles P 1 Rikers Island, a prison located in New York is facing internal troubles as juveniles pose great threat towards each other under little to none surveillance by guards. This issue on Rikers Island is a major social problem as it clearly defeats the purpose of "civilization" (as we claim to be).This issue brings the idea that it is okay to be uncivilized and treat adolescents like caged animals, bringing them onto an island with no treatment and guidance. These actions defeat the purpose of the functionalist theory, that the human race works as a unit to better one another, as "organs" according to the late Emile Durkheim.The parents or guardians of these inmates rely on the state to take in these juveniles and treat them in an orderly way rather in a more animalistic manner.Civilians can form organizations and cause riots, boycotting the criminal justice system.The guards working at these prisons are displaying lack of care with their line of duty, a manifest function that is clearly set out to be very unprofessional. Guards will ask inmate if they will "hold it down" (not report to the prison infirmaries) after purposely letting inmates get jumped and beaten up badly, so that their job won't be at risk.These small actions by the guards will be the single independent variable that will cause an avalanche.This will kick start Herbert Blumer's stages of social recognition, social legitimization, and mobilization for action until development and implementation is considered.To avoid further issues the states officials alongside Joseph Paunt will be trying to reform the system and implement solutions that will solve this rising issue of carelessness from these prison guards by training them in a more proper way to be able to work with juvenile adolescence.
2 Viewing this from a systematic standpoint I would say it has a lot to do with the functionalist theory due to the fact that it has to do with a part (organ) of the criminal justice system which is also a part of society that tries to put things in order in a mannerly way.This issue can eventually grow into a macro issue if not dealt with as soon as possible.If the people find out about this rising issue,riots and advocacy groups can form, leading to more problems.The people as a unit or the parent/guardians of these inmates trust the state to do its duty and handle inmates in an orderly fashion, rather in a more uncivil and animalistic way.And the state relies on the people to do its duty and function properly and not break rules and be civil.This example is the great idea of the functionalist theory.A functionalist like Durkheim would clearly mention that the state must fix the issue as soon as possible to prove their trustworthiness with the people, to regain hope and trust.A conflict theorist such as Marx would stress the idea of coming together to overthrow the government/state for being so unjust and inhumane towards adolescent inmates. An interactionalist like Mead will advise the state to hold workshops (for creating paintings/music) at Rikers Island to connect with the inmates and lead them to a brighter future, as they are still young and fragile internally.
3 I believe this issue shouldn't exist, as a citizen of the United States I trust the state to make the right decisions.The state should be able to train its police officers to have them treat juvenile inmates in a more proper manner. what is being displayed at the Rikers Island is inhumane and uncivil.I chose to comment about this topic because I for one wouldn't want any unguided teenagers to eat at one another like animals on an island with no surveillance and care provided by police officers, the youth is our future. Police officers should do what they are paid to do, to protect and serve.I believe the state officials should train each and everyone of their officers thoroughly and make them ready to be able to interact with these unguided juvenile inmates, as they are young and still teenagers.This should be done as soon as possible until any further issue rises to the surface.
Chris S. 1. This article exemplifies police brutality, a social problem that is gaining much needed publicity. The corrections officers of Riker’s Island apparently conduct themselves in a very poor manner. They victimize inmates, who are primarily juveniles, leaving many gravely injured. The constitutional rights of the inmates are directly violated by the maltreatment. This is a macro level problem for it stems from a traditional, punishment oriented means of correction, which once upon a time was accepted by society as a whole and not so much the individual, that of which is seen in the micro level approach. Nowadays, most corrections facilities are moving towards a more humane approach toward dealing with inmates for it has become the morally and socially accepted thing to do. Stage 2 of Spector and Kitsuse’s historical problems is definitely at work with this issue. The problem of police brutality is becoming legitimized by events such as the ones that take place on Riker’s Island. These very issues are further being combated by formal responses from various professional institutions; an example pertaining to the article would be responses from attorneys, victims, and even fellow juvenile corrections officers.
2. The Conflict theory is most applicable to this issue. An aspect of conflict theory known as class consciousness is applied by the victims, such as the one who was interviewed who spoke out about the oppression and the violent acts being committed by corrections officers. This individual experienced the brutality, first-hand, and went on to become a counselor, in later years, for future inmates. Regardless, he publicly made known what had been done for society to make more educated decisions and to properly combat similar issues. The isolated Riker’s Island that demonized its inmates embodies yet another popular idea of conflict theory. Society is held together by power and coercion, and the same way the people of New York wished to segregate its deviant citizens and children to maintain order legitimizes this idea of the powerful acting to suppress the powerless. In this case the unwanted individuals sentenced to Riker’s Island are the powerless and the unethical enforcers are the powerful.
3. I believe this article touches on a rather unfortunate reality of the world we live in today. I personally felt obligated to comment on this issue in particular, seeing as how I’m an individual studying criminal justice with aspirations of becoming a detective and one day assuming an admirable leadership position such as Police Commissioner. I wish to reform the system to the best of my ability, despite being limited to one department; talk to me for more details. My solution of this problem is in line with my ultimate goal and that is a reformation of the standards. I firmly believe with the right leadership and training, maltreatment and other unfortunate circumstances can be averted. Individuals make mistakes but when a department sets high standards and works in accordance with them to ensure mistakes are kept to a minimum I’m certain society will see results. I understand officers are human, and are prone to making mistakes, but this line of work demands a very high level of responsibility and accountability. All the other good solutions like the implantation of the Missouri model were already mentioned so really it starts with the leadership.
Riker’s Island, the main jail complex located on the East River in New York City, has continued to face issues of extreme violence over the entirety of its existence. Both inmates as well as correctional officers have been named in exceedingly violent acts within the confines of this famous prison. This issue of extreme internal violence has finally had a light shone on it and the call for reform is now here. There is now much pressure for change in the way this institution is managed. Riker’s Island has followed an “old-school” blueprint for far too long in how to manage its officers and inmates, which has resulted in this behavior explained by NPR. This social problem highlights acts of police brutality as well as issues of behavior not being corrected, but just becoming worse. However, the main social problem that is overlooked within this article is the issue of citizens of New York City turning a blind eye to its youth and practically saying “Have at it, as long as they’re not causing problems in our neighborhood we could care less.”
The Conflict Theorist would argue that this is a classic case of the “haves” versus the “have-nots.” There is a great deal of inequality that the members of Riker’s Island (Have-Nots) face on a daily basis, that the citizens of New York City (Haves) have turned a blind eye to. As mentioned in the NPR article, Riker’s Island has not received the proper funding in order to provide the adequate education, resources, and staffing numbers to combat the problems at hand. This point contains the argument of the conflict-theorist showing that there is a struggle for resources and power in order to gain better control of inmates and correctional officers on Riker’s Island. This social issue has just passed the legitimization stage (stage two of Spector & Kituse’s “Identifying Social Problems) and is now in the conflict stage (stage three), where talk of reform and reorganization lies.
The great injustice of Riker’s Island will soon come to an end. With the great deal of visibility this topic has deservedly received, the heat is on for the officials in charge of changing conditions for this facility. I believe that there are two possible decisions that could be made to change the unruly behavior at hand: 1) Allocate the resources needed such as more staff and better education programs for both correctional officers and inmates alike OR 2) Pursue a complete overhaul of all staff and regiment on Riker’s Island to give a “fresh start” in hopes of finally combatting the horrific violences reported on NPR.
1.) This topic is about a juvenile facility Riker’s Island in the middle of the East River between Queens and Bronx. The inmates are subjected to violence by other inmates or by their correction officers. This is becoming a huge issue because it is not human of the officers to beat an inmate and stand back while another inmate gets beaten. It is going against a persons right and against the constitution. Parents or the court are hoping their 16 or 17 year old is being sent to a juvenile facility to be treated in an orderly way instead of being abused by their officers. According to NPR “40 percent” of inmates are exposed to such violent behavior, which now is a huge percentage. The correction officers are apparently using their “old-way” of punishing an inmate, which is not being enforced now. We can apply stage 2 of Spector and Kituse defining social problems, by getting the government to recognize the issue. 2.) The conflict theorist would be best applicable for this issue. The juveniles are under the control of the institution and the correction officers, who are the main abusers in this case. There is some source of inequality happening according to an inmate who was interviewed by NPR, he explained how he was beaten up just minutes after getting to Riker’s Island. We can say that the correction officers are the Bourgeoisie and the inmate’s proletariat. They are under the control of the correction officers and are not treated with respect. This can lead to serious problem with inmates, it can damage any self-esteem they might have had. Riker’s Island is also lacking resources that can make the place into a better facility for inmates. Juveniles that are being sentenced to Riker’s Island are typically powerless. 3.) I think this is very inhuman of correction officers to abuse inmates in the way that they are doing. This is something that the government should have been aware of sooner. I believe funding money to Riker’s Island with more staff and a better training program for the correction officers. Along with giving the inmates a better education system to help them in the near future. This is something that should always be reviewed and noted if anything like this happens again to seek immediate action.
Antonio Camarillo 1. When we look at our prison systems we tend to think that the only threat that lies between those walls are just the prisoners themselves, but in reality it comes from both the prisoners and the correctional officers as well. This issue is present at “Rikers Island” in New York where juveniles are coming into the facility and being brutally assaulted by other inmates, while officers stand by watching instead of helping to stop the assault. Instead of getting some type of specific guidance from the prison, the juvenile inmates are just shown that with violence they are able to protect themselves due to the fact that the correctional officers tend to not do much when it comes to assaults. Emile Durkheim’s idea of how society is like the body and each organ has a specific goal in order for the whole body to function is evident in this specific issue. We see how when there is no enforcement of the law inside the prison system, prisoners basically have the freedom to do what they like without really getting in trouble for it because the officers themselves tell the new inmates to hold it down, in other words not talk about what just happened. When one “organ”, in this case the officer doesn’t play his part in enforcing the rules inside the prison we see the whole body fail because there is no rehabilitation at all for these inmates.
2. The main theoretical perspective that goes with this issue would have to be the conflict theory due to the fact that the amount of funding towards helping educate, rehabilitate the inmates, or even hire more correctional officers to maintain prisons is just not there. People just do not care to help these inmates and the help they need is just not available. This theory shows how inmates are in tension and struggle to get help against the correctional officers, the state, and even the community, which has looked away from the problem.
3. The proposed solution given in the article is more rehab. I believe that this is very important mainly because how are you supposed to fix a person without really finding out what is truly wrong with them? Throwing someone in a cage and having them just sit will ultimately just build up anger and rage, which eventually will be let out once they are set free again, and will just bring them back to where they started. Prison should be more about rehabilitating a person to help them understand what they did was wrong, and finding other solutions to the problems they might have.
I agree and disagree with Connor. Both correctional officers and inmates are to blame for the violence in Rikers. The problem here is that due to social media only the officers are being judged but what about the prisoners? Juvenile delinquents aren’t as innocent as they presume to be. Some of them are in there for murder, heavy drug charges and even rape. Even though it is wrong to say that the justice system should turn their heads, this is where I agree with Connor. I agree that Rikers should update their way of handling these situations. They have to get with the times and stop looking at it in a very “old school” way. Criminals are entailed to their rights and corrections officers should follow that code.
From an interactionist perspective, the government sees what it wants to see. These juveniles are in prison for a reason and they believe that their system is not flawed. They believe that they are in good hands with the corrections officers. With that being said we see what we want to believe in our world. Rikers falls into that, if they see that the prison looks in order they wont poke into it.
I believe that now that social media has been introduced to this problem many people have opened their eyes to what is really going on. Prison employees are being investigated as well as the facilities and the facility director. Although some really just don’t care about prisoners, whether they are juveniles or not, it is still unjust to treat a human being in such a way. Even if they are deserving of it, we all still have rights and the law should be followed regardless of who you are.
Arpine M. In response to Akhiles P. 1.I agree with Akhiles on how Rikers Island defeats the whole purpose of civilization. Rikers Island makes it seem as if it is okay to treat the prisoners like animals as Akhiles stated. I feel as though the officers think they have the power to do whatever pleases them. In the article it states “ Couple of individuals that was close with I saw get [their] jaws broken by Co Captains..” Although the people did something that brought them to Rikers Island it still does not allow the officers to treat them less of a human. The issue seems to be coming from both sides but aren’t the officers supposed to be the bigger person? Inmates have laws that protect them in prisons and officers should respect and follow them.
2.A conflict perspective would say that the officers use their power in order to exploit the inmates who in this case have less power. Due to not enough foundings mentioned in the article Riker’s Island did not receive enough founding in order to provide better staffing and resources.
3.Akhiles provides a realistic solutions as to how the officers should be trained thoroughly and be ready to interact with unguided juvenile inmates. I think that Rikers Island should get the proper foundings and with those foundings provide better resource and staff. With this solution the inmates can have a better chance of gaining hope in themselves and try to be better with the support of the staff.
1.I agree with Antonio. In this correctional facility, inmates are being threatened and assaulted by both correctional officers and other inmates. They cannot confide in the social order that is supposed to be maintained by the criminal justice system.
2.A functionalist perspective allows people to see society as having different parts and each part has its own job; one cannot work without the other because together they make society function as a whole. In this case, the criminal justice system is the part/organ being looked at. As mentioned earlier, the facility’s rules and regulations are being ignored and greatly flawed by the actions of the people who have been trained to maintain order. As a functionalist perspective, society can only function when order is being maintained in all aspects; such as family, education, and politics.
3.I don’t believe that lack of training for the officers was the issue, rather a lack of moral values. I’m sure they know better than to beat and threaten people, because that’s just what inmates are; people. Perhaps this issue needs more media attention and consequences for CO’s who have not met the expectations of maintain order at the prison. Providing inmates with some sort of life skills classes might also give them guidance as to how they can succeed and break the cycle of returning to prison.
Luis Rosales In response to Antonio Camarillo 1) This is a topic which has struck much controversy in regards to those empowered by the law abusing that same power which is supposed to be done to prevent crimes and stop criminalization of the United States. The Antonio mentioned that these officers within the facilities do not prevent the assaults from occurring between inmates it mind-blowing. They are supposed to be there to protect the inmates not only from other, also from themselves. An officer in the prisons is just as responsible for the crime occurring when he just stands there and watches as another prisoner, a victim at this point, is being assaulted. We forget that juveniles still have not matured to their full extent and we just see them as criminals. I do agree with the point he made about inmates having the freedom to do whatever they want. This is why many say that prison makes you worse rather than serve its “rehabilitating” process. 2) I believe that the interactionist perspective can be applied here. The criminals weren’t born criminals just as the officers were not born with knowledge of the law or knowing how to act properly in their jobs. The officers learned their lack of compassion within the prisons either from watching other more “experienced” officers letting things slide by and not showing any sort of care as to what happens to these inmates. It’s an issue of criminals learn from criminals and bad officers learn from other bad officers. Something has to be there to break this bad habit. 3) I do agree with the idea that inmates need to be put through a rehab process, but I also feel that the officers within these four walls need to put through either proper training where they learn to act in situations and perhaps even through evaluations themselves. We don’t not know what they have experienced working as officers in prisons and there might be some underlying issues which gave them the lethargic attitude they have when witnessing assaults amongst inmates. They are the ones with the capacity to make a difference even if it is minimal as we all know things cannot be perfect. But effort alone goes a long way. As Antonio mentioned, the jail is like the body, but when a system does not see other organs working efficiently they must compensate for it and attempt to do it themselves. In this case the prisoners take charge of the prisons because the people who are supposed to be in charge are not doing their job.
1. On the topic of violence at Rikers' Juvenile Facilities, I have to agree with my fellow classmate, Jannette, on why this is such a huge occurring social issue. First of all, 16 and 17 year olds are not even allowed to drink, smoke, or even vote. If they are not legally permitted to engage in those "adult" activities, then why should they be prosecuted like adults at Rikers' Juvenile Facilities? It just does not make sense. If a person is not legally an adult and underage for certain things, then it should transcend to correctional facilities as well. Although inmates are placed in there for crimes committed, they should feel hopeful, wiser, and enlightened when they are released. Instead, these people are harassed, beaten, in need of medical care, and become resentful and may not even change during their time there. Just like Jannette said, parents are hoping for their 16 or 17 year old to be disciplined and straightened out for their actions. They never wished for their kids to be beaten multiple times by both fellow inmates and correctional officers. Even after being beaten, inmates are asked to "hold it down" and not say a word. It is very unethical and injustice in they way things are being handled at Rikers' and it needs to be fixed immediately before more kids get severely injured or worse. 2. In the same way Jannette mentioned, I believe that conflict theory would best apply to the issue between inmates and correctional officers at Rikers'. The correctional officers are the ones with power in this case and control everything that goes on inside the facilities. The inmates are a class of powerless juveniles who are beaten constantly and are forced to keep their mouth shut. They are simply stuck in a constant cycle until they are released. Inequality is definitely evident when it comes to the practices of Rikers' Juvenile Facilities. When Ismael Nazario first entered the doors at the age of 16, he was struck from behind from another inmate. Soon enough, 4 other inmates jumped in and beat him down as a correctional officer simply stood there and watched. These officers have the power to do anything or nothing as they mistreat these teenagers like they're not even human. Rikers Island has a way of demonizing its own residents, especially children who are looked at as criminals. Nobody wants anything to do with them and the treatment of the juvenile facilities emphasizes its point. It ruins the community as a whole. 3. In order to better the facilities at Rikers Island, funding is very important because they need more correctional officers and workers. Because there is so little on the job, the officers feel like they have to protect themselves at all times by demonizing the inmates so that they cannot cause any harm. More officers means more eyes to watch what occurs inside. More facilities should be provided so that there are less inmates in one building. They need teachers and mentors inside these juveniles to straighten them out. That is the reason they need to be there. They committed the crime, now they need to learn from it. Inmates should be provided with volunteer work at the facilities to keep them busy and disciplined. There needs to be less conflict and more helpfulness. In order to make a better community, it starts with those in power. If they can do their job correctly and not mistreat people with inhumane practices, it can keep the residents of Rikers Island off of high crime rates.
12 comments:
Akhiles P
1 Rikers Island, a prison located in New York is facing internal troubles as juveniles pose great threat towards each other under little to none surveillance by guards. This issue on Rikers Island is a major social problem as it clearly defeats the purpose of "civilization" (as we claim to be).This issue brings the idea that it is okay to be uncivilized and treat adolescents like caged animals, bringing them onto an island with no treatment and guidance. These actions defeat the purpose of the functionalist theory, that the human race works as a unit to better one another, as "organs" according to the late Emile Durkheim.The parents or guardians of these inmates rely on the state to take in these juveniles and treat them in an orderly way rather in a more animalistic manner.Civilians can form organizations and cause riots, boycotting the criminal justice system.The guards working at these prisons are displaying lack of care with their line of duty, a manifest function that is clearly set out to be very unprofessional. Guards will ask inmate if they will "hold it down" (not report to the prison infirmaries) after purposely letting inmates get jumped and beaten up badly, so that their job won't be at risk.These small actions by the guards will be the single independent variable that will cause an avalanche.This will kick start Herbert Blumer's stages of social recognition, social legitimization, and mobilization for action until development and implementation is considered.To avoid further issues the states officials alongside Joseph Paunt will be trying to reform the system and implement solutions that will solve this rising issue of carelessness from these prison guards by training them in a more proper way to be able to work with juvenile adolescence.
2 Viewing this from a systematic standpoint I would say it has a lot to do with the functionalist theory due to the fact that it has to do with a part (organ) of the criminal justice system which is also a part of society that tries to put things in order in a mannerly way.This issue can eventually grow into a macro issue if not dealt with as soon as possible.If the people find out about this rising issue,riots and advocacy groups can form, leading to more problems.The people as a unit or the parent/guardians of these inmates trust the state to do its duty and handle inmates in an orderly fashion, rather in a more uncivil and animalistic way.And the state relies on the people to do its duty and function properly and not break rules and be civil.This example is the great idea of the functionalist theory.A functionalist like Durkheim would clearly mention that the state must fix the issue as soon as possible to prove their trustworthiness with the people, to regain hope and trust.A conflict theorist such as Marx would stress the idea of coming together to overthrow the government/state for being so unjust and inhumane towards adolescent inmates. An interactionalist like Mead will advise the state to hold workshops (for creating paintings/music) at Rikers Island to connect with the inmates and lead them to a brighter future, as they are still young and fragile internally.
3 I believe this issue shouldn't exist, as a citizen of the United States I trust the state to make the right decisions.The state should be able to train its police officers to have them treat juvenile inmates in a more proper manner. what is being displayed at the Rikers Island is inhumane and uncivil.I chose to comment about this topic because I for one wouldn't want any unguided teenagers to eat at one another like animals on an island with no surveillance and care provided by police officers, the youth is our future. Police officers should do what they are paid to do, to protect and serve.I believe the state officials should train each and everyone of their officers thoroughly and make them ready to be able to interact with these unguided juvenile inmates, as they are young and still teenagers.This should be done as soon as possible until any further issue rises to the surface.
Number 3 right there ^
is By Akhiles, Had to cut my writing in parts because I wasn't able to upload.. :/
Chris S.
1. This article exemplifies police brutality, a social problem that is gaining much needed publicity. The corrections officers of Riker’s Island apparently conduct themselves in a very poor manner. They victimize inmates, who are primarily juveniles, leaving many gravely injured. The constitutional rights of the inmates are directly violated by the maltreatment. This is a macro level problem for it stems from a traditional, punishment oriented means of correction, which once upon a time was accepted by society as a whole and not so much the individual, that of which is seen in the micro level approach. Nowadays, most corrections facilities are moving towards a more humane approach toward dealing with inmates for it has become the morally and socially accepted thing to do. Stage 2 of Spector and Kitsuse’s historical problems is definitely at work with this issue. The problem of police brutality is becoming legitimized by events such as the ones that take place on Riker’s Island. These very issues are further being combated by formal responses from various professional institutions; an example pertaining to the article would be responses from attorneys, victims, and even fellow juvenile corrections officers.
2. The Conflict theory is most applicable to this issue. An aspect of conflict theory known as class consciousness is applied by the victims, such as the one who was interviewed who spoke out about the oppression and the violent acts being committed by corrections officers. This individual experienced the brutality, first-hand, and went on to become a counselor, in later years, for future inmates. Regardless, he publicly made known what had been done for society to make more educated decisions and to properly combat similar issues. The isolated Riker’s Island that demonized its inmates embodies yet another popular idea of conflict theory. Society is held together by power and coercion, and the same way the people of New York wished to segregate its deviant citizens and children to maintain order legitimizes this idea of the powerful acting to suppress the powerless. In this case the unwanted individuals sentenced to Riker’s Island are the powerless and the unethical enforcers are the powerful.
3. I believe this article touches on a rather unfortunate reality of the world we live in today. I personally felt obligated to comment on this issue in particular, seeing as how I’m an individual studying criminal justice with aspirations of becoming a detective and one day assuming an admirable leadership position such as Police Commissioner. I wish to reform the system to the best of my ability, despite being limited to one department; talk to me for more details. My solution of this problem is in line with my ultimate goal and that is a reformation of the standards. I firmly believe with the right leadership and training, maltreatment and other unfortunate circumstances can be averted. Individuals make mistakes but when a department sets high standards and works in accordance with them to ensure mistakes are kept to a minimum I’m certain society will see results. I understand officers are human, and are prone to making mistakes, but this line of work demands a very high level of responsibility and accountability. All the other good solutions like the implantation of the Missouri model were already mentioned so really it starts with the leadership.
Connor S.
Riker’s Island, the main jail complex located on the East River in New York City, has continued to face issues of extreme violence over the entirety of its existence. Both inmates as well as correctional officers have been named in exceedingly violent acts within the confines of this famous prison. This issue of extreme internal violence has finally had a light shone on it and the call for reform is now here. There is now much pressure for change in the way this institution is managed. Riker’s Island has followed an “old-school” blueprint for far too long in how to manage its officers and inmates, which has resulted in this behavior explained by NPR. This social problem highlights acts of police brutality as well as issues of behavior not being corrected, but just becoming worse. However, the main social problem that is overlooked within this article is the issue of citizens of New York City turning a blind eye to its youth and practically saying “Have at it, as long as they’re not causing problems in our neighborhood we could care less.”
The Conflict Theorist would argue that this is a classic case of the “haves” versus the “have-nots.” There is a great deal of inequality that the members of Riker’s Island (Have-Nots) face on a daily basis, that the citizens of New York City (Haves) have turned a blind eye to. As mentioned in the NPR article, Riker’s Island has not received the proper funding in order to provide the adequate education, resources, and staffing numbers to combat the problems at hand. This point contains the argument of the conflict-theorist showing that there is a struggle for resources and power in order to gain better control of inmates and correctional officers on Riker’s Island. This social issue has just passed the legitimization stage (stage two of Spector & Kituse’s “Identifying Social Problems) and is now in the conflict stage (stage three), where talk of reform and reorganization lies.
The great injustice of Riker’s Island will soon come to an end. With the great deal of visibility this topic has deservedly received, the heat is on for the officials in charge of changing conditions for this facility. I believe that there are two possible decisions that could be made to change the unruly behavior at hand: 1) Allocate the resources needed such as more staff and better education programs for both correctional officers and inmates alike OR 2) Pursue a complete overhaul of all staff and regiment on Riker’s Island to give a “fresh start” in hopes of finally combatting the horrific violences reported on NPR.
Jannette K
1.) This topic is about a juvenile facility Riker’s Island in the middle of the East River between Queens and Bronx. The inmates are subjected to violence by other inmates or by their correction officers. This is becoming a huge issue because it is not human of the officers to beat an inmate and stand back while another inmate gets beaten. It is going against a persons right and against the constitution. Parents or the court are hoping their 16 or 17 year old is being sent to a juvenile facility to be treated in an orderly way instead of being abused by their officers. According to NPR “40 percent” of inmates are exposed to such violent behavior, which now is a huge percentage. The correction officers are apparently using their “old-way” of punishing an inmate, which is not being enforced now. We can apply stage 2 of Spector and Kituse defining social problems, by getting the government to recognize the issue.
2.) The conflict theorist would be best applicable for this issue. The juveniles are under the control of the institution and the correction officers, who are the main abusers in this case. There is some source of inequality happening according to an inmate who was interviewed by NPR, he explained how he was beaten up just minutes after getting to Riker’s Island. We can say that the correction officers are the Bourgeoisie and the inmate’s proletariat. They are under the control of the correction officers and are not treated with respect. This can lead to serious problem with inmates, it can damage any self-esteem they might have had. Riker’s Island is also lacking resources that can make the place into a better facility for inmates. Juveniles that are being sentenced to Riker’s Island are typically powerless.
3.) I think this is very inhuman of correction officers to abuse inmates in the way that they are doing. This is something that the government should have been aware of sooner. I believe funding money to Riker’s Island with more staff and a better training program for the correction officers. Along with giving the inmates a better education system to help them in the near future. This is something that should always be reviewed and noted if anything like this happens again to seek immediate action.
Antonio Camarillo
1. When we look at our prison systems we tend to think that the only threat that lies between those walls are just the prisoners themselves, but in reality it comes from both the prisoners and the correctional officers as well. This issue is present at “Rikers Island” in New York where juveniles are coming into the facility and being brutally assaulted by other inmates, while officers stand by watching instead of helping to stop the assault. Instead of getting some type of specific guidance from the prison, the juvenile inmates are just shown that with violence they are able to protect themselves due to the fact that the correctional officers tend to not do much when it comes to assaults. Emile Durkheim’s idea of how society is like the body and each organ has a specific goal in order for the whole body to function is evident in this specific issue. We see how when there is no enforcement of the law inside the prison system, prisoners basically have the freedom to do what they like without really getting in trouble for it because the officers themselves tell the new inmates to hold it down, in other words not talk about what just happened. When one “organ”, in this case the officer doesn’t play his part in enforcing the rules inside the prison we see the whole body fail because there is no rehabilitation at all for these inmates.
2. The main theoretical perspective that goes with this issue would have to be the conflict theory due to the fact that the amount of funding towards helping educate, rehabilitate the inmates, or even hire more correctional officers to maintain prisons is just not there. People just do not care to help these inmates and the help they need is just not available. This theory shows how inmates are in tension and struggle to get help against the correctional officers, the state, and even the community, which has looked away from the problem.
3. The proposed solution given in the article is more rehab. I believe that this is very important mainly because how are you supposed to fix a person without really finding out what is truly wrong with them? Throwing someone in a cage and having them just sit will ultimately just build up anger and rage, which eventually will be let out once they are set free again, and will just bring them back to where they started. Prison should be more about rehabilitating a person to help them understand what they did was wrong, and finding other solutions to the problems they might have.
Lindsey E.
In response to Connor S.
I agree and disagree with Connor. Both correctional officers and inmates are to blame for the violence in Rikers. The problem here is that due to social media only the officers are being judged but what about the prisoners? Juvenile delinquents aren’t as innocent as they presume to be. Some of them are in there for murder, heavy drug charges and even rape. Even though it is wrong to say that the justice system should turn their heads, this is where I agree with Connor. I agree that Rikers should update their way of handling these situations. They have to get with the times and stop looking at it in a very “old school” way. Criminals are entailed to their rights and corrections officers should follow that code.
From an interactionist perspective, the government sees what it wants to see. These juveniles are in prison for a reason and they believe that their system is not flawed. They believe that they are in good hands with the corrections officers. With that being said we see what we want to believe in our world. Rikers falls into that, if they see that the prison looks in order they wont poke into it.
I believe that now that social media has been introduced to this problem many people have opened their eyes to what is really going on. Prison employees are being investigated as well as the facilities and the facility director. Although some really just don’t care about prisoners, whether they are juveniles or not, it is still unjust to treat a human being in such a way. Even if they are deserving of it, we all still have rights and the law should be followed regardless of who you are.
Arpine M.
In response to Akhiles P.
1.I agree with Akhiles on how Rikers Island defeats the whole purpose of civilization. Rikers Island makes it seem as if it is okay to treat the prisoners like animals as Akhiles stated. I feel as though the officers think they have the power to do whatever pleases them. In the article it states “ Couple of individuals that was close with I saw get [their] jaws broken by Co Captains..” Although the people did something that brought them to Rikers Island it still does not allow the officers to treat them less of a human. The issue seems to be coming from both sides but aren’t the officers supposed to be the bigger person? Inmates have laws that protect them in prisons and officers should respect and follow them.
2.A conflict perspective would say that the officers use their power in order to exploit the inmates who in this case have less power. Due to not enough foundings mentioned in the article Riker’s Island did not receive enough founding in order to provide better staffing and resources.
3.Akhiles provides a realistic solutions as to how the officers should be trained thoroughly and be ready to interact with unguided juvenile inmates. I think that Rikers Island should get the proper foundings and with those foundings provide better resource and staff. With this solution the inmates can have a better chance of gaining hope in themselves and try to be better with the support of the staff.
Palmira G.
In response to Antonio C.
1.I agree with Antonio. In this correctional facility, inmates are being threatened and assaulted by both correctional officers and other inmates. They cannot confide in the social order that is supposed to be maintained by the criminal justice system.
2.A functionalist perspective allows people to see society as having different parts and each part has its own job; one cannot work without the other because together they make society function as a whole. In this case, the criminal justice system is the part/organ being looked at. As mentioned earlier, the facility’s rules and regulations are being ignored and greatly flawed by the actions of the people who have been trained to maintain order. As a functionalist perspective, society can only function when order is being maintained in all aspects; such as family, education, and politics.
3.I don’t believe that lack of training for the officers was the issue, rather a lack of moral values. I’m sure they know better than to beat and threaten people, because that’s just what inmates are; people. Perhaps this issue needs more media attention and consequences for CO’s who have not met the expectations of maintain order at the prison. Providing inmates with some sort of life skills classes might also give them guidance as to how they can succeed and break the cycle of returning to prison.
Luis Rosales
In response to Antonio Camarillo
1) This is a topic which has struck much controversy in regards to those empowered by the law abusing that same power which is supposed to be done to prevent crimes and stop criminalization of the United States. The Antonio mentioned that these officers within the facilities do not prevent the assaults from occurring between inmates it mind-blowing. They are supposed to be there to protect the inmates not only from other, also from themselves. An officer in the prisons is just as responsible for the crime occurring when he just stands there and watches as another prisoner, a victim at this point, is being assaulted. We forget that juveniles still have not matured to their full extent and we just see them as criminals. I do agree with the point he made about inmates having the freedom to do whatever they want. This is why many say that prison makes you worse rather than serve its “rehabilitating” process.
2) I believe that the interactionist perspective can be applied here. The criminals weren’t born criminals just as the officers were not born with knowledge of the law or knowing how to act properly in their jobs. The officers learned their lack of compassion within the prisons either from watching other more “experienced” officers letting things slide by and not showing any sort of care as to what happens to these inmates. It’s an issue of criminals learn from criminals and bad officers learn from other bad officers. Something has to be there to break this bad habit.
3) I do agree with the idea that inmates need to be put through a rehab process, but I also feel that the officers within these four walls need to put through either proper training where they learn to act in situations and perhaps even through evaluations themselves. We don’t not know what they have experienced working as officers in prisons and there might be some underlying issues which gave them the lethargic attitude they have when witnessing assaults amongst inmates. They are the ones with the capacity to make a difference even if it is minimal as we all know things cannot be perfect. But effort alone goes a long way. As Antonio mentioned, the jail is like the body, but when a system does not see other organs working efficiently they must compensate for it and attempt to do it themselves. In this case the prisoners take charge of the prisons because the people who are supposed to be in charge are not doing their job.
Micah D.
In response to Jannette K.
1. On the topic of violence at Rikers' Juvenile Facilities, I have to agree with my fellow classmate, Jannette, on why this is such a huge occurring social issue. First of all, 16 and 17 year olds are not even allowed to drink, smoke, or even vote. If they are not legally permitted to engage in those "adult" activities, then why should they be prosecuted like adults at Rikers' Juvenile Facilities? It just does not make sense. If a person is not legally an adult and underage for certain things, then it should transcend to correctional facilities as well. Although inmates are placed in there for crimes committed, they should feel hopeful, wiser, and enlightened when they are released. Instead, these people are harassed, beaten, in need of medical care, and become resentful and may not even change during their time there. Just like Jannette said, parents are hoping for their 16 or 17 year old to be disciplined and straightened out for their actions. They never wished for their kids to be beaten multiple times by both fellow inmates and correctional officers. Even after being beaten, inmates are asked to "hold it down" and not say a word. It is very unethical and injustice in they way things are being handled at Rikers' and it needs to be fixed immediately before more kids get severely injured or worse.
2. In the same way Jannette mentioned, I believe that conflict theory would best apply to the issue between inmates and correctional officers at Rikers'. The correctional officers are the ones with power in this case and control everything that goes on inside the facilities. The inmates are a class of powerless juveniles who are beaten constantly and are forced to keep their mouth shut. They are simply stuck in a constant cycle until they are released. Inequality is definitely evident when it comes to the practices of Rikers' Juvenile Facilities. When Ismael Nazario first entered the doors at the age of 16, he was struck from behind from another inmate. Soon enough, 4 other inmates jumped in and beat him down as a correctional officer simply stood there and watched. These officers have the power to do anything or nothing as they mistreat these teenagers like they're not even human. Rikers Island has a way of demonizing its own residents, especially children who are looked at as criminals. Nobody wants anything to do with them and the treatment of the juvenile facilities emphasizes its point. It ruins the community as a whole.
3. In order to better the facilities at Rikers Island, funding is very important because they need more correctional officers and workers. Because there is so little on the job, the officers feel like they have to protect themselves at all times by demonizing the inmates so that they cannot cause any harm. More officers means more eyes to watch what occurs inside. More facilities should be provided so that there are less inmates in one building. They need teachers and mentors inside these juveniles to straighten them out. That is the reason they need to be there. They committed the crime, now they need to learn from it. Inmates should be provided with volunteer work at the facilities to keep them busy and disciplined. There needs to be less conflict and more helpfulness. In order to make a better community, it starts with those in power. If they can do their job correctly and not mistreat people with inhumane practices, it can keep the residents of Rikers Island off of high crime rates.
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