1. overpopulation
1.1. people can't afford bail
1.1.1. why is bail set so high for small crimes?
1.2. gov. makes money
1.3. keep jails running
1.4. lack of privacy
1.5. lack of resources
1.6. clashing viewpoints
2. systematic racism
2.1. 70% of imprisoned are POC
2.1.1. fastest growing: black women
2.1.2. largest per capita: Native American
2.1.3. 5 times as many black men imprison as universities and colleges
2.2. prisons rely on racialized assumptions of criminality
2.2.1. black welfare mother reproducing criminal children
2.3. war on drugs
2.3.1. war on blacks
2.3.1.1. introduce drugs to black pop. then heavily penalize them
2.3.1.1.1. ex. crack cocaine
2.3.2. mass incarceration
2.4. poor education in ghettos sets POC children up to fail
3. prison industrial complex
3.1. spend money on prison instead of fixing social problems
3.2. use prison labour
3.2.1. can be as profitable as third world labour
3.2.1.1. no strikes/no union organizing
3.2.1.2. no benefits or protection like regular workers would have
3.3. most prisons violate international standards of human rights
3.4. charge extreme prices for phone calls because they have no other option
3.5. lack of education ensures that inmates remain uneducated and set them up to enter prison again
4. violence
4.1. POWER
4.1.1. earn respect
4.2. boredom
4.3. stealing
4.3.1. lack of resources
4.4. gangs
4.4.1. other inmates
4.5. officers abusing their power
4.6. sexual violence
5. mental health
5.1. not offered to prisoners
5.2. previous condition
5.2.1. current or created by being in jail
5.2.1.1. segregation/solitary confinement
5.2.1.1.1. no outdoors
5.2.1.1.2. lack of contact/social relations
5.2.1.2. isolation
5.2.1.3. depression
5.3. not enough $$$
5.3.1. even if offered, quality would be terrible and extremely basic
6. Rikers Island
6.1. changing the people in power will not fix the system
6.2. reduce the population
6.2.1. stop relying on money bail
6.2.2. cut time spent in jail short
6.2.2.1. each additional day of confinement costs the city millions
6.2.3. speed up court processing time and reform bail practices
6.2.3.1. save millions
6.2.3.2. fewer people in jail
6.3. prison being situated on an island is a major problem
6.3.1. takes four hours to get in and out
6.3.2. building smaller jails in the boroughs lessens the dependance on Rikers
6.4. jail culture
6.4.1. prisoners should not be helped, but punished
6.4.2. because of the stigma, jails do more than punish, they abuse
6.4.3. 1 guard to 30 inmates
6.4.4. no entertainment, so resorting to violence is common
6.5. not fit to house mentally ill prisoners: 40% of the population
6.6. staff don't have adequate training
6.6.1. police officers recieve 6 months
6.6.2. COs receive 15 weeks
6.6.3. as wardens move through ranks, no training is provided
6.7. corrupt
6.7.1. COs intentionally abuse and beat inmates because they think beating it out of them will work
6.7.2. overlook false reports
6.7.3. staff is not held accountable because they switch often