Sarah Colegrove POS 322 4/2/2012 Are Supermax (Control Unit) Prisons an Appropriate Way to Punish Hardened Criminals?

Gregory Hershberger along with Rodney Henningsen, W. Johnson, and Terry Wells argue the issue of whether supermax prisons are appropriate. Hershberger says argues yes while the others argue no. Hershberger paints a very picturesque view on the current supermax prisons. First he examined past ways that violent inmates have been handled. Violent inmates have been dispersed to many different prisons and they have been confined into one prison such as Alcatraz. Currently, violent inmates are confined to supermax facilities. These facilities are ultimately designed to protect the inmates, the guards, and to offer the inmates a chance to prove that they can be released back into a regular prison. Henningsen, Johnson, and Wells argue that the picture that Hershberger and others have painted is not accurate. These supermax prisons do function in the way that they were intended to function. The inmates are not only psychologically abused (through being locked into their cells for long period of time and not being allowed to interact with others) but many are also physically abused from their guards and forced to suffer cruel and unusual punishment. Many of the control methods that the guards use in these facilities violate the inmates rights and in times past when a multitude of inmates have testified of the abuse, the courts unfairly and unequally through the case because the inmates were not considered reliable. The way the prison system

works allows for some inmates to be unfairly moved and retained in these facilities while others are not. These facilities do not do what they promised to do reduce crime rather it can encourage crime to occur as the inmates can become so angry that upon release, they can become violent against others. Henningsen, Johnson, and Wells seem to have a much more realistic and believable argument than Hershberger put forth. They use case studies to back up their argument and to show just how bad these facilities really are. Hershberger seems to be looking at the supermax facilities in a very idealistic light and does not seem to realize all of the harm that can arise out of these facilities. I agree with Henningsen, Johnson, and Wells that the supermax prisons are not an appropriate way to punish criminals. These supermax facilities violate human rights over and over again along with the rights that are guaranteed by the Constitution to every citizen in the United States. These facilities are also contrary in nature to what they were intended to do, they can actually increase crime. I think that these supermax facilities do more harm than good and should not be used to control and take of inmates who may be violent. Hopefully a much better and safer (not only for the guards and society but most importantly for the inmates) solution can be found.