Jails and Prisons - controlling the population

This a very thoughtful article on maintaining order in jails from the City Journal. It brings up something that I have thought a lot of, and that is prison reform.

I am a big believer of locking up violent criminals for a long, long time. However, I think how prisons are run today is disgraceful. Gangs are the de facto rulers of many institutions. Drugs and contraband are rampant. Rapes are prevalent. We should have prisons where contraband and rape is rare, violence is minimal, and the guards control the prison, not the prisoners.

I think that it is something that needs to be addressed, but is not a priority. The electorate generally wants people locked up for crime, which is understandable. But, the current prison, as construed, just encourages recidivism, and in many cases is just another criminal location.

This is very interesting to read, and I hope it puts some spotlight on real prison and jail reforms that work.