In every dark cloud there is a silver lining, or so we’ve been taught to believe. With the current pandemic, there seems to be more rain than promises of sunshine to come. A small positive so far however, is the way in which ideas for the world’s direction are rapidly shifting further and further left. There is now growing talk and movement towards community centred growth and coordination that is not confined within the walls of our schools, places of work and worship. The opportunity for holistic changes to the systems that make up our society is nigh, but only if the necessity of these changes is recognized and worked towards.
If we are genuinely interested in moving forward together then we must ensure that no population is left behind. While many of us are wont to disregard it, the prison system and the incarcerated will also need to come along on this journey with us. Prisons are not a separate entity from the rest of society even though many may wish it were. This partially has to do with how prisons were set up and operated on the basis of restricting the rights and freedoms of minority populations. Removing ourselves from this legacy would mean a strengthening of rehabilitative and community service avenues.
Under normal circumstances, prisons are cesspools for the spread of infections and violence. The incarcerated often live literally on top of each other. Our addiction for incarcerating people created a ripe environment for the rapid spread of any virus that finds its way in its walls. There cannot be an encouragement towards social distancing when the principle that informs it are not allowed to be followed by the incarcerated. Police should be utilizing strategies of warnings rather than imprisonment as to do otherwise would further exacerbate an already dire situation. The form these warnings take should also be paid attention to as variations are already apparent in the way in which persons across the socioeconomic divide are treated.
With increased police presence during the time of corona, there is even more urgency for there to be a reassessment of the way in which the police, judicial and prison system operate. It is well known who the usual targets of these state agents are. Many exist in the prison system not necessarily for some proven crime but because they match a criteria for criminality or are unable to afford fees that would see them freed.
It is understandable that we are hesitant to fully broach conversations surrounding prison abolition and judicial reform. We live in a world in which punishment and retribution are prioritized and seen as just. But have we ever truly considered how irrational a response this is and the limited things it achieves? I believe that there should be movement towards fostering awareness amongst ourselves on the conditions and experiences that leads to persons being harmed and those doing the harming. In recognizing that there is more than one person or situation that must be held accountable, we would begin to see the clear cracks in our societal practices and understandings surrounding crime. As we seek to ease the numbers of those incarcerated during corona, we must analyze why so many persons were incarcerated in the first place.
Looking forward, we must aim to consider the ways in which we classify and punish real or perceived crimes and whether our responses are working.
Those who commit criminal acts are usually themselves victims of crime and violence. Nothing occurs in isolation. The ills we face in society are cyclical and this cycle does not stop unless we begin addressing the root causes rather than being satisfied with retribution. Were we to begin shifting towards collective healing, the future we envision can be so much easier to grasp. The incarcerated also need care and consideration, they need strategies in which to grow and develop their selves so that the harm they’ve done is not constantly replicated. Failing to address and adjust failing systems so that clear patterns do not remain in place, is just one way in which we will meet our certain downfall.
This does not mean a doing away with the prison system – clearly we are not at that stage as yet – but we could be if we begin to make adjustments. We need to work together to create new and improved models of living and this means creating and envisioning caring environments that can aid in stable communities centred on understanding of collective traumas and how to move past it.
