Bailey Thomas

Ms. Gardner

English 10 Hon.

13 Nov. 2016

Dear President Elect Donald Trump,

Im Bailey Thomas and prison reform is a pressing, unfortunate, dire issue that needs to be

addressed. I am speaking about this for the sake of our prisoners, who are beaten, devalued and treated

terribly while under the care of our prisons. I am speaking about this because prisons are understaffed and

in need for thousands and thousands of guards that they do not have. I am speaking up because a broken

prison system does not do its job.

Our prison system is a staining issue that has affected our country for a long time. In the last few

years, the rates of violence in prisons- especially assaults, self harm and suicides- have risen by a startling

amount, but no action has been taken to decrease these numbers. The control and rehabilitation of

prisoners in our correctional system has fallen from being the #1 goal and priority. Along with that,

humanity has been lost as well. The lack of focus on improving our criminal justice system causes

numerous problems, one of the most significant being the recurrence of crimes from released inmates. A

contributing reason for this continuation of crime can be largely blamed on the lack of education prisoners

are provided, and the dehumanization many prisoners face while incarcerated as well encourages angry,

violent behavior. This calls for attention because our prison system- instead of rehabilitating criminals and

working to make them better, non-violent citizens- treats them like inferior humans; this style of

management often shown by prison officials leads to nothing but separation, hate, and further crime. I

have had a member of my family in prison, and it terrifies me to imagine them being harmed or killed

while in a prison; families place trust in our system that their loved ones will be protected if needed.
America has the highest number of incarcerated civilians out of any other country, and many of these

people, no matter how bad the crimes prisoners have committed may be, have people who love them.

How would it impact you to see anyone, especially someone you love, helpless, degraded, excessively

punished, and treated like an animal? For the sake of our prisoners and their families, we need to concern

our country about the functioning of our prisons

One of the most important things that our prisons lack are numbers of guards and training for the

prison guards and officials that we have. By training guards more thoroughly in ways to handle dangerous

or violent criminals without cruelty or abuse, it would allow them to maintain their control and safety

while also providing a good example for the prisoners. A large contribution that we also lack in order to

allow prisoners to re-integrate into our societies are well-rounded educational programs. Schooling is

beneficial to everyone, it allows prisoners to find a place in our economy and it keeps more people from

returning to prisons. By giving more money for education, prisoners would be able to build a future and

get a job and pursue a degree and create a life and, in turn, become contributing members of our society.

Although the need for education in prisons is unbelievably high, but the accessibility to education remains

astoundingly low; the access to education would give many opportunities to released inmates. According

to an article from The Guardian, half [of people held in prison] have the literacy of an 11 year old; by

giving them the opportunity to learn and develop skills, it opens up an alternative for inmates to delving

back into a life of crime. In order to make these ideas become reality, money would need to be pulled

from other areas and fundings and it would require the time, energy, and knowledge of people willing to

provide education for prisoners and training for staff.

Many people might be against contributing more money to our criminal justice system, but

overall the comparable price is small. Giving money to this cause would open up many opportunities for

prisoners. People might also argue that our prison system is perfectly humane and that we should not be

concerned about the treatment of our prisoners, but in order to prevent the recurrence of violent behavior,
they need to be a part of an environment that doesn't use hate and unnecessary violence as a form of

control. By controlling people with violence, we put violence in control. By treating prisoners as

intellectual human beings, we can increase the chances of them abandoning a lifestyle of crime. Another

valid concern is the question of where the money for these reforms would come from. By moving funding

from other programs into education or by the government spending more money on training of its staff, it

would let the prisons to do what their goal is: to reform. Pay more to keep prisoners from returning to

prison, and we pay less to take care of so many prisoners. According to a pie chart on prisonpolicy.org

showing the finding of current prison populaces, The American Criminal Justice system holds more than

2.3 million people. If we decrease these numbers, we would be paying less to prisons to take care of

inmates. Overcome obstacles like these to provide hope and dignity to prisoners, especially for those who

are locked up and looking for their next step.

So I invite you, President, to put energy into reforming prisons, recreating our system, and

rehabilitating our convicts into people of our society; and by keeping those who will not return to

civilized life out of risk of murders, suicides, and other dominance, race, or fear related crimes within the

walls of our criminal justice system.