One hundred years ago, we built penitentiaries. They were quiet and solemn places. In the early part of the twentieth century, with the advent of behavioral psychologies and therapies, we moved into a more rehabilitative mode. In addition to the change in public sentiment about how inmates are to be treated, there is prejudice. This is the second distraction.
Inmates are disproportionately from racial, ethnic, and economic minorities.
Although there is a foundation in the Eighth Amendment entitling inmates to humane prison conditions, free of cruelty, it is difficult politically to implement programs that are rational and compassionate. With this background, perhaps it will be easier to understand how to drive decision-makers to take risks for a constituency that is not really valued these days. To order the full text of this article, please go to ordering .