Torture: America's Brutal Prisons
8.11
Ratings: 8.11/10 from 46 users.
This programme shows that abuses like those documented in Abu Ghraib are commonplace in the USA's overcrowded and understaffed prisons.
Prisoners are shackled and hooded for their own protection; pepper spray is used as an alternative to physical force, but in sufficient quantities to cause second-degree burns; beatings are frequent and sometimes fatal.
The programme suggests that the cause is not a few bad apples, but a pervasive culture of dehumanization and brutality.
Absolutely brutal. Why the hell do so many guards/officers have to get involved with ONE inmate!!!! They aren't dealing with the hulk ffs. There guards/officers get carried away with being in charge and thinking they can do anything. THEY should be in the place of the prisoner!! America has the WORST criminal justice system. They are worse than any Iraqi, any muslim, any other race of people. Americans revel in abuse, torture and violence.
I dont believe in putting any group of people in a box, but the curse of the United States will be the death of us ALL. It will be the country that causes any like of apocalypse.
As for their prisons, there needs to be a massive inquiry into every jail.
Makes my blood boil. ARROGANT IGNORANT ABUSIVE LIARS!!!!
you can make alot of money in america, but the flip side of that is, your human rights are also at risk. american prisons make chinese look like a cake walk
While the world is turning toward wars against the mafia and while we ear from the mass-media that mafia will be something of the past this does not appear to be the real life scenario. The mafia joining ISIS or Chinese mafia or mafia from the middle east are still a sign that mafia keeps changing skin. Because the christian religion should not turn into a religion that punish its own children when they become camorra and then puts them into prisons, we must find ways that are better ways to address recurring issues of violence, we need to address the causes that are fueling drugs, violence and criminal lifestyle choices. We all can understand that those who fight mafia often implement hard laws that Christians try to obey just because the Pope said so and they also try to avoid weakening those who fight mafia. I like to keep myself neutral because I believe in what Robert De Niro said "When you are in doubt just f--k", unfortunately I don't have the women he can have so it's easier to be said than being done. Christians that love freedom do not accept easily the totalitarian laws and they turn into delinquent activities, some become a camorra and unfortunately some decide to join the mafia. This vicious circle of events can be clearly seen advertised often as symbols: the mary-go-round is one of them, the evil clown is another one. I guess there is more than these two as part of the symbols that are out there.
The lack of care of the rights of prisoners is another important aspect of society that is being left alone. Based on the facts that we know a dictator exist and that he kills men, women or children we need to realize that such dictator is also operating in the prison system like he did with the Guyana French prison. History tells us that one dictator is generating from the christian side of a french Catholic Church however because of a mysterious society nobody is moving a finger against such a house of cards that easily sneaks into other countries to try to dominate the prison systems.
We need to address the root of this problem that kids are generating when they seek the help from government officials to solve family violence issues. Such flirts the kids have with the government empower the government too much and they often become dictators. The dictatorship can be easily confirmed starting around year 1900 and reaching its first score with the compulsory vehicle insurance. Today we all swallow a transponder into new cars without even thinking that a dictator made a decision to protect someone else's car without even asking it. As you know it, a transponder is an electronic device that acts as a block to prevent car theft and thought it looks handy, the problem may arise when the car gets older and a transponder replacement is very expensive. Money is not the real problem, the problem is having a flirt with a totalitarian based system. While one can try to understand that such dictators are using their hard laws only against mafia people and not against anyone else it is still a big issue and a great despair to watch the world come apart because of strong disagreements.
The real solution that I am proposing for the violence against kids is that we all try to have the government give special allowances to those in need. I am talking of free tickets for the train or bus when a person does not have a job, skip taxes on necessary repairs of anything or other type of allowances that can put a candy into the mouth of the people at one condition: They need to avoid violence against children. It won't take long for people to learn that is better to comply with a positive law and keep the candy. This approach is a positive freedom based approach that could really have the potential to resolve a great amount of violence and unnecessary arrests. Today we have a world that is turning hearths into colder hearths and even into stone hearth, removing the much needed light that brings a better hope. Freedom is the gift that brights up the mind and it brings new ideas thus I hope you like mine or you are invited to do better, at least, suggesting yours to the world.
These convicts are dangerous and some of them have killed and raped people. I would do the same thing, any of those convicts would do the same to the guards in an instance as well. What tortures me is we waste billions of dollars every year to care for these animals. It would work better to just banish or kill these murderers and rapist then put up with them and try and rhabilitate them
These correctional 'officers' are not just monkeys but are sadists as well.
There is no need under the sun to treat these inmates like dirt. How could they possibly cause problems when they are locked up 23 out of 24 hours in a day or in solitary. There is just NO excuse for this behavior from anyone working with the public, no matter that they are incarcerated.
The only answer is they are 'allowed' to do what they are doing under the watchful eye of that worst sadist of all the warden dictator. Funny thing happened in WWII when a well known dictator [leader] encouraged his top SS to do exactly the same as they are doing to these men in prision. The only difference is the country and setting, otherwise the same and the same results.
What a pity there are such mean spirited ppl in the world!!
My heart goes out to many of the prisioners.
I have personally met Arpaio. He is evil.
You go in nice and come out pissed. So F you !
So the prisioner did not listen and force was used.......what is the problem?
We have our soliders out fighting in worse conditions, who cares that they are living in tents.
It is not difficult to stay out of prision.
While in federal custody I was subjected to torture, beatings, and what would be classified as psychological abuse (forced medication) in federal custody. I can pass a polygraph test and a independent (non-government) medical exam will show permanent injuries. You can also feel the bone shards still embedded under the skin of my left arm. I have done half-a-decade already. I have no reason to lie about any of this. I was innocent and entered a guilty plea while under coercion and duress.
This is just disgusting, albeit these people are in prison for a reason - how are they ever going to be able to turn their lives around after being subjected to such brutality - animals dont do this kind of evil to one another. i agree force is needed in some events but its quite clear in this documentary that these inmates are being tortured. The guards in this programme deserve to be locked up themselves. Beating a person to death?? That takes some kind of evil in a person....
Thank god im british and dont live in your country! (not that i would ever do anything to land myself in prison anyway)!
I wonder if the people that agree with this behaviour would still agree to it if the shoe was on the other foot
Disgrace to the human race....
Are you kidding? The compliant do not get treated like this. The ones who are restrained in that matter are prisoners who consistently: spit at guards, attack guards, attack other inmates, throw every body fluid you can think of. If prisoners have to go through some individual discomfort for the protection of fellow inmates and staff then so be it.
The corrections officials can't win since a lawsuit is all but guaranteed whether the prisoners feel the safety measures are cruel, or if they got attacked by another inmate due to decreases in protection. This is especially true for the mentally ill since many refuse medication, and are at risk of hurting themselves in a dissociative moment.
To ann and natalie who seem to be black and white on this. Maybe I can shed some light as I am a researcher for specific sociology in criminal and gang behavior and have probably watched 300 documentaries in the last 5 years on the low side from many varying sources on Gangs and prison life. First of all, the best way to see whats going on is to see several documentaries or episodes in one go, so you have comparisons. Then your mind wil automatically start to file what is clear, what is missing from the information and what prison officials or police seem to be hiding. So I recommend if you have a Netflix subscription for $8.00 a month(first month is free trial) you can watch Gangland,Lockdown and Lockup. But the beauty of watching these documentaries on Netflix is unlike the TV viewer who can watch only one episode at a time, yopu can watch 3 or 4 and start to see something very disturbing....there is very little uniformity in now prisons are run. And at the same time, the amount of psychotic,insane individuals who should never get out of there, as well as the few poor souls who should never have been put in there becomes very clear. So Gangland is about how people get started in gang life in America, and Lockdown and Lockup are about many of Americas prisons. I'd also use You tube and put in "Russias prisons" and "Worst Prisons in the world." All of this will not only entertain you remarkably well if you can remain a bit detached, but also make you a Professor of Criminology from the 2 or 3 seasons of 45 minute documentaries. And if you want top zoom in on the fascinating sub-culture of the Black Gangster which so little had been made public until this documentary, also watch AMERICAN GANGSTER with actor Ving Rhames as the narrator. Also available on Netflix streaming and included in your $8 a month unlimited viewing.
Now back to the both of you. (smile) Ann, sadly the compliant "usually do not get treated like this." You are right. This Sheriff is thankfully the last of his kind. But there are abuses constantly. Think of this right off the bat. What 3 kinds of people would want to work in a prison. 1-A person who is caring about the needs of forgotten men. 2-Men who can get into a whole new career with decent pay and benefits with little education in about 16-24 weeks training or less. 3-Men who need to control others. Men who are sadists. Men who might be as sick as the men inside but are too afraid to commit the crimes and have to do the time. Some men can be a blend of 2 and 3. I would say that while maybe only 10-15% fit into category #3, thats a looooot of people who have a lot of anger inside them running other peoples lives and have a badge to do it. As one criminal said 'Most of these guys were the ones who got picked on in school and now they are getting their revenge....on us!"
Natalie, there are many prisons in which they cant keep officers and are constantly hiring. Why? Because the Wardens run the Prison exactly opposite of our "hero" Sheriff we saw here. Every grievance is written down and given a hearing. If a guard is walking down a corridor, the prisoners may just block his way to see what he will do and since they are by law not allowed to use force to move them, not even a shove, you can imagine how frayed the nerves get putting up with children in very big men's bodys every single day. Prisoners in every prison in the country do nothing all day but think of ways to scam the system, another inmate or kill a guard or inmate. They also separate themselves by race and if you want to survive, in most cases you MUST choose a gang to belong to. Problem is, if you choose to opt out, they kill you...or try. As the one woman caller on this video said on radio..."These are not men who are in prison for missing church. Some get more thrill out of killing another human being than sex or anything else. How can we even attempt to reason with a psychotic person who couldn't care less if he died, let alone if you live or die. Even Mike Tyson, the baddest boxer in the world at one time even admitted that prisoners would throw urine and feces at him and act in such perverted ways you can lose your sanity. This is from a man who may have already lost his. A violent man, himself. So don't be surprised if many guards start off being humane and then become the same creature they are trying to keep from harming us. So both of you are right.(smile)
23:42 , did anyone else notice while the prisoner was being given CPR by a medical worker, one of the officers started to kick him. How sick.
I couldn't watch this Documentary without almost feeling like wanting to cry every couple of minutes! Torturing inmates with Mental illness? Seriously?!
ARPAIO 2012
I would advocate violent people to remove these violent guards if I was able and surely I pray to my God he does execute serious damnation on these violent guards and deliver their souls to be slain forever.
I rather they be a rocks in the dry stream and scream with their voice removed for the beds of hell they earn.
When someone goes to prison they can't do anything. All freedoms are gone and that's enough of a punishment, but to subject people to rape and the way those guards treat them like dogs and then people wonder why they get out and commit more crimes. People in there should have access to reading material and exercise and to make them better. If you just locked someone in a cell and shoved food through a hole you are treating them worse than an animal and all they are going to do is get out and society pays for the way they were treated.
We could send troops to Colombia and destroy their drug trade, but then the CIA wouldn't make money. So we just fill up the jails and now the prison system is big business with food, building prisons and all the guards who sit on their arses and do they think that is a cushy job or a career? There was a time people didn't want a prison anywhere near and now they fight to get them built near their home for the jobs. Who would want to be in that misery?
You know "fatty," you're pretty close to right. I moved here to be close to my only sister; but now she died 7 months ago. So, I have no particular-reason to stay. I didn't know the "Senator" of this state was "McCain." People "say he's a hero" because he was "supposedly" shot-down in Nam and was "held captive" for 5 years. Well, since it is the government that makes this claim, which may very well be true, the fact alone that the govern-MINT makes that claim, to me, it is subject to scrutiny. Maybe McCain DID spend 5 years in some "prison in Nam." In my "personal opinion," he got what he deserved for doing what he did! That is to say, "DROP BOMBS ON WHOMEVER THEY HAPPEN TO FALL ON>' That Bullsh*t about, "a police action" or "we are trying to stop the spread of Communism; it's all a smoke screen for the REAL "truth. Nam was a "Testing ground" for our newest weapons. THAT....is why over 52,000 "boys" died there. Whoever "sent them there" should be in the very prisons that are "created" for criminals. Because what McCain did, or we were "told he did," is a crime against humanity!
After all, as "humans, or "Civilization" goes, we aint there yet! As long as "WARS" continue, "we" are 'uncivilized"!!!!!
This is a political attack piece on Arpaio.
I celebrate every time I read about a dirty cop being killed; I really really do!
Today's New World Order is composed of two types of individuals: the insane and the brutally insane. God help us-!!
Very precisely correct!
At scene 2:50 "Youths pounded by guards" as stated clearly by the narrator. You are telling me that is not two prisoners? If it is not then my apologies but I think it's pretty clear that it is.
No, that footage is from the California Youth Authority, N.A. Chaderian Youth Correctional Facility, a few years ago, it was on the news for like a week. The guards (or "counselors") there don't wear uniforms, I know because I've done time there before, and they do a lot worse than that at that place!
WTF are you talking about?
Double
Wow, unbelievable how a report can be changed so drastically to support the other side. I do not deny that these things may happen to some degree but take a good hard look at what is reported and what is shown. There is one scene where the narrator says "guards beating on prisoners" and the scene was obviously two prisoners fighting as shown by them both bearing the same uniform; black bottoms and white tops. Look alive my friends, just because it's reported does not make it true. Do your own homework, don't just settle for what someone tells you.
no that wasnt two prisoners fighting.
HELLO, the majority of those that are interviewed are rapist, murderers, drug dealers....this whole documentary is nothing but garbage. The only defense a guard has is a 5 oz can of pepper spray kept at their side. Where is your footage of the many prisoners that gang rape other prisoners, guards that are gang beaten, where are the films of urine, feces and other bodily liquids infected with life threatning diseases, being thrown into the faces of those whos job is to protect the public by preventing escape. Yes, with any Occupation, there are a few bad officers, but they are few and far between. Sorry, if your attempt was to make me feel sorry for the criminal, then you failed miserably.
because you are as inhumane as that criminal.
im shocked about how the disregard humanity, so as soon as someone committes a crime they are allowed to be tortured and beaten. thats not how i see it!!! nobody should be subjected to that kind of treatment, there punishment is to have there time takken away, thats it, not murder rape or chemical burns, time! how about the leading governments in this world who are basically a gang with murder count of about 1 million over the past 100 years, whos going to punish them!!!!!
If you had used a figure of twenty to thirty million you still would be under the actual figure.
well i hope u find yourself in there an receive the inhumane torture methods implemented on these fellow human beans, maybe you have never committed a crime and you are innocent but i now thats a lie and more than likley u have committed a crime wothry of a prison sentence, yer what if it was u!!!!!!! it could have been me.
and for your sake, its a job remember you can quit, if i was gettin feces thrown in my face i would do just that, _____!!!!
the narrator is stoooooooooooooopid hate her voice
Jesus Christ really? This needs to sweat the big stuff not this bs. They're not in prison for buying this heifer dinner they're in prison because their criminals. She needs to go back to her awesome country and fix their problems there. oh wait I'm sure they dont have any that's why she's in the US crying about pepper spray use.
This is what happens when you turn the prison system into a money making scheme. The welfare of all of these inmates is being farmed out to the lowest bidder so that it will look good on a balance sheet somewhere. And like the saying goes...
Pay peanuts... get monkeys.
Now THAT....is funny!
that sheriff sounds so ignorant and stupid..typical southern american. "i dont lose to anyone in prison, under ANY circumstances". really? including those with a mental illness?????? boy, im glad im studying law in Canada rather than his state.
Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. hahaha
There is nothing funny about what this video is about. What ever happened to "compassion?" What ever happened to "love your enemies and Do good, to those who persecute you?" Osama was right, "you haven't been reading your Bibles." And, if you did, you would throw it in the TRASH where it belongs. "Religion" should "unite us." In stead, it is all about "divide and conquer!" The whole problem is this, "Prison" or the Prison "system" was NEVER MEANT to "rehabilitate" anyone. It is about stepping on the wrong toes, and off you go! I admit, there ARE those who BELONG "locked up." However, that does not mean, YOU become the criminal by the way you treat others!
This whole thing is so ridiculous. i disagree with people saying that this is biased because its a British documentary. I live in Northern California. During my drug addiction I was around plenty of convicts & people on parole. The sad thing is that (& Ive personally seen) people come out worse then they went in.. On top of the "rehabilitation" system being more like a "college for criminals", theres the inmates being told they are a piece of shit and being treated like a piece of shit when they get out how do you think they might feel about themselves. . then what happens? a simple parole violation gets them sent right back..
And as far as "the toughest sheriff in America?" I can't stand him either and have no respect for anything i've heard him say or seen him do.. He is the biggest instigator as far as the raids going on in everyday workplaces, of the "aliens" dont have documentation they are also sent to jail on the way to being deported. . Another contrioversal issue & yeah, a little off topic.. but now heres some FACTS instead of just my opinion!::
Unconstitutional Jail Conditions
U.S. District Court Judge Neil V. Wake ruled in 2008, and again in 2010, that the Maricopa County jails violated the constitutional rights of inmates in medical and other care related issues. This ruling was a result of a lawsuit brought by the ACLU, which alleged that "Arpaio routinely abused pre-trial detainees at Maricopa County Jail by feeding them moldy bread, rotten fruit and other contaminated food, housing them in cells so hot as to endanger their health, denying them care for serious medical and mental health needs and keeping them packed as tightly as sardines in holding cells for days at a time during intake."
In a ruling issued in October, 2010, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Arpaio to follow U.S. District Court Judge Neil Wake's 2008 ruling, which required Arpaio to end severe overcrowding and ensure all detainees receive necessary medical and mental health care, be given uninterrupted access to all medications prescribed by correctional medical staff, be given access to exercise and to sinks, toilets, toilet paper and soap and be served food that meets or exceeds the U.S. Department of Agriculture's dietary guidelines
Misuse of funds
An analysis by the Maricopa County Office of Management and Budget, completed in September, 2010, found Arpaio has misspent almost $100 million in taxpayer dollars over the previous 5 years.
The analysis showed that money from a restricted detention fund which could only legally be used to pay for jail items, such as food, detention officers' salaries and equipment, was used to pay employees to patrol Maricopa County. The analysis also showed that many Sheriff's Office employees, whose salaries were paid from the restricted detention fund, were working job assignments different than those recorded in their personnel records. Arpaio's office kept a separate set of personnel books detailing actual work assignments, different than information kept on the county's official human-resources records.
Arpaio used the detention fund to pay for investigations of political rivals, and activities involving his human-smuggling unit.
The analysis also showed a number of inappropriate spending items, including a trip to Alaska where deputies stayed at a fishing resort, and trips to Disneyland.
Separate investigations by The Arizona Republic uncovered widespread abuse of public funds and county policies by Arpaio's office, including high-ranking employees routinely charging expensive meals and stays at luxury hotels on their county credit cards.
The Republic also found that a restricted jail enhancement fund was improperly used to pay for out-of-state training, a staff party at a local amusement park, and a $456,000 bus, which was purchased by Arpaio in violation of county procurement rules.
&&&&&& there's more, all from Wikipedia..
(back to my opinion)
there is so much more of this going on & the only people who know are the ones involved. in my personal opinion this just scratches the surface of America's bullshit politicians and authority figures who will do whatever they can to get their grimy hands _____ (power, money, ect.) for their dirty deeds.. enough ranting.. on a brighter note, thank you to the people making it possible to see whats really going on
"exactamundo!"
What's even more sad than the reality of what goes on behind the walls of these prisons, is that it's NOT going to stop. It's so easy to categorize people- but It's dismissive to say that the one's who are locked up must be horrible, dangerous, and deserve all of what they are getting. It's very naive for someone to say "oh, if they don't want to be treated like that, then don't break the law, don't go to prison" While that statement may be true, I understand that sometimes people make mistakes. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who grew up in a bad home, or perhaps in foster care, etc. We develope our core beliefs at a very young age & unfortunately it becomes second nature for some of us to just naturally make bad choices as a result of what we were exposed to when we were kids. It's a screwed up domino effect..
You KNOW exactly "wuz-up."
sherif fawn who provides valid information on the youth side of the american prison service.. would any one know any more information about him as i am very interested to learn
I don't know "personally" anything about this "male" except for the fact he enjoys what he does, and is actually "PROUD" of it! unbelievable1
Yes, this is shocking but, yes it IS true. Take it from me. I was locked up in the Florida Department of Corrections for 2 years, and can state with sincere honesty that what is portrayed in this documentary is not only totally accurate, but actually downplayed. For example, they still have "chain gangs" where inmates (including those arrested for the heinous crimes of drinking while driving or possessing marijuana) are forced literally at gunpoint into alligator infested waters to clear debris from the swamps. I have met several that had chunks taken out of their legs or feet, and even one who lost his leg to a chainsaw when attacked by an alligator while working. The gash in his leg was not ministered to for hours because the guard would have to bring the chain gang in early , and by the time he received medical attention infection set in, and they amputated. While in the South Florida Reception Center, an average of two (2) inmates died EVERY WEEK, mostly from neglect of medical attention, sometimes from beatings. Someone has a heart attack and collapses, they DEMAND no one touch him, and wait for up to 30 minutes for a med team to arrive. With no CPR, the man dies in minutes. I witnessed the beating of my cellmate by 4 guards at night in my cell just because he had "Antichrist" tattooed on his throat...he did NOT cause trouble. The sergeant did not like his tattoo and was "religious". I was told that I didn't see anything or I was next, and they told him to cut it off, or they will...by cutting his throat
The problem is that people, including the guards, feel that people are sent there to be punished. The TRUTH is their punishment is being there. (By Federal Court Definition.) Semantics? Not so...the first allows others to feel it is their role to actually punish the inmates, which promotes torture as a part of his job. The latter, if understood, means it is their job to maintain a safe and orderly environment for the inmates until their time is done, and provide them with the resources to try to prevent re-entry to the prison system. Abu Ghraib prisoners had it easy in deed! And it doesn't start in prison. It actually starts before that.
Once you get to your housing unit, things actually get worse. You can be in taking a shower, and a female guard walks in, looks you up and down like she was glad she didn't step in it, then begins to make fun of your private anatomy, making nasty and racist comments. All part of making you feel like an animal and not human. Everything is designed to dehumanize you, starting from you initial arrest and incarceration in the county jails. A strict program is followed to promote as much strife as possible among those awaiting trial. For example, if they have someone who is probably not guilty, they arrange to make sure he will accept ANY plea just to get out. If he is white, the put him in a 50 man cell with 47 blacks, just the 2 whites and one Mexican. What do you think is going to happen to the 3 who aren't black? Remember, these are gang members for the most part...you are locked up with all types, They will make your life impossible. I even had to go to court with the whole side of my face black and blue once from the beatings...and fight as hard as you can, there is no way to outfight 47 people, all crowding in your cell....with the guard's consent. So, once they have given their system long enough to work on you, they come to you with an offer of 5 years probation. The alternative is to enjoy the same treatment as long as 2 1/2 years while waiting for a trial. Even if you ARE innocent, you accept just to stop the constant torture. This is their way of saving money by not allowing all cases to go to jury trial, where as many as 60% are thrown out.
THIS IS AMERICA'S JUSTICE FROM THE INSIDE!!!
this is not an American phenomenon. It happens all over the world in every society, those in power will abuse it. and do not use Texas as an example for anything unless you live here and know what youre talking about, i live in texas I know. More than likely you think we still go to work on horseback and we linch up those dang foreigners. I'm mixed race in texas and i have never experienced racism from a fellow texan.
we are talking about prison, if u took the time to watch the documentary u might understand this, im a big supporter of texan people, the protests agains the american rail road tells me that
its a state standing up for its sovereignty, u shouldnt be taking this as a criticism to your state rather a criticism of the american justice system as a hole
I Lived in Texas.(TAXES) I found too many people there are "not so nice." I spent 2 11/2 YEARS managing a 75 apartment complex, and found the worst people I have ever been around....IN TEXAS. "People" like the BUSH family. WHERE do you think Hitler got all the money it took to build HIS "Empire?" He got it from people like Prescott bush, John Rockefeller, and the like. The UN building, is built on "property DONATED" by J. D. Rockefeller. So, before YOU start judging "other people" that do not "like Texas<" I suggest YOU do a little research your own self; before you get "defensive" about the State YOU happen to find yourself in......
My god, that has just shocked me :(
There you go. All the evidence you need that Texas is crazy. They're just angry that they can't linch black people any more, so they take it out on people they're allowed to abuse. Watch how many of the abused prisoners are black.
might be some rasist guards yes, but thouse who where killed whas white, so blaming rasism here is totall bullshitt.
correctamundo!
Almost every body that goes to prison gets out.So when the conservatives cry the blues about how the prisoners deserve to be tortured I ask them,"do you want a guy that was just beaten three times a week sitting on a park bench next to your wife? Your daughter? Maybe he is hungry, and her purse looks like it could buy him dinner, maybe he just had sex forced on him a few times and decided that what goes around comes around." I really like the policemen that want prisoners tortured.How hard do you think prisoners will try to escape, if they are going back for a beating? I would rather be dead in an escape attempt than go to prison in turkey, even for five years. If I was doing something wrong and looking at a year here I would not try to flee in a car and ramp up to a ten year stretch. If you have people tortured in prison, they'd rather kill than go back.
I don't feel sorry for those animals. If they don't like prison, they shouldn't have done anything to go there.
Most prisoners are non-violent offenders. How would you like it if a drug dealing officer planted some drugs on you and gets you arrested with or without knowing why only to find out that you now have to serve five years in prison? As a police officer, I will say that this happens more frequent than you may think and I doubt you would want to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Keep on investigating because this is just a scratch in the surface. I assure that you cannot even stomach 1% of the things that happen behind closed doors.
INCORRECT..."Most offenders" are children who made the ERROR of having even a single joint on them. You can smoke cigarettes, (which causes cancer) DRINK alcohol, (WHICH WAS illegal if you know AND kills people every day) but NOW it IS "legal" because the government found ways to TAX and CONTROL it. When the Federal Government "finds a way to tax AND control" Pot, it will "be legalized" YESTERDAY!
There ARE times my friend, people ARE "set-up" by the "system" and or "police" that ARE innocent! Ever consider that? They go in...innocent, and come out CRIMINAL! And WHY? About $40,000 EACH! PER YEAR!
Most people in prison are there because of very minor drug crimes. They aren't a threat to anyone. A huge number have an untreated mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
As for the rapists and murders complaining about their treatment, I could care less.
Prison abuse might happen. But it's not like most people percive it as. In the hard-core US prisons the gangs rule the show.They have such things as prison justice. This usually happens to the snitches,cho mos(Child molesters) rapists and cop killers. The ones that get f%$ked with,beat and killed pretty much deserve it!
you been in jail dude?
This document provides some valuable insight into the American prison system; however, drawing the conclusion that we're violent in everything we do is very one-sided. The BBC is pointing a hypocritical finger at the U.S. Let's review the Great British Empire's history and its present attitudes before we condemn all Americans to be violent individuals. How many Americans were interviewed as being against the violence? Oh, but we're ALL just evil, violent, sheep-like individuals, right? Thanks for the stereotypes, BBC.
There's usually "the good," or "the "bad." There's no in-between. You're either an Angel or a fish. The meek will not"inherit" the Earth, "that night.
So So com-down, Relax.
Thanks for Doc. I need to add two points:
1.When Respect is gone, Rehabilitation will never occur,
even a convict is a human being, because of his/her behaviour
he/she has a debt to society, and will pay for it, nothing more…
2. Structure of American society is harsh. It is based on money that brings power,
rich gets richer and poor gets prison. It’s a vicious circle. The solution ?
Fly to Finland !
hehe, amen, but folks in finland has a reputation of being cold. i live in their nabour contry norway, atleast thats the picture we get of them. but then again we norwegians are cold to people we dont know, when we know them its a different case.
How about a 45% Norwegian, 55% mutt from the States? Still would probably have to prove in. Norway is on my short list of countries Im looking into retiring to. Climate may be the only negative factor, due to my disability, but I love the land, and the people.
Norway is a great country, I lived there 2 years, but I can't express enough how expensive it is to live there. If you work there than not really a problem, but to retire there...
OH well then, I guess THAT makes everything OK? NOT!
I would like to point out that in England there is a tv series called "Panorama" that is very popular and creates documentaries of the failings / positives within the UK (be it government, culture, or system related).
Because the English openly criticise their failings, they are able to try and FIX these failings or to at least try to fix them.
There are aspects about America that are positives as well: as with any country there are pros and cons. I feel that the documentary wasn't trying to say that America was a bad country - nor was it trying to say that it should be like another country - it merely had found a topic that it decided needed to be brought to light.
Most European countries research positives and negatives with nearly all the other countries in the world because they are interested in how other people live.
To make the perfect place to live, what better way then to take all the best parts from each country and put them together?
I work with young offenders in England and I can say that some are just young and like any person can make a wrong decision - some truly are born in horrible situations that have effected them in horrendous ways - others do have a mental disability that prevents them from truly understanding what they have done - and then the tiniest percentage are just going to do wrong, because they like it.
BUT if you expect them to change their ways and you are willing to criticise them - you must be able to criticise yourself. There will always be human error in everyone and in government systems. Not all of the American prison system is bad - there are just some opportunities to improve.
"The system may fail you, but don't fail yourself."
In the words of Jim Carry in Lair Lair: "Quit breaking the law a$$hole!!!"
This doc shows some pretty conclusive evidence of a broken justice system, simple as.
The fact that it's English-made makes no difference. At all.
The fact that it's one-sided makes no difference. At all.
To focus on these details is to ignore the important points raised. In the end evidence is still evidence, corruption is still corruption.
Its a vicious circle that can only be ended by a total re-working of the current system, and when a new, cleaner system is in place, proper supervision by us, the public.
You cannot fix a problem by attacking it's symptoms! When we have a rash what happens if we scratch?
Punishment should fit the crime (within ethical limits), but should ultimately tackle the CAUSE, be it poverty, mental illness, social situation, drug addiction etc.
Nothing like a nice brotherhood of brutality, to 'protect and serve' under the license of the badge to make you feel safe at night. There's a reason lady justice wears a blindfold.
The most intelligent and well written response I have ever seen here
@ George
Best Comment.
Couldn't have said it better.
@ Justice
My problem is not with the "lock em up and give em hell mentality" for the hardcore criminals. My concern is that guards, judges, police officers and the rest of society sees the occassional weed smoker, car stereo thief, etc. in the same light as a rapist, serial killer, etc. Behind bars, you're a criminal, weather sex offender or computer hacker.
You are absolutely correct that certain people cannot be rehabilitated. But when the system does not try to save the people that can be saved, that is when I have a problem.
I believe that as an inmate you have two real possibilities:
A) You realise that this is a hellhole, you feel remorse and you want to change.
B) You are exposed to the kind of characters that lead your life down the crapper, even more so than it would otherwise be headed.
These are for those I see as persons who are capable of being rehabilitated. Obviously, for a sicko, you don't really grasp the whole idea of change and remorse, hence eliminating the possibility of A.
I guess my real point is that when you group the mild offender into the view of a hardcore criminal, it becomes easier for that individual to seek an "us vs them (guards)" kind of feeling... leading them further away from A and more likely towards B.
@ Jonanthan
Please spare me your liberal nonsense. When will you wake up and realize that some people are just not wired properly, they aren't normal and will never be rehabilitated. Public safety should always take precedence over rehabilitation. When a parole board is conducting a hearing, the first and foremost question needs to be: "Would I want this person living next door to me?" If the answer is no, then the parole board need not proceed any further with the hearing.
Rehabilitation is a pipe dream. I'm not talking about shoplifters or j walkers or people who get caught with a few grams of weed either. You cannot rehabilitate a serial killer, a rapist or a child molester. No matter how long they are locked up, they will re-offend. These people are sick and mentally ill, they are not like the rest of us and have no control over their impulses.
Rehabilitation for these type of people is a pipe dream, it cannot happen, will not happen. The only thing we can do with these people that will benefit the interest of public safety, is to keep these people permanently segregated from the rest of society and especially away from our children.
I live in a neighborhood where things aren't so rosey. And believe me, if you lived where I did the last thing you'd be preaching about is rehabilitation!
I agree with many of your other points though. A very salient point being that out side of big business and technology, there isn't a lot of modern thinking going on in America. Amen to that. The primary example of this is the U.S's continued marginalization of certain minority groups through the media and Hollywood.
@ Randy
I am also Canadian, and I would like to know what jail/prison you were in because the same thing is happening here. Maybe not quite on the same scale, but it's happening. I have also been locked up in my youth, and I can tell you that the "MOB" mentality is more than prevalent here in our correctional system.
"Johny boy" The "word Justice" itself alone, begs me to remember what Richard Pryor USE TO say....and that is niggah please
It's funny how a few Americans on here have responded to comments in a defensive manner. The point of the documentary is not "US is s hit, UK is best"... the point is quite simply that this is horrible.
I don't really understand how anyone could try to defend the behavior of any of the guards on here. Sure, US jails are rough and guards have to endure more than in many nations, but it's a result of a failed penal system and society in general. Focus clearly is on punishment and not on rehabilitation.
@ Andrine
Get real. I'm not British. In fact, I'm American living in Europe. But for you to compare things that the Brits did to nations under their empire, which, by the way, ceased to exist long ago, is simply irrelevant. What happened in a different age has no bearing on their current situation. You can't call present day Germans Nazis for what their ancestors have done. If you do, I feel sad for you.
Second, you can't take British media and say that it's solely focused on exposing the US as a s hithole. The entire world is doing that, and for a fairly good reason.
Let's be honest, outside of technology and big business, there is not a lot of modern thinking going on in the US. If nothing else, the US's resistance to adopt a decent social health policy is prime example of why the rest of the western world is bypassing the US. The inability to accept change and broaden ones view of the WORLD (that means the globe, not just NY to LA) is a hangup.
Lastly, you can't compare the prison system in the US or UK to a country like South Africa. The US and UK are western countries seen to be world leading in so many areas. African countries are so far behind in every aspect.
Also, about the Eastern European immigrants. When the first wave of countries from Eastern Europe joined the EU, the UK and Sweden were the only two to completely open up to immigration. All the others required circumstancial visas, etc. to be provided initially, before completely opening up for free borders. Consider, there are a lot more people in the US complaining about Mexicans, than Brits complaining about Polacks.
Jonathan, you are 100% correct. I am an American living in Germany and cannot believe how hard it is for many Americans to admit that everything in the U.S.A. isn't perfect.
I assume many of you from the States, living in Europe are either employed there, a Student, married into it, other familial ties, or possibly connected with military. Obviously I could be wrong, but I ask for humble reasons. I am a US citizen, 47, married disabled father of 5, 4 grown.
We desire to retire in Europe, and we have a few countries in which we would love to live, 3 in particular are top choices, My wife is second Generation from Belgium, but she doesn't get a family advantage, since her Belgian Heritage is on her Mother's side. Our love of much of Europe is its Non-pareil Beauty, Art and Culture, mixed with Policy I feel to be far more Humane and Free. I have spent my share of time there, fun and not so fun, so Im not a travel guide dreamer. I love my Country, and I do fear for it, in its current course. I've seen a timeline of education being increasingly looked upon with scorn, rather than the Brass Ring we should all aspire to. I almost equate the US it to Las Vegas...after awhile, the fun dream washes away, revealing the reality it is in daylight....just the Strip Area, Vegas residents (sorry).
We are drawn to the shiny , superficial and unneeded. We are conditioned by advertising to respond to our irrational desires for things we do not need. A man named Bernayes, nephew of Sigmund Freud decided to use his famous Uncle's techniques about human irrational response, and bring it into advertising. He convinced people to buy a new car when they had a perfectly fine one, he sold the world on convenience rather than need, and it worked unbelievably well. The commercial that annoys you most, stays in your head the most, and you may even complain to friends, but it stays. The commercials you like, you discuss and laugh about with friends after the Superbowl and such.
I am not ignorant to the challenges of moving across the ocean, into a new culture, which is why I spend as much time traveling and researching our prospective countries. Another prime reason for our desire to move to Europe is that, in many ways, I feel, European Countries & their People (to varying degrees), having a longer experience than our nation, are much less hung up on the trappings of consumerism...Unless its Paris, London, etc, but even in those places, there is still a great deal of the maturity of a very old city. They aren't easily shocked by people expressing themselves with any manner of dress, they don't pick and choose their words so darn carefully, and in most of the countries I visit, I find more people that are happy with just being alive, which is sadly missing in the US these days....
Anyway, this hasn't said much about prisons, though they are just another symptom of this corrupt, decaying society, that is as violent as near any in history. Our justice system is based on one of 2 things, Revenue Collection and Revenge. Punishment should fit the crime, but it isn't a license for backdoor slavery, as it is currently being practiced in many states, robbing decent paying jobs from the public, while paying less than a dollar a day to a prisoner. Prison itself, and loss of freedom should be the punishment, the remainder of the focus needs to be rehabilitation, if we are ever to succeed in our legal system living up to its own words. I agree some cannot, and/or do not wish to reform, and in those cases, life imprisonment is necessary, but they should be kept involved in constructive activities. Non-violent offenders should be reviewed as to what type of facility they belong in, certainly not with hardcore prisoners. Victimless offenders should be either paroled or placed on diversion.
In all actuality, this is all acutely important to me, but I also wanted to ask, what was your path to Germany, and was it difficult to gain residence? I dont ask to pry, we would actually buy a home cash outright, so I dont know if that helps one into the E.U., but it is definitely our goal.
Once again Johny boy, I do NOT believe, there is a "good prison" anywhere on this "Prison Planet!"
from Canada
why don't we have that problems in Canada prisons cause we treat them like humans. guards in the states are gangs themselves they are breaking the laws murder assault beatings isn't that all against the law how the f@#$ are they getting away with it. Man will not change if the ones who suppose to teach change are the bad ones themselves. i have no interest to travel to the states safer in Iraq,
An interesting doco and like most things in the media the entire picture is not shown. as an officer myself (not in the states) who had to face a violent inmate in a confined space yesterday, let me tell you that as much back up and as many fellow officers as you can get in these circumstances is a necessity.
To talk about the chair in the video, it seems like a good idea, we spent a lot of training hours learning how to subdue violent offenders but more importantly how to prevent positional asphyxia once the offender has secured. This chair, if used properly would keep an offender from asphyxiating after the event but I stress, like everything it must be used properly.
Prison officers face violence daily, it comes in many forms and be it physical or verbal, officers are only human and will make mistakes but to suggest that officers are a violent vindictive mob is not true. Yes there are some that after years of dealing with volatile human beings who have committed hideous crimes, may lose there way but on the whole most just want to go to work and get home without incident.
This doco has shown one side of prison life, there is another side and I've been on the receiving end of it.
Well, see, in Wallachia, which was once part of Romania, when Vlad Tepest, (or Vlad the Impaler, AKA, Vlad Dracul, AKA Dracula, a la Bram Stoker, etc.), ruled it and defended most of Europe against the Turks, he just put a person on a stick and watched them slowly die.
Now, this system of justice, something worse than christ ever endured, having a stick shoved in your anus and then your body hoisted up 12 feet or so; to see how long you can keep the pointy stick from piercing all your vital organs and then just dying as it comes out your mouth... takes about four days... is pretty cruel.
But I see the beauty in it.
Any infraction of the law, under Vlad's rule, meant you were on a stick. If you short changed a merchant... on a stick. If you planted a seed on a neighbors land... on a stick you go... Death, for any infraction of the law.
This is how good this worked. To show the world how effective his system of justice was, he put a golden chalice, encrusted with precious stones in the middle of a city square. It was ungaurded for months. No one touched it.
Because nobody wants a pointy stick shoved up thier butt for several days until it comes out their mouth and they die!
So, I guess what I am saying is, these guys are wussies. We need a little more random murder of civilians like the Romans did, or Vlad, just to put the fear of LAW into them...
Or, maybe I'm wrong about that... who can say, really?
While funny, in a way, I DO....believe you are incorrect. "Religion" (most Religions) just serve to "mess up your head." It is USUALLY the "upbringing of the child" itself, that leads to these "criminals." Quite frankly, after reading both the "Holy Bible, and every "Theosophical or Occult/Metaphysical book" I could get my hands on. leads me to believe; that "some people" just DO NOT CARE about their "brothers and sisters" all around this Planet. The STATE is doing the "rearing" now, and THAT, in and of itself, is the reason we have the criminality we see today. Do I BLAME the states? Indeed I do. Not the "state" in and of, itself. but the system1 The "so-called Powers that be."
Godman I like your thinking and agree with much of it. But I assure you,there are people who innately have no "ability" (just like an ability to walk or do math) to feel love or even any empathy or compassion for any other human being. And not much for themselves. You cant change a man born with a chemically distorted brain can you? Meaning an individual who has too much of one hormone and maybe not enough of another so he cannot use his mind the way we think he should. We do not blame a r*tarded person for not being able to finish regular High School. It just is not possible no matter how much love and patience you have. So why should we believe that all people have the normal and usual ability to feel for others? In fact, considering we have 2 million people in prison, and almost no male volunteers who visit or work with them, the ability to feel empathy may be deficient in a lot more people than we imagine. They just haven't become criminals.....yet. Hopefully most never will.
Haven't we all saw something on the news or heard a horrifying story about a massacre or brutal confrontation and most people in the conversation are stunned and another person goes back to doing his crossword puzzle a minute later? Or you see 5 men drinking at a bar and one brings up an incident about a woman from his home town who was brutally gang raped by 5 men and is now in critical condition and one of the men goes..."I guess she wont be needing any for quite a while." All around us, are comments bordering on the perverse, but we filter them out. True?
Scaphism was another biggie... anybody have an old boat just taking up space in the back yard?
well there are some definate problems in our system, but i can say that other than amsterdam, i wouldn't go anywhere else. most of the problems stem from overcrowding. and when 85% of people arrested are loaded on some drug. we spend almost 2x what we spend on schools, i think its time for a discussion. one thing i noticed was all this is happening in state, not federal prison. federal prison is civilised, at least to the medium security prisons. joe arepio is a piece of sh*t. but im sure british prisons are way better (sarcasm)
They are.(no sarcasm)
Thought provoking documentary. As usual there are 2 sides to everything - and I dare say this documentary was a little biased, but maybe it was needed? Amnesty has 14 'laws' of human rights, and they get broken constantly - they are hard to enforce.
British prisons do not have pepper sprays or tazers or anything like that - neither are our police armed when on patrol. I cannot comment on whether or not this decreases violence - but Im certain of one thing - those American Officers scare me to death!
if the abuse is so bad then dont commit crimes. its not hard to stay out of prison
Disgusting.
USA! USA! God Bless America!! Land of the free slaves.
Correction to my previous post: The U.S. leads the world in the number of prisoners. This is not "per capita", as I previously stated. The United states has over 2 million prisoners. China has the second largest prison population, with 1.2 million prisoners. China also has a billion people, compared to the U.S. population of 250 million. So how do you like dem apples?! Man, we have way too many people in cages, in the land of the free...
This doc fell on the heels of the abu ghraib scandal- which is obviously the reason why the reporter is drawing the "torture" comparison. I don't agree with all of her attempts to frame the American justice system as quintessentially flawed.
However, it is worth mentioning, the United States currently has more prisoners per capita, than any other country in the world- recently surpassing China, and Russia! (This is well documented for those who are interested...) The U.S. also tops the list of (the few remaining) countries that retains the death penalty; the rest of western civilization has disposed of such barbaric practice. Just another facet to consider, when evaluating our system of law and (in)justice...
'prison" just like, or at the very least MUCH LIKE, "Religion," crams and distorts ALL "human" life on the Planet today. I am a 99%er. I wasn't born with a "silver spoon" in my mouth; the way the BUSH family was. However, THAT does not "explain" WHY "they" do what "THEY DO" at all. The Bush's, the Rockefellers, the Doles, the Fords, etc, even the Kennedy's, wealth was MADE by illegal activity. Yet "THEY" remain "free" to do as THEY damn well please!
The Nazis had more class and style....
"Class and style?" YOU, my friend, need to educate yourself!
What are you comparing american and british correctional facilities for? of course there is curruption in all nations of the world. But to be treated like this is unaceptable and to say you done the crime so do the time is so very stupid, people make mistaks of course they should be punished but take circumstances into account. Politians break so many laws start illegal wars kill innocent civvilians where is there time for the crime.
Stop being patriotic because you where born in that country you did not choose to be just lucky (or unluck) you need a reason to be and i dont think curruption, police state, no rights to voice against the pepole in power and high taxes is a reason to patriotic. i am english and i hate this country it is the most watched nation on the planet by CCTV the goverment has all your details on a database and lose it, very high taxes and we are loosing our liberties.
I didn't think it was a terrible documentary at all. I agree that it is a bit one sided in the sense that the point of view of the correctional officers aren't properly represented, but above all it highlights the fact that the American Justice system is in a tailspin. Incarceration rates, and prison budgets are going up but there's little to no effort made to rehabilitate anymore. I'm also pretty surprised by the backlash against the BBC in this comments section. If I trusted any news organization on this planet it would be the BBC because they seem to break stories way before they hit the tipping point and become mainstream.
To the majority of posters on this page,
get off your soap box and review the film. That's what this space is for, after all.
I thank you and good night.
Sam
the next BBC documentary should enlarge the area of discussion and exposure to include rampant "law enforcement" crime in America - such phenomenae as "catch and release" arrests (which, police know, would never withstand the scrutiny of a court appearance), illegal warrantless home break-ins, the massive use of unprincipled "belly-crawlers" - informants/sleeper agents from the pool of individuals desperate to save their own skins at any price of betrayal and fraud, etc.
Sure, some of these prisoners have done bad things and are dangerous. The problem is that you have to put these people back into society. If you treat them like crap, then they're going to come out angrier and less skilled than when they went in. The result? They go right back into crime because that's all they can do and they end up back in the system for another round.
Never mind what treating other humans like garbage does to the guards. Substance abuse and domestic violence is rife amongst corrections officers. Dehumanizing people dehumanizes the dehumanizer as well, you even see this in people that work in slaughter houses.
sSickpie,
You write:
"You are talking about gang rapes. How can they even be going on? Why doesn´t your system make sure that things like that isn´t happening??"
I'm not a big fan of the whole prison-industrial complex, and yes, terrible things happen in prisons, and many who go to prison don't become "rehabilitated."
However, why are you SO upset over the state of American prisons? Do you really think they're much worse than Chinese prisons, South African prisons, or ANY prison in the Middle East?
Why don't you concern yourself? I'll tell you why. Because none of those countries allow for the kind of transparency the U.S. does. I'd wait to get my panties in a wad when the U.S. bans all coverage of this type of thing. Until then, there's got to be SOMETHING in your country that needs fixed—focus on that. Believe me, as a law student, I know PLENTY of Americans aiming for a re-haul of the American prison system.
Oh right, Andrine. As long as they are better than prisons in China, South Africa or in the Middle East, they must be OK. If you know so many Americans aiming for a rehaul of the prison system, why are you so angry about someone writing about the need for change? Law school, your say??? Hum......
Mike,
I couldn't agree with you more. I've had it with the British. I'm done. I lived there as an anglophile in my mid-twenties, and I still read the papers, but I'm considering stopping that. The mind-numbing hatred and bitterness I read in comments made by readers in their papers is shocking.
It's not that unusual, they criticize France, Brussels—they endlessly moan about Eastern European immigration, they make fun of the Welsh, the Irish and the Scottish. They're miserable people, for the most part. I mean, look at the state of affairs over there. They live in the most vile of nanny states. How many times does your average British person have their photo taken (or their image captured on CCTV)—I can't remember the number, but it's an insane amount.
So, this is what they do. They make endless amounts of "documentaries" in an effort to expose how backward, evil and rotten the U.S. is, mostly via government TV (BBC)—it's a way of avoiding reflecting upon their own broken society (alcohol ravaged, hello?) and their bloated, bureaucratic government.
And, I find it LAUGHABLE when the British point fingers at others for human rights violations—this coming from one of the most imperialistic countries the world has ever seen. Look what they did in Africa (purely extractive), India, China. What about Native Americans? They always conveniently forget from whence the Mayflower sailed.
If they're so serious about despising America's cultural imperialism, I say this to them: Turn off your MAC, your IPOD, your P.C., take that Big Mac out of your mouth, stop watching any and all American films and television programs.
Reject us, already. I think we'll manage.
You are a knob -
You say you've had it with "the british" - then you say they make fun of the welsh, scots and irish - ......so you dislike the english??
We all make fun of eachother, like a big disfunctional family - but we wouldnt be without eachother. I dont know where you lived in Britain...if you really did - because i do not believe it, or who picked on you because of your arrogance and ignorance whilst you visited our island but you are such a hypocrite! you say you're sick of the british complainig and moaning - what are you doing right now?- tarnishing a nation with the same brush - i cant even go on anymore actually......makes me wonder if the rumours about the americans are true? that they are all inbred retards...but hey i wont be a sheep and follow it, ill just agree that there are idiots in every country
...that would be you that i am referring to.
Ssickpie-
"Why has it become a cliche?"
If you dont read or hear the massive anti-American biased propaganda that comes out of the elite European media on a daily basis then I cant help you. And I say this as a a guy who loves Europe and European culture. Since you wont inform us as to where, why and for how long you were "locked up", It is hard to have any kind of meaningful dialogue with you. But I doubt if you did any real hard time in a prison that was not a holiday camp you would have indeed seen "ANYTHING like this". You also managed to skirt over the playstation prison mentality along with the bogus "Life sentences". I agree that long sentences with hardcore prisoners for an ounce of weed or a shoplifting rap is insane. But our prisons are predominantly bursting at the seams with Gangs who are hardcore scumbags. The de-segregation of our prison system is one of the main reasons there is so much violence. There are just not enough guards to make sure prison rapes dont take place. Which by the way is almost exclusively a black/Hispanic on white thing. I am not saying that prison guards should be allowed to beat and torture prisoners willy nilly. But that is more the exception then the rule, and these guys are threatened and assaulted on a daily basis. They are human after all. Every person has a breaking point.
America is a piece of sh^t...But so is the rest of the word...the whole world is on a downward spiral everything is about money and control...its just that so many ppl are ignorant in the world and dot give a fu^k.
By the way. I might add; why has it become a cliche?
@Mike
Don´t be ignorant as to why Europeans have got prejudice against America. Of course you can exaggerate your point in a one sided documentary, but the mere fact that extreme violence takes place as it it shown in the video records, is enough to turn prejudice into knowledge.
Also, how many cases are there where the death of a prisoner is questioned due to the handling of him/her? I know of one single case where I´m from and the fact that the police caused the death of this guy, made the whole country outraged! If you´d do the same every time the police kills a prisoner, then the whole of Americas population would have to be outraged several times a year, maybe even a month!
You are talking about gang rapes. How can they even be going on? Why doesn´t your system make sure that things like that isn´t happening?? Getting 6 months for shoplifting is over the top already. But putting the poor guy among violent rapists? Is that going to help him conform to the society? Really what is going on i America??
I´ve been locked up too, and there is no way I recognize ANYTHING shown in this documentary.
Lets see. A smug, left wing British media interest makes yet another documentary about those unfeeling and barbaric Americans. Yawn. Can you say cliche? Meanwhile crime in the UK is through the roof, feral youths rome the streets and the majority of Jihadists outside of the middle east and Pakistan are in London. From what I understand, prisoners in the UK get 'Sony Playstations" and a life sentence means about 20 years. Yeah, we should be more like them. This is just a pure piece of propaganda. Bad stuff happens in every prison system. And what fellow prisoners do to each other is far worse and pervasive. Imagine being gang raped for three days. Look up "Covered Wagon" if you have a strong stomach
y luego hablan con desprecio de paises del tercer mundo...
and then speak with contempt of third world countries...
From Argentina
Departament of corrections.... isn't that maybe not only the wrong name but deceiving as well? What is it being corrected here... VIOLENCE??? What is this place correcting... violence not done well enough? Let me show you how is done? What values are being reinforced?
Yes, the most important years of learning morals and values start at infancy but the FAMILY and home has almost disapered. Who is teaching and caring for the children? If it is a two parent houseold; both parents must work but a large portion of children are reised by a single parent. So, the FAMILY is an a danger of extintion along with marriages that more often than not end in divorce. Is it of no wonder that family values are on the same path.
Children grow up... where are the children now... sadly said; in jail. Learning more violence and the how to do it well.
BROCKEN FAMILY EQUAL BROCKEN SOCIETY.
You sound like all other convicts. You are sorry you got caught not sorry for what you did to get caught.
You don't have any right to complain tou did the crime shutup and do the time!!!!! I did time to. We both got what we deserved,just like every other prisoner.
I was a prisoner in Georgia state, seen things like this, i didn't do any violent crime it was drug related (trafficking schedule IV) got set up and sold an once of cocaine to an undercover at the age of 22. It was my first offense but still i got f***** big time with this minimum no parole bull shit.
I did 10 mf years, I lived through the worst time of my life in some of these conditions and brutal treatments u seen in this documentary. I served my time and i left the united states and live in Europe, never will i go back. 50% of these prison pigs are ignorant f****** retards f*** all of them and those who defend them.
They are week cowards, never did I talk wrong with them cuz i know how they are and what they do, but still I was verbally and physically abused just cuz one of them was having a bad day.
This justice system is a fraud, its all about money, its a business. I feel bad for the kids like me that come from nothing with no family to guide them and are surrounded with crime and gangs where there aint much hope and most die or end up doing long years in the pin. "Welcome to the American Dream the land of Free"
a broad look at the US penal system. I`ve seen much worse. I can from more or less personal experience tell stories of UK penal atrocities that go beyond the experiences in this video. People have too much faith and deny that which is not palatable to them - wake the f--k up.
Are we cutting heads off the prisoners, on the internet to show the world and the prisoners families?
A rather one-sided documentary.
I'm sure there are some abuses, (maybe more than some) but there are two sides to every story, and this was not a very well made documentary.
It would have been nice to see how dangerous it really is for the guards as well for a balancing perspective. They're guarding some psychopathic criminals and very dangerous people (perhaps not all), but you have to protect yourself as well.
Nonetheless, everyone should be treated with humanity when at all possible. I agree with that.
I give this documentary only a "7" perhaps.
These "people" are trained for the job and should be able to maintain order in a humane way, quite obviously .....they cannot, therefore they should have a change in career instead or reverting to murder, rape, torture, humiliation and brutality. Savages.
Treat them like animals, and they will behave like animals, treat them like humans and at least some of them will want to conform to society. You can't change everyone, but they way they treat inmates would make me wow to kill, maim and destry, just in even more conspicuous ways, when I finaly came out.
We have created a police state. Laws and fundamental rights are not applicable..yet the majority of American citizens keep voting these idiots into office..wait that sounds pretty much like the past eight years!
Disturbing, but why are you charachterizing all American prisons and guards the same? Scandalous, but good journalism? What kind of reception would an American reporter recieve investigating Great Britan's penal system?
I didn't get the impression that they were saying that all prison guards are bad. The fact that this takes place at all is wrong. I live in Europe and have seen numerous documentaries from the BBC about their prisons being bad also. They were not picking on the U.S. Journalism in Britain still holds to the notion that the media has a duty to report on social issues. Without the reports, nothing would get done. The journalists in the U.S. use to do this. That is how the Viet Nam war was ended.
You obviously know nothing about Great Britains penal system then......
Good documentary which shows that we do not have to look as far as Iraq to find inhumane treatment of prisoners, its right here, at home.
****Stars
Regards,
Der Oberst