Origins of Corrections Ideology

In pre-1800 America, corrections aimed at rehabilitation contrasted starkly with earlier methods of torture and public execution. The corrections ideology was established by Quakers who wanted offenders to have a place where they could read Bible scriptures and rehabilitate themselves when they break the law. This type of ideology became the cornerstone of America's justice system. In America, we sell the idea that our corrections system is supposed to offer rehabilitation services to promote law-abiding citizens, but with America leading in mass incarceration, America has failed Americans by selling them the dream of corrections. The American Psychological Association reported in 2016 that 2.3 million people were incarcerated in the United States. That number has remained steady at 2.3 million in 2020. These numbers imply that the corrections part of incarceration is not working. If people were being rehabilitated, then the numbers would likely decrease (Nellis & Fettig, 2016).

The 13th Amendment and Incarceration

Americas corrections system changed from rehabilitation to incarceration the moment slavery was abolished in 1865. When slavery was abolished in the United states law makers used the “Except” part in the 13th amendment to incarcerate free former slaves in America. The 13th amendment states, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime” (The 13th, 2016). This left police officers the ability to incarcerate former slaves for a variety of offences like, In South Carolina, a law prohibited African Americans from holding any occupation other than farmer or servant unless they paid an annual tax of $10 to $100. Laws like this are called “Black Codes”. Black Codes were laws aimed at restricting African Americans who had been freed by the 13th amendment from freedom. These laws ensured that the states who survived from slave labor would still receive cheap labor to continue their agriculture industries across America. This is the point where America shifted the ideology from rehabilitation to slavery within incarceration which took corrections out of the equation ( History Channel, 2010).

The War on Drugs and Disproportionate Incarceration

During the 1980’s the term “Super Predator” was used to label young African American males while Our elected officials at that time began the “war on drugs” This war on drugs campaign gave society the impression that our government was cracking down on the crack cocaine epidemic that we now know in the year 2020 that the government was the creator of the crack cocaine epidemic within America. The Netflix Documentary the 13th explains how during the 1980’s black males started to become incarcerated at a higher rate than any other race, almost 10x as much in some states, this is because African American communities were being flooded with narcotics by the US Federal government to fund oversea wars ( The 13th, 2016). This brings the question up, was rehabilitation even in the equation of Americas corrections if the American government was creating the drug epidemic?

Evaluating Punishment in Corrections

Punishment is an important part to analyze within Americas corrections system. Is punishment necessary for rehabilitation? Being incarcerated is punishment enough for some people, others rebel from punishment. Americas corrections procedures keep punishing an offender long past their debt being paid to society for their crime. If a person gets a felony in America that felony can prevent them from getting federal funding to go to school or prevent them from obtaining employment or housing. Some believe that the punishment of incarceration is enough, and the punishment should stop there. Probation and parole are other forms of punishment within America's penal system. This type of punishment shows to be a more effective and humane way to approach rehabilitating an offender. PEW reports that In 2016, 29 percent of the nearly 2 million probation exits were unsuccessful. That leaves over 70% of probation offenders successfully completing their program. This makes the ultimate question remaining, does Americas corrections system work? America leads in mass incarceration and the numbers of people locked up in America are staying steady instead of decreasing so, no Americas correctional system is not working (PEW, 2018).

Towards Reform: Challenges and Solutions

America's government sells the dream that ur corrections system is built off rehabilitating offenders to become productive citizens of society but that often is not the case. Americas revocation rate soars while incarceration rates stay steady, there is no decrease in America's prison population, our system does not work. Americans are demanding prison reform but is there really any reform available for a system that was never intended to rehabilitate offenders? America's Justice system needs to be rebuilt completely with slavery taken out of the equation before it truly ever be a corrections program. Punishment is necessary on a certain level for rehabilitation, but the punishment must end when the offenders finish their sentence without labels or the punishment continues long after their debt is paid. The 13th amendment must be revised to take the “except” part out of the amendment or slavery will forever be intertwined within Americas corrections system. America is currently in the middle of a revolution and mass incarceration is in the forefront of the fight, Americans are demanding a change and that change will come.