Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis Police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd in 2020, actions which sparked the BLM movement and earned him 22.5 years in prison, was stabbed in prison this Friday. As the Minnesota Attorney General, Keith Ellison, confirmed, he was stabbed but is now in stable condition. Ellison expressed sentiments for the event, saying, "I am sad to hear that Derek Chauvin was the target of violence. He was duly convicted of his crimes and, like any incarcerated individual, he should be able to serve his sentence without fear of retaliation or violence."
While Chauvin's actions were certainly inexcusable, his punishment should be dealt with through the law, not revenge, though many would hope it is. The government's goal is to administer this punishment and its failure to protect one of the most high-profile inmates in the entire country is unclear and bodes poorly for the system.
The United States' prison system has been ruthlessly scrutinized for a great number of reasons: from the unreasonably high number of incarcerated individuals, the highest per capita in the world, (Statista) made up disproportionally of minorities. To incidents like this, call the safety of the roughly 1.68 million prisoners in the US into question.
Safety incidents like this have become increasingly common, as the Justice Department's inspector general, Michael Horowitz, pointed out the prison bureau's failure to improve procedures for high-profile inmates in two separate reports this year (NYTimes). Regardless of what you think of Chauvin or the other high-profile inmates who have been targeted, prison is a place for one's punishment to be dealt out in isolation from society, not vigilante, or physical revenge. It is clear from these incidents and from decades of terrible prison circumstances, that the Justice Department, and government as a whole need to improve its treatment of prisoners.
Sources:
10 comments:
I think this reflects a broader issue of whether, when someone disagrees with the justice system, it is alright to take justice into one's own hands. There are some more positive, lighthearted examples of this in media, such as superheroes defending a city with little police coverage, and more serious, real-world examples like Chauvin's stabbing. I think that the best option is probably, like you said, to administer punishment through law and not revenge. Rather than trying to deal with punishment personally, I think the better option is to focus on reforming the justice system so it does punish people as they deserve. Even though I understand how people might feel frustrated when the justice system doesn't seem to change and keeps favoring certain individuals, I don't think this fully justifies exacting revenge on someone.
Many prisons are also understaffed and ill-equipped to deal with unlawful, retaliatory incidents such as this one. The prison where Chauvin was held, the Federal Correctional Institution, Tucson, has reportedly been continually plagued with staff shortages and security issues. However, I do not believe there are any easy solutions to the problem. The prison in question is managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and thus funded by taxes that very few would be willing to pay to lock up more people. The alternative of making the prison a private one is also abhorrent in my opinion, as private prisons are for-profit and have a notorious reputation for having little regard for an inmate's livelihood.
https://apnews.com/article/derek-chauvin-george-floyd-prison-stabbing-f24cde6aa28877d034530c2dc40ef7ea
I agree with you Janus, and your assessment that a private prison would be worse. It is a business that incentivizes un-correctional behaviors, as, if a majority of prisoners return to society as better people, they won't return to prison. It could mean a reduction in prison populations and in turn a defunding of the private system. As a result, we see private prisons with extremely unfortunate conditions, incentivized to treat prisoners like animals; but I think that the solution isn't too far out. Greater funding to prison systems, and better staffed/trained/managed prisons hopefully would improve prisoner treatment and safety. The punishment is itself the isolation so except in extreme cases it results in a more functional person upon return to society and fewer repeat offenders. It is similar to the extremely lenient Scandinavian prisons, and while we obviously cannot take it to this extreme, a trend in this direction is certainly needed to improve the great number of issues within our Prisons.
I like the point that you made here. I, too, believe that our American criminal justice system is in urgent need of improvement and must serve justice to those our justice system has wronged. I find it interesting that inmates are resorting to violence as a form of revenge/retaliation -- is it revenge or is it a form of releasing guilt?
I also like Janus' mention of how prisons are frequently understaffed and not equipped with the right resources to properly address incidents like this. I do agree that the law needs to deal with issues like these but I also believe they should be well-equipped with the materials and resources to successfully respond to the issues ahead of time. This just shows where America's priorities are.
While America's criminal justice system is certainly one of the more ineffective ones in the world (the standard being places Norway, Finland and Sweden which all have high rehabilitation rates and far more humane prison systems), I think this act of violence is more of a reflection of where America stands with its own criminal justice system. People feel that the officers involved in murdering George Floyd didn't receive the retribution their actions warranted, so the fact that someone actually took it upon themselves to stab Chauvin and dole out that punishment themselves is a reflection of how angry people are with the lack of comeuppance. Chauvin and his fellow officers murdered George Floyd, and the amount of floundering around that the government and police did around the murder and trial clearly angered people then, and years later is still angers many. While we can't excuse violence and aggression, it's hard not to see something like this coming with all of the discourse and dissatisfaction from the public on the lack of accountability that the authorities displayed in getting justice for George Floyd.
While this prison incident gained great attention because the Floyd murder was so famous, prison violence in general appears to be the takeaway issue. It's not surprising that those in prison would act violently or disobey rules, considering unlawful acts landed them jail time in the first place; however, prisons should be more proactive in protecting their inmates from harm. Hostile living situations are of course inflamed by poor management and overcrowding. While one may see a harsh prison system as one that serves to deter people from breaking the law, citizens have the right to safety within imprisonment. Adding fear for one's well being within the isolation of prison seems increasingly more traumatic. Furthermore, the psychological effects of prison are clearly brutal, perhaps producing distorted judgement or aggression in inmates, and more nurturing environments should be considered for incarceration. Inmates have fallen victim to an overly-damaging environment from the beginnings of imprisonment itself, and American prisons she be modeled after the more humane ones of Europe. Incarceration in Norway and other countries is not only humane but much more effective. A more forgiving system would hopefully reduce prison violence and hostility like exemplified to Chauvin.
I agree with Ava that prisons shoud be more proactive in protecting thier inmates from harm. There should be a standard of protection met for each individual in prison no matter their crime. Although I do understand that behind this attack there would have been hatred, anger, revenge because of what Chauvin did and because it was such a high profile case. People are still angry even though it has been a few years since this iccident and each time people are getting more angry because it keeps happenning. I do think Chauvin has become a victim of his own actions. America's criminal justice system needs serious ratifications to bring justice to victims but also to bring those in authority to justice as well and receive proper punishemnt
I did some more research on the prison that Chauvin was held in, FCI in Tucson, Arizona. It is a medium-sized prison (approx 770 inmates) with a medium security level. They offer health and drug rehabilitation programs within the facility as well as offering inmates up to $360.00 per month on snacks, food, and other items. However, reading Janus's comments about the institution's issues of understaffing and low-security maintenance, it is no surprise that this incident happened, especially with one of the most prolific figures in recent history that was practically the face of police brutality and the unfairness in the injustice system in the eyes of many. Ways to mitigate this behavior aren't easy, but it starts with reforming the prison system. There should be more funding in order to keep the prison population in check and have more of a caring and rehabilatory approach. Prisons in Europe are much more free for inmates as they have more liberties and way more comfortable facilities. In part of people taking justice into their own hands, in a prison, impulsive behavior like this is somewhat expected, but I believe taking efforts into reforming the prison system in a safer and kinder way towards inmates may reduce the need for them to act out violently and without rational thought.
https://www.inmateaid.com/prisons/federal-correctional-institution-fci-tucson
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/how-some-european-prisons-are-based-dignity-instead-dehumanization
There should be a consistent standard of protection for every individual in prison, regardless of their crime. While I acknowledge that the attack on Chauvin may have stemmed from feelings of hatred, anger, and revenge due to his high-profile case, it's evident that people remain upset, and the recurring incidents only intensify these emotions. Chauvin seems to have become a victim of his own wrongdoing. The American criminal justice system requires substantial reforms to ensure justice for victims and hold those in positions of authority accountable for their actions, ensuring they receive appropriate punishment.
Post a Comment