Prisons are in crisis throughout the United States, and Pennsylvania is no exception. They are overcrowded, understaffed and their treatment of human beings does not reflect the values we espouse as Americans.
That’s the position of FAMM, a national criminal justice reform organization that has researched conditions at prisons in the country and found them sorely wanting.
Medical copays and limited in-person visitation have returned for people in Pennsylvania state prison, while restrictions remain for meals and other activities.
If you don’t believe it, go and visit one.
That’s exactly what FAMM is calling on lawmakers and other officials to do. They’re asking them to visit prisons in their areas and get an up-close look at the living conditions and at the people inside.
Several state representatives have taken them up on the invitation, and what they are finding is both shocking and a danger to our society.
Taking a look at inmate visitation areas at State Correctional Institution Camp Hill, August 30, 2018. Pennsylvania's 25 state prisons were put on lockdown this week as officials try to come to grips with a growing drug smuggling problem that is causing staff and prisoner illness. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com PENNLIVE.COM
It’s not just the living conditions, which in too many cases are deplorable. But FAMM is right. Prisons in this country seem designed to bring out the worst in any human being.
It’s no secret many who spend a few years in prison return to society angry and hardened. And many of those inside are elderly and sick. They’re a threat to no one but a significant expense for taxpayers to underwrite.
Bradford Gamble is one of only 33 people who have successfully petitioned to leave a Pennsylvania state prison in the past 13 years because of illness.
Kevin Ring, president of FAMM; and John Wetzel, former secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, say attitudes toward corrections in this nation need serious rethinking. And one of the most pressing issues is the aging of the prison population.
FAMM makes a good case that many people behind bars no longer need to be there. They’re no longer a threat to anyone, and it’s draining tax dollars to care for them well into old age.
Statistics show that in less than 10 years, more than 400,000 inmates will be over 55 years old. That’s one-third of the prison population. And the cost for their care will increasingly drain the resources of states like Pennsylvania.
This divergence from medical and federal health officials is an example of what the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association said is continuous disregard by the corrections department for the lives at risk in prisons as new coronavirus cases in facilities explode.
That’s why Ring, Wetzel and FAMM are asking people who can do something about the situation in the nation’s prisons to step inside and take a good look. They are convinced if those in positions of influence take the time to visit prisons and talk to people inside, they will see the system desperately needs reform.
In their recent Op-Ed, Ring and Wetzel asked legislators and prison officials to consider these questions:
- If prisons are overcrowded and understaffed, how do we ensure that we are reserving prison space for the people who need to be there?
- How can we make sure that the 94 percent of people who are going to eventually leave prison return to society better than they left and ready to contribute as family members and citizens?
- How can we make sure both prisoners and correctional officers are healthy and safe?
- And, more fundamentally, isn’t it our responsibility to do so?
These are valid questions, and the judges, legislators, and correction authorities responsible for putting people behind bars have an obligation to answer them. We all do.
Community activists organized a protest at Dauphin County Prison to bring attention to unaddressed problems at the prison, June 13, 2022. Vicki Vellios Briner | Special to PennLiveVicki Vellios Briner | Special to PennLive
We join FAMM in calling on officials with any control or influence over prisons in Pennsylvania to visit them and get a true picture of life inside. We also ask them to take the steps FAMM is recommending to release elderly prisoners who are no longer a danger; and to create programs aimed at rehabilitating those who remain inside.
Voters have a lot at stake. It’s your tax dollars underwriting a prison system that does more harm than good. And your costs will only increase as the people in Pennsylvania’s prisons grow old and gray.
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