Human society is so complex, it takes a lot of effort to make it work. Every structure built and put in place is done to make the society safer and comfortable for living. One of the element of the society that we have uphold for centuries is the justice system.
Justice has always been defined by a very simple structure for ages, it has always been about giving befitting punishment to crimes committed. For every crime committed in the society, there is a lawful punishment attached to it, but it is never about ensuring justice only. As a lover of social science, I have always stated that, humans are not the peaceful creatures we think we are. We have lived as humans for so long that we have forgotten about our true nature.
It is the laws made by the society that moderated human conduct, we are higher animals after all. The animal side of us used to be unhinged, laying waste to everything on earth. In order to ensure the safety of ourselves and the ecosystem, nations were founded, borders were defined and laws were created. All this was done to put the animal in us under control, at least we taught we did.
Narurally, loving our fellow humans should be enough to protect us, humans shouldn't intentionally cause harm to fellow humans. We forgot the predator in us, we forgot are just like a Lion's pride, a group of predators that will gladly kill the cubs of another. That is how far our love for each other goes. Knowing this about ourselves, punishment became the reward for every crime. At least if love is not enough to prevent humans from committing atrocities, the fear of being punished should prevent us from doing so.
So the society decided, Why not put them in a confined and controlled space, those who put the peace enjoyed by the society in jeopardy. This space is known as a prison or correctional center, a place where criminals are kept, serving the punishment for their crimes. It is definitely a system that keeps everyone safe but we never really thought about some other responsibilities that might come with creating such space.
Just like every sector in the society, even a prison needs funding to keep it from collapsing. The inmate needs to be fed, clothed and monitored, these services cost money. As we all know, funds used to maintain and such government establishment is taken from the citizens taxes. Which means, the money used to take care of the same criminals locked up for the safety of the society is taken from the same people they might have endangered.
Knowing about the kinds of gruesome crimes some of this criminals might have committed and yet, taxes of law abiding citizens are used to cater for their needs. It makes you wonder, is it fair? It is hard to say but the truth is, it is a fair price to pay for peace. I don't know about other countries prison or correctional facility, but I wouldn't regard the criminals in my country's prison as people lavishing. If you think they are, try visiting any correctional center in my country.
Some years ago, the church I was attending decided to go for prison ministration. I was curious, so I joined the team selected for the service, getting there, believe me I was in a hurry to get out. The condition of those prisoners, I don't think they are enjoying any taxes at all. It definitely feels like they are getting what they deserve but the cruelty bestowed on those people is beyond what humanly possible. So speaking of prisoners enjoying taxes, I really can't relate.
This write-up was inspired by weekly featured content titled Prison walfare in hive learners community.
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