1. Prisons in America

2. There are about 2 million people in prison in America right now
There are about 2 million people in prison in America right now. This is a break down of where the prisoners are held and how prisons have grown
1950
1975
1990
2015

3. Security Levels Three major levels of prison security: Maximum Medium
Minimum

4. Maximum-Security Prison
Large institutions with several thousand prisoners
Have high fences, thick walls, and guard towers

5. Maximum-Security Prison
Used for most dangerous inmates who are a severe threat to public safety
Prisoners given little opportunity to associate with each other or have visits
Typically in cells for 23 hours/day

6. Medium-Security Prisons
Less serious crimes (minor assaults, small thefts)
Secure dormitories for up to fifty prisoners

7. Medium-Security Prisons
Prisoners have more freedom (use library, exercise yard, etc.)
Some inmates can work outside of the prison under supervision of correctional officers
Prisons often have educational facilities

8. Minimum-Security Prisons
Prisoners who are the least risk to public safety
Prisoners can roam within the confines of the prison
Single perimeter fences, no armed guards

9. Super-Maximum Security Prisons
Meant to hold most dangerous prisoners
First one was Alcatraz, island in San Francisco Bay
Prisoners kept in individual cells
Furniture often made of cement, can’t be moved

12. Imagine living here…
The cells minimize social contact and increase isolation between cellmates and the external prison workings. The cells, usually 7'x12‘, are constructed with solid "boxcar" doors, i.e., with no windows and a locked food port, and are nearly completely soundproofed.
Drains and drainpipes leading to the cells, which often provided a method of communication, route to a central damping location.
Telephone privileges are virtually non-existent, as is any access to the Internet.
All mail, except pre-announced legal communications, is opened, read, and censored.
No physical contact is allowed with visitors. Prisoners receiving visitors are isolated in sealed compartments and speak by telephone.
The windows of the cells are very small and designed to give no actual view of any other part of the prison (in order to prevent a prisoner from knowing his location and thus discouraging escape attempts).
Access to ADX Florence is through a tunnel and the prison is explicitly designed to be defensible against armed attacks from the outside.

13. Poor Prison Conditions
Biggest problem is usually overcrowding
Can lead to discipline problems, unrest, unhealthy conditions, and violence
Many court cases say that poor conditions violate the 8th amendment, but overcrowding does not if the prison still meets “contemporary standards of decency”

15. Parole
Parole = the process of returning prisoners to society if they have displayed good behavior, and if they give their word to avoid further crime
Parole Board examines behaviors, determines release
Parole officer sees to it that parole conditions are met and that the parolee makes a successful transition to life on the outside

16. Staying Out of Prison
Many ex-convicts have difficulty adjusting to society and staying out of trouble
Why?

17. U.S. Recidivism Rate
Any guesses?
60%