| Description |
The United States continues to unquestionably violate the human rights of incarcerated individuals. Further, the nation does so with a general disregard to whether or not U.S. prison policies effectively prevent crime or in fact exacerbate it. This paper posits that widespread American belief in radical individualism, ‘bootstraps theory,' or the myth of meritocracy in the ‘American Dream,' strengthens public favor for the draconian punishments of the U.S. prison system and perpetuates beliefs that discourage truly progressive discussion and legislation with reference to it. Alternatively, learning to see systems of crime and punishment through a more collectivist lens- perceiving it as a societal issue rather than an individual issue-could lead to two key outcomes. The first is less acceptance of excess punitiveness, because a ‘blame' narrative strengthens the human tendency to default to ‘just deserts' rationale, and thus reducing this may decrease the desire to think of ‘punishment' as the end goal of justice. The second is a reduction of excuses to avoid acknowledgement of the role of discrimination in the current American justice system. These outcomes could in turn invite an expansion of the discussions for reform or abolition to aspects of the U.S. justice system, an exploration that can ultimately lead to new possibilities to simultaneously better protect the human rights of the prosecuted and effectively decrease crime in American communities. |
