Punishment and Rehabilitation: Folsom and Shawshank
This week in ethics, we’re thinking about the way that society punishes the people who do something that society deems wrong. We may be getting ahead of ourselves a little bit, because even though we’ve discussed a couple of ethical perspectives, we have lots of room left to discuss and evaluate what actually is right and wrong. But it’s not a bad idea to think about the stakes of making decisions about ethics. If we as a society decide something is wrong, what is the best way to respond to people who act against that decision? What are the consequences that come from different levels of harshness? What does the way that we treat “wrongdoers” say about the way that we view people in general?
Plus, since this class is using film to illustrate some of its questions, this topic is an opportunity to watch The Shawshank Redemption, which remains my favorite movie. The students usually respond well to it, too, and getting to see a bunch of people see it for the first time is its own thrill. There’s a scene in the movie where Andy Dufresne wants the warden to spend some money to upgrade the prison library. The warden replies that the public only wants the government to spend money on three things in prisons: more bars, more guards, and more guns. Andy is persistent, though, and gradually builds the prison library into a resource that helps at least a dozen prisoners get their high school diplomas. (He has some other projects in the film, but I won’t spoil those if you haven’t seen it.)
This NPR story about Folsom State Prison (made famous by Johnny Cash) from 2009 shows that conflict playing out in the real world – as we spend more money on bars and guards and guns, we spend less on educating and training convicts for life after prison. Whether that actually makes anyone safer or improves anyone’s life is a very open question. I like using this story because I can play the audio from the original radio story and give students the printed article version, so that gives students a couple of different paths to absorb the information. With the article in hand, I ask the students to answer a set of questions that connect to the prison-and-punishment theme. I also hope that thinking about the questions will help the students think about how the media can construct a story to support certain conclusions. It’s definitely worth listening to the story and thinking about what the story says – and doesn’t say – about the prison guards union.
I’ll put the reflection questions after the jump.
1. What is a high-water mark? Why was Johnny Cash’s concert at Folsom State Prison a high-water mark for the prison?
2. How many inmates was Folsom built to hold? How many does it hold today? What problems do you think might result from this difference?
3. How many of the inmates released from Folsom today will be back in prison within 3 years?
4. How much does California spend on its prisons every year?
5. How does the reporter contrast the prison cafeteria from 40 years ago with the cafeteria today?
6. How did California’s prison population change during the 1980s? Give three specific reasons for this change.
7. What connection does the reporter try to make between the correctional officers union and the expanding prison population?
8. Why does Lance Corcoran say that the union supports victims’ rights groups?
9. What is an ulterior motive? Do you think that the union has an ulterior motive?
10. What percent on California’s prison budget goes to education and vocational programs?
11. Why does Derrick Poole say that the workshop is different than the rest of the prison?
12. How many inmates participate in the cabinetry program? How many want to participate?
13. Why does Jean Bracy say that many of the inmates released from Folsom are not employable?
14. How much money does Bracy spend on these programs? Why does she believe it is a good use of the money?
15. Do you believe that these programs are a good way for the state to spend money? Why/why not?
16. What type of crimes are most of Folsom’s inmates in prison for? Do you think it is a good idea to send these criminals to prison? Why/why not?
17. What is China Hill? How is it a symbol for what Folsom was and what it is now?
18. What does Michael Evans say prisons should be? Do you agree? Why/why not?
About Dave Thomer
Born and raised in Philadelphia. Studied philosophy at Fordham University in the Bronx, where I made many great friends and met my wonderful wife. We moved back to Philadelphia, where I studied philosophy some more and became a teacher. Online and off, I'm looking for ways that we can be better citizens and build stronger communities.