Incarcerated status does not warrant degradation of inmates

Why do people in authority positions tend to think they’re above the law; or think their prejudicial practices go unnoticed or their blatant disregard for human dignity is acceptable?

I am the sister of an incarcerated loved one within the Iowa Dept. of Corrections. I am exhausted trying to continually ensure my loved one is treated with dignity while incarcerated. It’s not unbeknownst to me that the public feels whatever degrading policies and behaviors inflicted on incarcerated persons is what they deserve; however, societies should never confuse degradation with retribution.

Many don’t understand, that eventually, incarcerated persons serve their time and are released back into the communities where you and I live. It’s naive to believe that once a person completes a sentence, they’ve learned their lesson, then becomes a model citizen. Does the general public really believe if you treat human beings badly while incarcerated, they’re released with a renewed sense of citizenry? Naive indeed!

What I struggle with are individuals who are issued guns, badges, certificates or diplomas and think those things will protect them from the eventual residuals of their behavior toward indigent populations. Could the bad behaviors of persons working in correctional facilities have a strong correlation to the recidivism rates in this country or why the U.S. rates of incarceration are more than double that of any other country in the world?

It’s the innocent in our communities who pay the price for human abuse in any capacity, in any society.

Becky Ehlts

Portland, TN