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<\/p>\nLast month, as a series of winter storms raged through Texas, prisons and jails across the state descended into chaos. Thousands\u00a0of people who were packed together in facilities were left with no running water, limited or inedible food, and overflowing toilets. Many were made to sleep on the floor in freezing temperatures, could\u00a0not take\u00a0necessary medicine, and resorted to selling water to each other. Storm preparations and responses failed people across the state \u2014 but, as is often the case, incarcerated people were among the hardest hit, least noticed\u00a0and last helped.<\/p>\n
What happened in Texas was a tragedy, but it was not a first, nor was it unexpected.<\/p>\n
Over the past four decades, the United States built one of the world\u2019s largest prison systems to warehouse as many people as cheaply as possible, with inadequate investment in basic health and safety precautions. And all too often the conditions in these facilities fail to meet human rights standards.<\/p>\n
Not only is this starting point cruel and inhumane, but it\u2019s also glaringly ineffective at promoting safe and healthy communities.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Exterior shot of a Texas prison. (Photo: Thomas B. Shea\/for USA TODAY)<\/span><\/p>\n Decades of research has\u00a0taught us that a maze of countless factors \u2014 from turbulent family relationships to poor nutrition to childhood lead exposure to\u00a0violence\u00a0\u2014 can bring people closer to harmful behaviors. While protective factors \u2014 from trusting relationships to tight-knit communities to positive educational climates\u00a0 \u2014 can have the opposite impact. Extreme stress can\u00a0change the structure of the brain, sparking increased sensitivity in the region that makes snap decisions while physically shrinking\u00a0a\u00a0region that contributes to\u00a0logical reasoning. This all underscores that many serious crimes are the product of years of abuse, neglect\u00a0or just bad luck \u2014 and it means that even those who cause serious harm can, and do, change with the right environmental stimulation.<\/p>\n And yet,\u00a0despite piles of evidence showing that stress and trauma are major drivers of violence, we still rely on prisons defined by constant stress and trauma. Then, when many of those previously incarcerated struggle when they get out and return to the system, we wonder why these approaches are not working.<\/p>\n COLUMN: <\/strong>Infectious disease expert, former attorney general: Prioritize COVID vaccines for inmates<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n U.S. prisons are densely crowded, which means that conflicts quickly escalate and multiply. Physical and sexual violence \u2014 by both prisoners and staff \u2014 are rampant and often leave even bystanders with post-traumatic stress disorder. Prisoners are forced to dress alike, called by numbers instead of names, and denied privacy. Barriers to visits and exorbitant phone fees keep people in prison isolated from their loved ones, while poor nutrition, mold infestations, polluted drinking water\u00a0and substandard medical care deteriorate their health. Humans are remarkably adept\u00a0at changing behavior to mirror others\u2019 expectations, even without realizing it. So when prisons treat people as subhuman, many begin to look like their worst\u00a0selves.<\/p>\n Our nation\u2019s approach to criminal justice is particularly baffling because we have so much evidence highlighting the factors that stop people who have committed crimes from continuing to cause harm. Strong relationships and social networks make people less likely to reoffend, yet we go through pains to isolate people who commit crimes from their families and communities.<\/p>\n COLUMN: <\/strong>Floyd family attorney: As Derek Chauvin trial begins, progress shows the power of protests<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Stable employment makes people less likely to reoffend, yet we create innumerable barriers to employment and often systematically refuse to hire returning citizens. People who develop an identity beyond their crime, and know that others believe in their potential, are less likely to reoffend, yet every corner of our prison system signals that criminals are not worth the most basic human decency.<\/p>\n In the U.S., we have grown so used to brutal prisons that many of us never presume that a prison system could be both effective and humane. But it can \u2014 just look at Germany and the Netherlands.<\/p>\n Both countries built their modern justice systems around goals of preventing crime and valuing human dignity, rather than feeding a hunger for punishment. Prison life is as similar as possible to life in the community, so returning citizens are equipped to re-join society. Incarcerated people wear their own clothes, cook their own meals, work jobs (often outside prison walls) that will equip them to build stable careers, and sleep in private rooms. And, while it\u2019s almost impossible to accurately compare recidivism rates between countries, data suggests that people released from German and Dutch prisons are far less likely to reoffend than those leaving U.S. prisons.<\/p>\n Responsibility for creating safe, rehabilitative prisons lies with everyone who helps to shape the justice system.\u00a0But, one potential change-maker whose role is often overlooked is the elected prosecutor. They must ensure that when they decide to put people behind bars, they are not sending them to inhumane facilities that undermine public safety.<\/p>\n