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How Prisons could be different



Latin American prisons could prevent the growth of drug cartels / gangs through rehabilitation / separation / workforce training

Prisoners could vape

Wild horses could rehabilitate people / raise money

Prisons could have sanitary conditions / pest control

Prison sentences could not be capped for those dangerous to society

Prisons could have running programs

Prisoners could or could not have cell phones / tablets with restrictions

Families could have ways to heal from prison incarceration

Prison rehabilitation programs could reduce violence and crime

Prisons could have language translators

Gang involvement could be confronted inside prisons

Mexico could improve its police, prison, social welfare / basic income, and justice systems to confront drug cartels

Nonviolent offenders could be separated from violent offenders in smaller prisons to prevent prison gang recruitment / increased crime

People with mental health issues could go to state psychiatric centers/access assertive community treatment rather than nursing homes/prisons

Prison food could be healthier and incorporate farming / nutritional education

Prisoners could receive trauma-informed therapy

Pretrial detention / waiting periods for prisoners worldwide could be shorter / done differently

Prisoners could be able to defend themselves in courts

Released prisoners could go to homestays

Prisons and domestic violence / homeless shelters could have pets from animal shelters

Involuntary sterilization could not happen in prisons

Prison guards could be coaches / mentors

Prisoners could less expensively / more easily communicate with family

Pedophiles could get therapy and psychiatric / hormonal drugs

Volunteer prison firefighters could become firefighters after release

Prisoners could have access to a liberal arts education

Executive skills and self-regulation coaching could help people achieve goals

Prisons could have art, drama, and music

Rehabilitation programs could be used instead of or in jail

Prisoners could learn to code and/or other technology skills

Marijuana and other drug charges could be dropped or changed

District Attorneys, prosecutors, and judges could reform the U.S. criminal justice system

Vulnerable prison inmates could be housed in separate areas

Empathy could be taught

Prisoners could be able to share conditions of jails and treatment

Restorative justice could be used to help both perpetrators and victims

U.S. prisoners could receive better / less negligent healthcare

Prisons could have compassionate release

Prisons could have hospices with prisoners as caregivers

Prisoners could receive housing vouchers, food vouchers and/or a basic income upon release to reduce recidivism

More U.S. prisoners could be eligible for parole

Prison, inner city, nursing home, and hospital residents could have access to nature

Drugs could be decriminalized with available treatment options

Counseling circles could be used in prisons

Prisons could have newspapers

Prisoners could have access to book, magazines, and newspapers

U.S. immigrant detention centers could provide adequate medical care to detainees

Juveniles could not be tried, sentenced, and incarcerated as adults

U.S. child support could depend on a current income or be by providing child care

Prisoners could be able to vote

Cash bail / waiting times in jail for non-violent, pretrial defendants could improve

Prisons could be rehabilitative

Prisons could have regulated temperatures

Prisoners could not have to pay to stay in jail depending on their income level

Prosecutors and judges could be held accountable for misconduct

Mindfulness could be taught and used more widely

Access to books could be through e-readers and mobile phones

Community accompaniment programs or electronic monitoring could be used instead of immigration detention centers

Mandatory minimum and three strike sentencing laws could be reformed for nonviolent offenses

Prison labor could be paid more, have labor protections, and prepare people for employment after release

Meditation could be taught and used more widely

Juvenile detention could be improved to rehabilitate

Government agencies, schools, hospitals, police, universities, foundations, prisons, workplaces, elections, judiciary systems, and nonprofits could collect, publicize, and use citizen feedback

Prisons could have dog training programs

Prisoners could receive education and job training before release

Solitary confinement in prisons could be limited or abolished

Private prisons could be banned, limited, have increased oversight / incentives to keep people out of prison, and/or turn into nonprofit

Temporary, paid jobs to ex-offenders in peer groups could reduce recidivism

Incarceration could not be treated as "voluntary unemployment" to calculate child support arrears

Housing first strategies could be used with the homeless

Drug policy and government funds could focus on providing treatment and prevention rather than punishment

Illegal drug users could be sent to treatment centers rather than prisons

Community-based alternatives to prison could be used to lower recidivism rates and prison populations

Ex-prisoners could have better access to benefits to decrease recidivism