Prison Is Worse Than Slavery
Modern incarceration, sometimes called New Age slavery, is far worse than antebellum slavery when we compare the average American prisoner to the average antebellum slave. The average slave was not directly abused by his or her owners, other than the intrinsic injustice of slavery and the pervasive limitation of opportunities. A significant minority of slaves gave rise to the true horror stories of slavery. Almost all prisoners face loneliness, boredom and the threat of violence on a daily basis in the sick prison environment, punctuated of course by modern horrors.
Perhaps the greatest disadvantage prisoners face is the absence of the opposite sex, which frustrates and encourages violence and deviancy. Antebellum slaves were encouraged to have sex from an early age and their owners frequently played the role of matchmaker.
All prisoners are completely removed from their friends, families, spouses, communities and familiar surroundings and thrust into a terrible moral environment. Only some slaves were sold away from their families, and the moral environment of the plantation was usually better than modern prison. Slaves tended to be a band of brothers, whereas the modern prisoner must join a criminal prison gang and accept the risk of violence to even approach a sicker type of brotherhood.
The antebellum slave enjoyed greater freedom of movement than the modern prisoner, even though slaves were confined to plantations under strict schedules.
In terms of unrestrained violence, the antebellum plantation was far safer than the modern prison. Slaveholders did not want their slaves to be injured, discouraged fighting and sold troublemakers. Slaveholders whipped disobedient slaves, which is a form of violence not seen in modern prisons. This form of antebellum discipline counteracted unplanned violence, maintained productivity and kept order.
Food, clothing and shelter might be considered a tie when we compare the lives of modern prisoners to slaves.
The primary clear advantage enjoyed by most modern prisoners is the length of servitude. The vast majority of prisoners are eventually released. A good percentage of prisoners recidivate and then return to prison. Even if they avoid prison again, the lives of released prisoners are severely restricted through what many now call the New Jim Crow regime of second-class citizenship. All American slaves, about 4 million, were freed from 1863 to 1865, and just like the prisoners of today, faced daunting obstacles when liberated.
Many prisoners enjoy the type of educational opportunities denied to antebellum slaves. This is a significant advantage the modern prisoner enjoys over the antebellum slave.
For their times, slaves lived in a healthier environment, relatively free of diseases, and with better relative healthcare, than modern prisoners. Modern prisons circulate diseases much better than antebellum plantations did. Slaveholders limited alcohol consumption, gambling and violence, while encouraging their servants to remain in superb physical condition.
Slaves always had useful and productive work to do and were therefore highly valued in monetary terms. In today's money, a top field hand was worth up to $45,000. A modern prisoner costs the state and society about $45,000 every year when we tabulate the direct expenditures, increased welfare costs, adverse social consequences and lost opportunity costs of our largely inactive prison population. Many prisoners have never held a job; few receive job training in prison and most have great difficulty finding work when released.
Slaves usually worked productively outside in the sunlight with friends and relatives, often accompanied by animals and the smell of cut grass, which factors are more conducive to happiness than the stinky boredom of cage life among potential enemies. Slaves enjoyed holidays, dances, music, religion, hunting, fishing, sewing and various activities that made work fun. Suicide statistics confirm that generally the antebellum slave was far happier than the modern prisoner. The modern prisoner is 20 times more likely to commit suicide than the antebellum slave.
We ended private slavery and wound up with state slavery. For years now, a comparison has been drawn between modern mass incarceration and antebellum slavery. Whether made from the left or right wings of the political spectrum, this reminds us that all social progress is precarious. Unfortunately, it proves we have not advanced as far as we sometimes think.
Perhaps the greatest disadvantage prisoners face is the absence of the opposite sex, which frustrates and encourages violence and deviancy. Antebellum slaves were encouraged to have sex from an early age and their owners frequently played the role of matchmaker.
All prisoners are completely removed from their friends, families, spouses, communities and familiar surroundings and thrust into a terrible moral environment. Only some slaves were sold away from their families, and the moral environment of the plantation was usually better than modern prison. Slaves tended to be a band of brothers, whereas the modern prisoner must join a criminal prison gang and accept the risk of violence to even approach a sicker type of brotherhood.
The antebellum slave enjoyed greater freedom of movement than the modern prisoner, even though slaves were confined to plantations under strict schedules.
In terms of unrestrained violence, the antebellum plantation was far safer than the modern prison. Slaveholders did not want their slaves to be injured, discouraged fighting and sold troublemakers. Slaveholders whipped disobedient slaves, which is a form of violence not seen in modern prisons. This form of antebellum discipline counteracted unplanned violence, maintained productivity and kept order.
Food, clothing and shelter might be considered a tie when we compare the lives of modern prisoners to slaves.
The primary clear advantage enjoyed by most modern prisoners is the length of servitude. The vast majority of prisoners are eventually released. A good percentage of prisoners recidivate and then return to prison. Even if they avoid prison again, the lives of released prisoners are severely restricted through what many now call the New Jim Crow regime of second-class citizenship. All American slaves, about 4 million, were freed from 1863 to 1865, and just like the prisoners of today, faced daunting obstacles when liberated.
Many prisoners enjoy the type of educational opportunities denied to antebellum slaves. This is a significant advantage the modern prisoner enjoys over the antebellum slave.
For their times, slaves lived in a healthier environment, relatively free of diseases, and with better relative healthcare, than modern prisoners. Modern prisons circulate diseases much better than antebellum plantations did. Slaveholders limited alcohol consumption, gambling and violence, while encouraging their servants to remain in superb physical condition.
Slaves always had useful and productive work to do and were therefore highly valued in monetary terms. In today's money, a top field hand was worth up to $45,000. A modern prisoner costs the state and society about $45,000 every year when we tabulate the direct expenditures, increased welfare costs, adverse social consequences and lost opportunity costs of our largely inactive prison population. Many prisoners have never held a job; few receive job training in prison and most have great difficulty finding work when released.
Slaves usually worked productively outside in the sunlight with friends and relatives, often accompanied by animals and the smell of cut grass, which factors are more conducive to happiness than the stinky boredom of cage life among potential enemies. Slaves enjoyed holidays, dances, music, religion, hunting, fishing, sewing and various activities that made work fun. Suicide statistics confirm that generally the antebellum slave was far happier than the modern prisoner. The modern prisoner is 20 times more likely to commit suicide than the antebellum slave.
We ended private slavery and wound up with state slavery. For years now, a comparison has been drawn between modern mass incarceration and antebellum slavery. Whether made from the left or right wings of the political spectrum, this reminds us that all social progress is precarious. Unfortunately, it proves we have not advanced as far as we sometimes think.
John Dewar Gleissner, Esq. graduated from Auburn University (B.A. with Honor, 1973) and Vanderbilt Law School (1977). He is the author of the new 438-page non-fiction book, "Prison & Slavery - A Surprising Comparison," for sale at Amazon.com (paperback, Kindle and free "Look Inside" feature).
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