If you haven't seen outcry over the prison system, you haven't been looking. Liberation theologians in America have bemoaned the plight of our prison system for years, Libertarians have decried the incarceration of perpetrators of victimless crimes, left and right humanitarians alike have decried the death penalty. The difference between this and Abu Ghraib is that the latter is fresh and new and the former is a drum many of us have been beating for years, to the point where many who listen to it have become accustomed to the drone.

Can you explain what you mean by 'inhumane' treatment of American prisoners in American jails and prisons?

dharma,

In Texas, an audit of a county jail's books showed a man who was sentenced to 30 days for vagrancy being held over 90 days beyond his scheduled release date.

In many prisons, prison rpe has been seen as so much a part of the culture that it is overlooked by the guards (my own experience in a county jail at 18 when I was threatened by an inmate was to be sent to "the hole" and my sentence extended due to fabrications made by the inmate, who entered my cell intending to kill me).

Granted, most abuses in the American system pale in comparison to Abu Ghraib, but I remain staunch in my contention that those who call prison a "country club" have never served time in prison.

There's a big difference between 'inhumane' treatment and outright abuse, though. 

I'll agree that there are incidents of prisoners abusing other prisoners, and I will also agree that there are 'rogue' guards who take pleasure in encouraging inmate violence.  However, not all corrections officers are like that, just as not all inmates are abused and tortured.

Anytime you put a bunch of people who are inclined to violence in the same place with limited recreational facilities...well, that's a recipe for disaster. These convicts couldn't behave themselves in society, so what makes anyone think they're going to be able themselves whilst they're incarcerated?  Yes, the prison guards are there to protect the inmates from each other, but they cannot have eyes on them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The more violent offenders are sometimes moved to a SHU (secure housing unit) to protect not only themselves but the general prison population from them....but as soon as that's done, people start screaming 'abuse' and 'inhumane conditions'.  You can't win.

Gid, can you give me a reference for the vagrant issue?  I'd like to go research that one.  Oh, and I did a number of searches for 'american prison abuse' and found almost nothing relating to US penetentiaries.

Thanks, I'll go check those out.

I have empathy for the perpetrators of the crimes, in that I wouldn't like to be locked up in a place like that.  But, they have to accept the punishment that comes with the conviction of the crime.  Prison is a punishment; it's not for rehabilitation or a mini break.  They're getting more in jail than a lot of law abiding people get - food, shelter, medical care and a chance to better themselves through education. 

ModMan: the first 2 links are broken, and the last one deals with lynching in the 60's, Vietnamese war crimes, and Abu Ghraib.

I have searched for unbiased articles about prisoner torture and abuse in the US penetentiary system, and as yet I haven't managed to find any.  I will keep looking, and I'll let you know if I find any.

Their victims dont get that, and in some cases, they dont even get to breath.