This is a good read....Seems a lot tougher in the USA than Canada when it comes to this http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=136858
Might want to put a disclaimer on this one. As for the stuff said I do think american prisons are less acclimated towards rehabilitation. I think part of that has to do with americas views on criminals, as well as the war on drugs which has produced overpopulation and a stretching of resources. The prison rape thing is something I had heard from a guy I worked with who was locked up for 2 years. He said though that it was the one thing he would never wish on anyone and I would never want to hear/see.
I spend a lot of time going into prisons for work and my impression is that the war on drugs has been one of the worst decisions this country has ever made. It has resulted in huge over crowding and has turned a large number of people into prisoners (and second class citizens after their release) who would have been productive and non problem causing members of society. As for the rape thing, I've been told that it mostly occurs in your cell with guys who have befriended you for that purpose. The whole "don't drop the soap in the shower" thing never happens. The biggest issues from the inmates I've spoken with relate to being able to masturbate (its not allowed) and with loneliness/boredom.
As a society we are a bit naive to think we can rehabilitate the convicted. They are largely products of their surroundings and what they had growing up. Of course when those that get released have problems finding work (hell, even non-felons are having problems finding work), what sort of thing do you think they'll resort to, to get by? I empathize with the convicted in that regard, but also understand you can't just "fix" criminals by locking them up and hoping they "learn a lesson."
Still amazes me with all the shake downs they do it's still incredibly easy to get drugs in there. I think that guy is right, in that some guards probably are the reason it's there or look the other way.
i heard from numerous people even tv shows that you can get anyting in prison. surprisingly some of the cheapest, moste easily botainable things are the most expensive and hardest to get inside while the most expensive, hardest things to get outside, like drugs, are the easiest to get inside. i also heard that they all spank it in the showers and you dont want to walk around barefoot in there. but that might just be at broward county jail.
I'm not a big believer in rehabilitation. I think rehabilitation is up to the individual, depending on the environment. In other words, the worse the environment the fewer individuals who will ever be able to rehab themselves. The situation in prisons is so bad though that very few individuals can rehab themselves. And the war on drugs has exponentially increased the number of people we label as criminals and put into that horrible environment.