Personal Stories of Life after Incarceration in America

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REHUMANIZATION

Escaping “the Parameters of the System”

When we are oppressed and treated as subhuman, we begin to feel shamed, humiliated, and dehumanized. 

Dehumanization can take place through the constraining of ideas, attitudes, and practices about who counts as human, causing people to lose their individuality based on arbitrary ideas of superiority and inferiority. Some examples of severe dehumanization in history include slavery and the Holocaust. 

Now, it could be argued that the American prison system is not as horrifying as slavery or the Holocaust. Yet, some prisons mirror the practices used back then to dehumanize people who are incarcerated.

The U.S. prison system focuses on severe punishment, which can create a “prison psychosis” for people who are incarcerated. Psychological torture from prison can be permanently damaging to those who experience it, worsening their mental health. Even after prison, the barriers placed in front of those who have been incarcerated can reinforce feelings of inferiority, making them feel like “second-class citizens.” 

It is hard to initiate the change needed for the re-humanization of people who are incarcerated or have been previously incarcerated, because the judicial system expresses “indifference” when discussing their constitutional rights. For example, the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) makes it hard for people who are incarcerated to file lawsuits in federal court, going “…no further than necessary to correct the violation of the Federal right of a particular plaintiff”. This act in effect silences their voices so they can not legally fight for their rights, much less achieve them.

Listening to the stories of those who have been incarcerated is one way to participate in their rehumanization.

While ample rehabilitation services and strong re-entry programs are absolutely necessary for the rehumanization of those who have been incarcerated, another way to aid rehumanization—one we can all be involved in—is through the use of language 

Language

Words promote stereotypes, and stereotypes can instill fear.

When we are not called mad dogs, animals, predators, offenders and other derogatory terms, we are referred to as inmates, convicts, prisoners and felons—all terms devoid of humanness which identify us as “things” rather than as people. These terms are accepted as the “official” language of the media, law enforcement, prison industrial complex and public policy agencies. However, they are no longer acceptable for us. ...We are asking everyone to stop using these negative terms and to simply refer to us as PEOPLE. People currently or formerly incarcerated, PEOPLE on parole, PEOPLE recently released from prison, PEOPLE in prison, PEOPLE with criminal convictions, but PEOPLE. 
                                   
                           — Eddie Ellis

“An Open Letter to Our Friends on the Question of Language”

Dehumanizing language can cause people who have been previously incarcerated to experience stigmatization and shame. Using people-first language helps those who have been dehumanized by the system to regain dignity by being seen as a person first. 

However, politicians, media outlets, and the prison system continue to use outdated language like “convict,” “inmate,” and “prisoner” to describe those who have been incarcerated. These words are sometimes used to justify poor conditions—these things are happening to convicts, not to people—and they can cause dehumanization to be seen as appropriate in these circumstances. This is why it is important for the public to educate themselves on how to use rehumanizing language for people who are currently and previously impacted by the justice system.

This language is not just symbolic. It is tied to physical harm. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic multiple governors used dehumanizing descriptions of people who are incarcerated when explaining why they would not follow CDC guidelines and give vaccines to those in prison. Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York was sued because people who were incarcerated during COVID-19 were left out of the first phase of the vaccine rollout. 

Change must start somewhere. For example, following a decision by NYC’s city council, correction officers were no longer allowed to refer to people as “packages” or “bodies.” Though this may seem a very small step compared to dehumanizing people in prison through poor air circulation and healthcare, as well as through the “impossibilities” of social distancing in prisons during the pandemic, these kinds of linguistic changes are essential for the process of rehumanization.

The prison system has a long way to go to adjust to proper language and treatment of people who are incarcerated, but the general public does not have to wait for the prison system to change. We can take initiative by making a change to our own language, including by using the examples below, provided by The Fortune Society. 

Where to Next?

Background

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Rehabilitation

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Re-entry

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