Prison, probably after death, is the worst fate to befall an individual in the society we live in. The idea of imprisonment as punishment is by no means a new one, it is as old as the idea of the state itself, and dates back as far as the times of Hammurabi in ancient Babylon around 1750 B.C. This form of punishment was intended to help the accused ponder and perform penance of a sort to absolve themselves of their crimes and sins. Since those times, the prison system has evolved variantly and much around the world, but none as starkly as the Prison system in the United States. The United States holds the dubious honour of having the most incarcerated citizens on the planet,at a rate of 100 prisoners per 100,000 of the population. So for a system that serves such a large population of the country, must be done with respect for their rights and needs to, and thats where the buck stops.
While in Los Angeles, we visited an organization that works primarily with the incarcerated population and the protection of their rights within the country but especially within the city of Los Angeles itself. The general notion sold when one is sent to the prison system is that you have lost all your rights and whatever happens to you within the walls of the peninteniary is absolutely part of the sentence one pays back to society. The assumption that rape, and the devolving of your humanity is part and parcel of one’s sentence is one of the most glaring factors to why change must be made within the system. There have been attempts made to push change upon the Prison system at least in the protection of the incarcerated citizens, like the Prison Rape Prevention Act (2003) which is a universal rule system across the country and a federal law that both the Department of Justice and Corrections have to adhere too. The saddening part is that these laws do not translate as easily to practice especially within the Prisons, that is upto the wardens and the correctional officers to bring the law into being. 
The statistics for rape and sexual abuse within the prison system is rather abhorrent, such as 4 % of sexual abuse in prisons are in the last 12 months and 3.2% in jails. 1 in 10 persons incarcerated in juvenile detention centers are sexually abused and 80% are by staff of these detention centers, and these are only the statistics of the sexual abuse reported. Most of the time within the jail system sexual abuse isnt reported because either there is the problem that it was committed by the staff of the facility which creates a fear of repercussion if one came forward and there is the fact that most men who are sexually abused within the prison system, are ashamed to come forward because of the connotation of homosexuality within our society. There are other issues also that come into play within the prison system , such as sexual slavery rings which are becoming rampant and puts at risk more of these incarcerated citizens who when are released after time spent , are shells of the people they used to be and not capable to handle normal society anymore.
The idea that imprisonment will solve the issue of crime is quickly becoming a farce, yes it does help the few who when released can be added back into society as a functional member, but the systeme the way it is now is not conducive to that. The Correctional System in the United States now, only further damages the psyche and will of these individuals further and then throwing them out to society where they arent given any aid or help to get back on their feet. The stigma of being a former convict even after one has served their sentence does not encourage the getting better and wanting to be part of civil society. The correctional system has to change within this country to respect that these incarcerated individuals are people too, and no matter the colour of their skin, their economical background or their educational qualification they deserve to have safety and security while they serve their sentences, so as to encourage the idea that there is a society out there waiting for them to return. To be a part of again.