VOA慢速英语2015 监狱监管组织关注美国监狱

AS IT IS 2015-03-25 Prison Watchdog Group Watching US Jails 监狱监管组织关注美国监狱

The United States has almost a fourth of the world's prison population -- more than two million people, to be exact. That number comes from the International Centre for Prison Studies in London.

Among the groups working to improve conditions for prisoners and guarantee their rights is the John Howard Association of Illinois. The association's work was recognized last month. The group received a $500,000 award from the MacArthur Foundation.

The John Howard Association uncovers conditions that need to be changed and gives voice to prisoners' interests.

“Ricky” was jailed for murder, and spent almost 35 years of his life in prison. The 59-year-old is now free from jail. But he has troubling memories of his incarceration¹.

“I would have to say psychologically, you know,  trying to endure day after day, week after week, you know, and watching your loved ones pass as the years go on.”

Ricky also had to deal with problems and issues that prisoners face each day. Ricky lived in a small room, with other inmates².

“They would put you in a cell with someone you wasn't compatible with, but mainly I would have to say, not having a voice. And, uh, prison conditions, you know,  you have over crowdedness."

Jennifer Vollen-Katz is the acting³ Executive Director for the John Howard Association, or JHA. The group has been closely watching the prison system in the American state of Illinois. She says the system was designed for just over 32,000 inmates, but many more live there now.

"We're somewhere in the neighborhood of 47,000 inmates within the State of Illinois Department of Corrections."

Jennifer Vollen-Katz says overcrowding, putting too many people in a small area, is a big problem. She says it can create unsafe conditions for both prisoners and people working at the jail. She says overcrowding leads to a lack of what she calls 'programing.'

"A lack of programing means that inmates are not able to use their time productively, to gain skills, to do things that might increase their employment opportunities upon release, not to mention just sheer boredom⁴ and missing your family and all that being exasperated⁵ by lack of productive activity and engagement, which is certainly a problem inside our prisons right now."  

JHA watches over and reports on Illinois' prisons for adults and those for juveniles⁷, where young people serve out their sentences. Ms. Vollen-Katz says the group’s goal is to educate policy makers⁸ and the public about the truths of criminal justice policy.

"We believe that there is importance simply in showing up, and bearing witness and reporting our observations of what goes on inside prison to the outside world so that the outside world remembers that our citizens that are in prison are still our citizens, that these are still people and that these are people that will eventually return to our communities."

Over the years, JHA has helped to influence major policy changes. For example, a recent report uncovered poor medical treatment of prisoners. The report led to public hearings on prison healthcare, and an investigation⁹ of the Illinois Department of Corrections healthcare system.

In 2009, JHA raised the importance of identifying and treating mental sickness among prisoners. One of its suggestions for preventing suicide was to do away with metal bunk¹⁰ beds in juvenile⁶ prisons.

"They posed a great danger to those experiencing suicidal thoughts. And in report after report, we pointed¹¹ out how dangerous this kind of furniture was. And not 100 percent yet, but pretty close to, the furniture have been traded out to plastic molded bedding that doesn't pose the same danger that the old furniture did."  

The John Howard Association was one of nine non-profit groups honored this year with a MacArthur Foundation Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Ms. Vollen-Katz says the award will help her group do its work, because JHA does not receive any government money.

"We received a $500,000 award, which is incredibly exciting for us in terms of our ability to build capacity, to increase our communications and outreach and get more support and to do more work; all that is incredibly exciting and important for an organization of our size."

With this recognition and support, Jennifer Vollen-Katz says, JHA is set to continue working in support of prison reforms. The group is working to make sure that the Illinois justice system is both fair and caring.

Words in This Story

incarceration – n. imprisonment¹²

endure – v. to suffer; to deal with

exasperated –adj. to feel very angry

juvenile – adj. relating to or meant for young people, as an adjective, always used before a noun

1 incarceration   

n.监禁，禁闭；钳闭

参考例句：

• He hadn't changed much in his nearly three years of incarceration. 在将近三年的监狱生活中，他变化不大。 来自辞典例句
• Please, please set it free before it bursts from its long incarceration! 请你，请你将这颗心释放出来吧！否则它会因长期的禁闭而爆裂。 来自辞典例句

2 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 boredom   

n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊

参考例句：

• Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.失业会让你无聊得发疯。
• A walkman can relieve the boredom of running.跑步时带着随身听就不那么乏味了。

5 exasperated   

adj.恼怒的

参考例句：

• We were exasperated at his ill behaviour. 我们对他的恶劣行为感到非常恼怒。
• Constant interruption of his work exasperated him. 对他工作不断的干扰使他恼怒。

6 juvenile   

n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的

参考例句：

• For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人，他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
• Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。

7 juveniles   

n.青少年( juvenile的名词复数 )；扮演少年角色的演员；未成年人

参考例句：

• Do you think that punishment for violent crimes should be the same for juveniles and adults? 你对暴力犯罪的惩罚对于青少年和成人应一样吗？ 来自生活英语口语25天快训
• Juveniles Should we not exactly in need of such strength and conviction? 少年的我们难道不正是需要这种力量和信念吗？ 来自互联网

8 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

10 bunk   

n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话

参考例句：

• He left his bunk and went up on deck again.他离开自己的铺位再次走到甲板上。
• Most economists think his theories are sheer bunk.大多数经济学家认为他的理论纯属胡说。

11 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

12 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。