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Jacob Riley
Markita Proctor
English 101 Dual Credit EKU
April 29, 2015
Evaluating Kentuckys Prison System
Prisons in Kentucky, as well as anywhere else, have proven to be ways to
detain, and punish, those individuals who would threaten society. However, while
these people are a threat to society, they are still people. Although people deserve
to be punished and accused for their actions against society, it can be said that the
prison system is unfair based upon the way they are taken care of
In Kentucky, it can be argued that prisoners, in these institutions, so not have
the opportunity to practice any other religion other than Christianity. It can be
shown from the Inmate Programs section from Kentuckys Department of
Corrections website that there are only programs having to do with Christianity.
There are only programs like When Gods People Pray and Explore the Bible.
This is ethically wrong since not everyone who is incarcerated is going to be a
Christian. If one religious study is allowed, religious studies that are Islamic, Jewish,
or any other religion should also be allowed. Whether you are innocent or
imprisoned in the living world, people should always be free to explore spirituality
as they wish.
Also, it can be said that there are some punishments for certain crimes in
Kentucky which are also unethically enforced. For example, according to Bruce
Seeligers article on Assault laws in Kentucky, one of the differences between
second and third degree assault, is the concept that second degree assault involves
the intentional injury of anyone, whereas third degree assault can occur only if you
intentionally assault someone like a peace officer or a teacher. The punishments for
these two types of assault are marginally different as well. Second degree
sentences a convicted person from five to ten years, whereas third degree assault
sentences a felon for one to three years. The fact that one of the differences
between these two crimes is the difference in the type of person the crime is acting
upon is very unethical. To give someone less prison time just because they
assaulted someone different is unfair. Assault is assault, no matter how you put it,
the action is the same, it is only the person affected that is different.
Finally, it can be said that overall treatment and welfare of prisoners is
somewhat questionable in Kentucky. According to an article by David Reutter, it can
even be shown in the prison of Aramark where prisoners claimed to have things like
dirt and rocks in the food. This, claiming State Representative Brent Yonts, is due to
the prison having a private food organization in that prison. The people who worked
in that prisons canteen were a private organization, so they were held a little loser
on policies for food. This is unethical since, although these people are felons, they
deserve to be kept healthy with proper food. Yonts even said, according to the
article, that There is no reason to be treated inhumanely. Whether someone is a
felon or not, they need to be taken care of properly in their institution. People
should be treated as people and nothing less no matter what they have done to be
punished.

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In the end, even if someone is a convicted felon, prisons in Kentucky should
still have ethical standards in place to give them fair human rights. It can be seen
that Kentuckys prison system is unfair due to mistreating prisoners and not giving
them the ideals they deserve as human beings.

Work Cited
"Inmate Programs." Kentucky Department of Corrections. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
Reutter, David. "Food Problems Contribute to Riot at Kentucky Prison." Prison Legal
News. 15 Apr. 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
Seeliger, Bruce. "Felony Assault in Kentucky : Penalties and Sentencing | Criminal
Law." CriminalDefenseLawyer.com. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.