Our current prison system is the result of all of us, all laws, and several hundred years of accumulating decisions. We are all involved in this, and it can't be completely fixed by just a few people. All of us need to fix this. This big problems needs bigger connections. We need to reduce our isolation to bring about natural healing. Everything is entangled in everything else, so a widespread cultural shift is needed. We need bigger connections, and more truth in those connections. In general as false illusions end, problems unfold into solutions. With wisdom, solutions can be found that don't require more prisons. In the past we just tried to "fix" things that are not in fact broken. Our drug problems are medical and not legal, and with time we can now see that to be true.
We also need more details exposed. Often, it is the hidden details of how each prison works which needs to see the light of day. Some prisons are better than others, and the worst prisons will need to change. It takes all of us to find the best way. We seek solutions to our broken prison system. Lots of options will need to be tried, as we objectively better understand how to rehabilitate our prison population. We can reduce the need for prisons by reducing poverty using public support programs for the poor. It has potential to change exactly how laws work, how the general population treats people in their prisons, the laws they require, and how people are treated after they are released from prison. We also need online services to provide ways to inspect prison conditions, allow ranking or comparisons between all other prisons. A connection lets the public know how its money is spent, how effective a prison is, and how it works for them. It thus points public pressure to the worst ranked prisons, to then encourage prison reform.
Is our police departments doing their best? Are the laws just and being applied evenly, or is there bias and injustice at work? The prison system is at the end of a long legal system, and this system must be fair and open to examination.