Are They People or Animals?
“To an observer, it would seem that human nature is to
develop a sadistic approach when given power over
others who have been stripped of their freedom. To
develop a system predicated around this environment is
to not only allow but encourage humanity’s
self-
destruction.”
Imagine you are an extraterrestrial being watching the growth and development of humanity — studying the ways of life and the societal groundwork that have been built in a way that no other species on earth has been able to accomplish. Humanity has effectively separated itself from their evolutionary roots and now see themselves as a higher being, separate from animalistic tendencies, and have achieved a higher level of understanding. Yet, despite the strongly-held belief that we are above animals, “an estimated 1 in every 20 people”¹ in the United States will be imprisoned — caged — like animals. Humanity has coined the meaning of “dehumanize” and quickly put it to work, caging those we deem unfit for society.
Chomsky discusses the idea of dehumanization as we continue to pollute the planet, threatening humanity and disproportionately affecting less developed countries.² These communities are robbed of their homes and their freedom because of global warming and resource-extraction operations and forced into an unknown environment. Criminal offenders experience the same forceful removal of the life they know. Human beings have created a set of societal rules and expectations that people must abide by. Then when people disobey, regardless of the severity of their alleged crime, their entire environment is upheaved and their freedom is taken away in a dehumanizing manner. Punishment is built on the idea of taking away freedom, an innate human desire. People are stripped of their identity and rights- the development of which separated us from animals. As Chomsky stated, “we have clearly developed the capacity to destroy ourselves.” In this quote, Chomsky is referring to how people have reached the point of environmental destruction, pandemics from globalization, and the nuclear weapons system. Any of these variables are capable of causing enough destruction to end humanity. These all stem from new technologies and sociological developments. Another part of this development was prisons where people are divided into the role of “punisher” or “punished”. The Stanford prison experiment showed the two extremes that emerge when people are held captive and others are given power over them. These were healthy college students separated by a coin flip — beyond that there were no noticeable distinguishing features. It was the environment of the prison system that led to the drastic shift in personality. To an observer, it would seem that human nature is to develop a sadistic approach when given power over others who have been stripped of their freedom. To develop a system predicated around this environment is to not only allow but encourage humanity’s self-destruction.
The goal of incarceration is to deter people from breaking the law and protect citizens. Chomsky references the idea of “security” frequently, specifically with America wanting to promote militarism and protect their inventory of nuclear weapons in order to protect the nation from outward attacks, when in reality, it would be safer to eradicate the use of nuclear weapons entirely. I think that this applies to the prison system as well. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than half of all released prisoners are re-incarcerated in the United States. While imprisonment does take offenders away from society for a certain period of time, it does nothing to prevent repeat offenses once they are released — half of the population does not learn from their “punishment.” If people are committing crimes, being released, and then having a repeat offense, then that does not make the country any safer. In addition, as of 2024 the United States has the highest number of people incarcerated and the sixth highest rate of incarceration in the world.³ To an outside observer it would be ludicrous to think that a system that has such high rates of incarceration and recidivism is effective. The current incarceration system present in the United States doesn’t achieve benefits for society as a whole.
There is always the argument to be made that there is no other way for things to be done — that those who break the rules should be punished. People who cannot function by the rules of society should not be allowed to participate in society. When people are punished for their actions they learn not to do them again — that their actions have consequences. But, “it’s not that there are no alternatives. The alternatives just aren't being taken.” Here Chomsky is discussing political tension and the use of nuclear weapons. Countries feel that the only solution is to arm themselves to protect themselves from nuclear warfare and refuse to acknowledge the possibility of eliminating nuclear weapons altogether. That line of thinking directly relates to the American prison system. The prison system cannot be changed because society needs to protect itself, when in reality, the best solution would be a total reformation through elimination. In Norway there is a focus on rehabilitation as opposed to punishment. Originally, Norway saw roughly 70% repeat offenders but since changing their system it has dropped to 25%.⁴ In addition, there is a 40% employment rate of offenders who were originally unemployed. Chomsky references how things are “crazy” with the current nuclear policy. The current prison system is the same. To an extraterrestrial being, it’s clear a prison system that focuses on rehabilitation is factually the most beneficial for a society, yet that isn’t being sought after.
There won’t be any changes because “it’s institutional structures that block change. Business interests don’t want it, and they’re overwhelmingly powerful in determining policy.” Here Chomsky is talking about how even if there are concerns of global warming that the people want to see changed, there won’t be any change because large businesses profit from using fossil fuels, and changing the policy would be a large business expense. Similarly, businesses stand to gain from having the prison system as a form of punishment. Changing to a different method for criminal offenders - especially one that mimics Norway exactly - would be costly and time consuming. The easier solution of rehabilitating non-violent offenders and only imprisoning violent offenders still won’t be taken. An example of this would be people suffering from addiction, which is currently acknowledged as a psychophysical issue in the DSM-V. People who are suffering from an addiction should not be punished by having their freedom stripped away from them, the same way a violent offender would. Rather, people who are suffering from an addiction should be rehabilitated so that they can overcome their addiction and return to society. Even animals are given the opportunity for rehabilitation and release. If there were an extraterrestrial being looking down on humanity, they would find that we are kinder to other species than we are to ourselves.
People don’t like change, especially when that change doesn’t impact them positively, or they could simply turn a blind eye. Those in power will never have to stand behind metal bars and look out at the world. The privileged will never have to empathize with the “wrongdoers” and “criminals” that are locked away because they are “not like us.” People divide themselves. But it is possible to treat people like humans instead of stripping them of their freedom.
¹ Allen J. Beck and Thomas Bonczar, “Lifetime Likelihood of Going to State or Federal Prison,” Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report. https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/Llgsfp.pdf
² Noam Chomsky, Who Rules the World?
³ World Population Review, “Incarceration Rates by Country”
⁴ First Step Alliance, “Rehabilitation Lessons from Norway’s Prison System”