Category: What’s Happening?

It’s no secret that technology has made a long-lasting impact on everyone’s modern-day lives. While the internet can have both positive and negative effects on our sociability and brain, it’s true that it can be a resource for almost anyone and any question.

Technology impacts brain development, especially if an individual is exposed to electronics at a young age. It can affect things like memory, attention, and sleep cycles. According to mdhs.unimelb.org, “Attention and focus in humans has been examined by brain scans. A study using neuroimaging of frequent Internet users showed twice as much activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain compared to sporadic users. This is the part of the brain that is used for short-term memory and quick decision-making”. This shows the negative impact technology has had on our brain, almost as if we are always over-stimulated and working at 2x the pace we need to.

Having too much exposure can also cause Digital Eye Strain, according to American Optometric Association. Symptoms include things like blurred vision, dried eyes, headaches, and neck and shoulder pain. Holding a phone while slouching unnaturally or leaning-forward position can cause excessive pain in the upper back area. According to healthline.com, “An earlier study found that among teens, neck-shoulder pain and low back pain rose during the 1990s at the same time that the use of information and communication technology was increasing”.

Having access to electronics can also have a lot of positive effects as well. About 2/3 adults think that technology has helped improve things such as medical science.  Over the years, technology has allowed many people to learn new things and communicate more effectively and easily. According to pewresearch.org, “Other ways technology is seen to have a positive effect on society include increased knowledge and understanding, improvements in industry and jobs and an interconnectedness of the world as a result of globalization”.

Overall, technology has lead to many medical advancements over the past 20 years and has helped ordinary American citizens have a voice. On the other hand, the overuse of technology can lead to many negative effects such as digital eye strain.

 

Cyntoia Brown was only 16 when she was convicted of the murder of a man who she was forced to have sex with. She ran away from a cocaine addict mother at 15 and was forced into sex trafficking while also being brutally raped and assaulted multiple times. She was sentenced to spend the rest of her life in prison over an act of self-defense. Many people think the Cyntoia Brown case is an example of the unreasonable incarceration of a teenage victim.

For the past few years, controversies surrounding prisons have been the talk of American politics. According to a 2005 survey conducted by The U.S Department of Justice, there are approximately 356,000 inmates in American state prisons with serious mental disorders and only 35,000 individuals in state psychiatric wards. This means that there is about 10x more individuals with mental illness in state prisons than in hospitals. American prisons should not be replacing mental hospitals. Instead, American citizens on trial should be given access to the mental health care needed in order to get better. 

It’s not a coincidence that 6 out of 10 states with the least access to mental health care have the highest rates of incarceration. This shows a direct correlation between mental illness and those who are imprisoned. Instead of offering American citizens the help they need, we are sending them to prison which in turn takes a negative toll on their mental state. This also causes our prisons to overcrowd and is costing our taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Sending the mentally ill to prison instead of offering them help also causes the overcrowding of prisons. This can lead to poor prison conditions such as no healthcare, poor sanitation, and not enough food. In 2014, 18 states were operating their prisons at more than 100% capacity. This shows how common it is for prisons to overcrowd and for prisoners to be denied basic human rights such as food. 

While many may argue that criminals should be held responsible for their actions, and while I agree with that, I think that those who are incarcerated with mental illnesses or who have experienced trauma should be sent to a court-ordered rehab facility instead of jail. This would allow them to receive treatment and work on their mental health in hopes of being better individuals when released. It would also contribute towards improving the conditions of prisons and providing better resources for those in jail. 

Incarcerating American citizens who struggle with mental illness is a human rights issue. American citizens are deserving of basic needs such as food and healthcare, including access to mental health help. When one spends their life in prison, they are stripped of their rights and oftentimes their mental health becomes more severe, causing an even more unsafe environment in and outside of a cell.