A Flawed Creative Thought

Some of the most difficult situations should have creative thinking produce workable answers.

In government, creative thinking should assist those in positions of power in developing concepts that advance the social and economic advancement of the nation and its citizens. In some instances, a review of the judgments made by the government reveals a lack of original ideas.

Shutting Down Private Federal Prisons

Some of the remedies put out by those in positions of authority may seem sensible and well-considered. The choice to shut down all private, federal prisons is one such decision that manifests a glaring lack of original thought.

The government gave what appear to be plausible and credible reasons for the need to shut down the private prisons. For example, the government explained the number of deaths in the federal, private prisons is unacceptably high (Wessler, 2016). Furthermore, the government argued the decision was made after years of internal monitoring and warnings from the Department of Justice.

In making the decision, the government failed to make certain important observations. First, it should have realized the fourteen federal, private prisons hold close to 22,000 prisoners (Sanburn, 2016). The government expects to reduce the number of inmates in these private facilities to about 14,000 by the end of May 2017. In essence, the decision appears reasonable because the management of prisoners should be the responsibility of the government.

Lack of Creative Thought

Nevertheless, it is evident the decision to close the federal, private prisons lacks creative thought. For instance, the government does not state where the prisoners that will be moved from the federal, private prisons will go. The assumption is that the government plans to move them to the government facilities. However, there is little evidence the government has expanded any of the correctional facilities. On the same note, the government has not indicated plans to build more prisons that could house the inmates that will be moved from the federal, private prisons. The implication is that the government facilities will witness unprecedented overcrowding, which will ultimately result in other grave complications, such as outbreaks of diseases and possible deaths. Correspondingly, overcrowding in state facilities will cast the government in the wrong light because the United States takes pride in being the defender of human rights.

Decisions that emerge from creative thought ought to demonstrate a high level of creativity and innovation. Furthermore, they ought to solve some of the most complicated problems using ingenious means. Indeed, the government decision, in this case, does not demonstrate sophisticated thinking.

The Need for Comprehensive Solutions

It would have been prudent for the government to ascertain the reasons behind the weaknesses identified in the private prisons. For instance, the government should have established whether the deaths result from incompetence on the part of the people charged with the management of the prisons. If that were the case, the government should have collaborated with the administration of the federal, private prisons to help them build capacity and make internal reforms.

However, the search for the most creative solution should have begun an investigation to establish the reason the United States has the highest incarceration rates. The government would have identified an inefficient criminal justice system that needs reforms and a skewed approach to prosecution by the law enforcers. Subsequently, the government should have given judges discretion in dealing with cases. Unquestionably, some of the inmates are in prison because of wrongful convictions. In this regard, creative thought should have informed the government of the need to reform the entire criminal justice department.

References

Sanburn, J. (2016). The U.S. Is Ending Private Prisons for Federal Inmates. So Where Will the Prisoners Go? Retrieved April 23, 2017, from Time: http://time.com/4458308/justice-department-ending-private-prison-contracts/

Wessler, S. (2016). The Justice Department Will End All Federal Private Prisons, Following a ’Nation’ Investigation. Retrieved April 23, 2017, from The Nation: https://www.thenation.com/article/justice-department-to-end-all-federal-private-prisons-following-nation-investigation/