In relation to the empirical article provided in class material “American public opinion about prison”: Americans perceive prison life to be unpleasant but voice the opinion that prison should be harsher. Most of these studies in the jigsaw find that participants perceive prison life to be too easy and comfortable for inmates, and many people resent inmates’ access to amenities, such as TV and exercise equipment. The majority of responses by participants regarding conditions acknowledge the fact that these individuals encounter hardships but believe they deserve to because of the fact they have committed crimes. Many respondents did express that prison life was uncomfortable and stressful for inmates and many people are in support of prisoners having certain amenities but once they were informed it’s coming out of their tax dollars their attitudes shifted. The article stated “They found that only 10% of respondents believed that prison life is too harsh, 35% believed that it is about right, and 42% believed that it is not harsh enough. In addition, 59% of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed with the statement, ‘‘Prisons are too comfortable and criminals don’t mind being sent to prison.’’ Numerous studies show that a person’s beliefs about race relations in America are one of the strongest predictors of his or her attitudes toward punishment and some Americans have developed a racial typification and lack of empathy for usual minorities who are imprisoned.