Doesn’t that image look absolutely terrifying? Right in the middle of the ocean with a dark and isolated environment? That is only part of what makes the incarceration system in the Harry Potter series extremely horrifying and ultimately, unethical. The point of incarceration is rehabilitation, that is, to become a better person by reflecting on past mistakes. With this in mind, the goal of a prison system is to serve time to become a better individual in society, and to possibly return to normal society if one is able to be rehabilitated. But is that what Azkaban does? Do all wizards and witches who commit a crime deserve to serve time in such a horrid place?

In this post, I wish to analyze how Prisoner of Azkaban display’s the unethical treatment of prisoners at Azkaban and how this may ultimately result in worse outcomes for these wizards and witches. What does the treatment of Sirius Black, an innocent man, tell us about the justice system in the Wizarding world? How did it fail Sirius and how can it be changed?

To begin, the Azkaban prison is given some explanation in the second book of the series, Chamber of Secrets. The plot of that story surrounds Slytherin’s heir, who was believed to be Hagrid. While Hagrid was attending Hogwarts, he was framed for opening the Chamber of Secrets, by Tom Riddle (AKA Voldemort) and was expelled from Hogwarts. Further along the story in the time of Harry’s presence at Hogwarts, Hagrid is blamed again for opening the Chamber of Secrets a second time and is sent to Azkaban as a precautionary measure, by the Ministry of Magic. Hagrid answered with “Not Azkaban?” (Chamber of Secrets, 262), clearly showing his fear of the place.

However, it isn’t till the third book of the series, Prisoner of Azkaban, that readers are really introduced to the conditions of the prison. At the beginning of the book, Harry learns of the escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, who was accused of murder and being a Death Eater. His breakout from Azkaban caused extreme distress in the Wizarding community, especially for the Ministry of Magic, as no one had ever escaped from Azkaban before him. However, as we soon come to learn, Sirius Black was framed and served 12 years under horrifying and unethical conditions at Azkaban, at the hands of the Dementors, the Azkaban guards.

The Dementors create an environment at the prison that would make any person go insane, as is the case for many of the prisoners there. It seems that the only way to escape Azkaban is to eventually die or to go insane, like many thought Sirius had done. The Ministry went as far as placing Dementors at the Hogwarts castle, where students are located!

Additionally, given what we know about Sirius’s innocence, what his treatment fair? He was, after all, never given a trial and was immediately sentenced to serve a lifetime in Azkaban. The Ministry should have done more to prove his guilt and protect an innocent man. At the end of the book, The Ministry, and especially the Minister himself, made no effort to admit that Sirius was innocent and instead, blatantly ignored new evidence that proved his innocence. It seems almost impossible for an innocent man to prove himself free of the crime he was framed for, making it evident that there needed to be a change in the Ministry’s legal system.

But that isn’t even the start of it. What about those prisoners who serve time for lesser crimes? Think about Harry’s reaction after he blew up his aunt. He was terrified that he was not only going to be expelled from Hogwarts, but also sent to Azkaban for breaking the law by doing underage magic and exposing wizardry to a Muggle. It seemed extreme for a child as young as Harry to potentially end up in Azkaban, especially for something as minor as blowing up his aunt. Fortunately for Harry, the Minister of Magic let him off the hook. But what about for those who are not so fortunate? Do juveniles end up in Azkaban for a simple mistake they made? It seems like it.

The worst part of it all is that even if you ended up in Azkaban for a minor crime, the chances of you going back to society a better person become even more unlikely, being placed in such a bad environment. That is why many Azkaban prisoners often end up doing worse crimes, if not go insane, or even go as far as joining Voldemort.

So, what do you think? Are Dementors the right guards to be placed in Azkaban? Should the Ministry have done more to prove Sirius’s guilt? Should there be a new prison system that focuses primarily on rehabilitation and not cruel punishment?

Thank you again for reading my blog!