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The advantages of incarceration and reform
The advantages of incarceration and reform
The advantages of incarceration and reform
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Sentencing reform should stay the way it is. Historic and recent experience in california may be helpful in evaluating the potential impact of sentencing reductions.
Sentencing reform should stay the way it is because you're being punished for the act of actions you took into your own hands. in other words you did the crime you could do the time. for example on the article I read incarceration helped bring crime down. It started while several factors that influence crime rates, it would be difficult to deny that the consequences for crimes have a significant influence.
I highly believe sentencing reform should not be changed because when people create crimes it means they gives no cares in the world about what they have done for example if
Officer Williams said in his opinion the most effective sentencing is going to be different for each individual. From his experience he said it actually takes someone to be locked up behind bars for them to change. Sometimes that always isn 't the case some people actually aren 't being deviant for what we think seems intentional. Some individuals actually need help, whether that is being kept from society behind bars, on probation, in a halfway house etc is up to them and the people who help them find that
The arguments against mandatory sentencing are that its not eliminating disparities or discretion and those they have shifted that discretion from the judges to the prosecutors. People contend that mandatory sentencing does not reduce crime. Law professor Michael Tonry at the university of Minnesota concluded
The criminal justice system has been in place the United States for centuries. The system has endured many changes throughout the ages. The need for a checks and balances system has been a priority for just as long. Federal sentencing guidelines were created to help create equal punishments among offenders. Judges are given the power of sentencing and they are not immune to opinions, bias, and feelings. These guidelines are set in place to allow the judge to keep their power but keep them within a control group of equality. Although there are a lot of pros to sentencing guidelines there are also a lot of cons. Research has shown that sentencing guidelines have allowed the power to shift from judges to prosecutors and led to sentencing disparity based on sex, race, and social class.
In a typical American prison inmates are treated like animals, not like humans. I believe that if the correctional system put more emphasis on trying to better the lives of these inmates with the use of real life job skills and the ability to receive an education these inmates would have a more successful re-integration with society. Although these programs could potentially cost a lot, the outcome could be drastically lower recidivism rates and could change the lives of so many people who thought their life was over. In regards to sentencing, I believe the US should not adopt the Scandinavian policy. Scandinavia offers small sentences for harsh crimes. There should still be crimes that result in life in prison. With that being said there should also be a higher chance of parole for inmates who have committed minor crimes and have made progress during their time in
Criminals in the United States often get an unfair prison sentence due to the current imperfect system. The laws and guidelines that are used to determine an offender 's sentence are greatly flawed. Some crimes are much more severe than others; therefore using the same rules and regulations for all crimes as if they are all the same is unfitting. A drug dealer, a murder, and a fraudster could receive the same amount of prison time which is clearly unfair and unreasonable. Changing the guidelines that are followed would be lawful and the morally right thing to do.
Mandatory sentencing is not anything new. It began in the 1970s. The main purpose for mandatory sentencing was to try to get rid of the drug lords and to eliminate most of the nation’s street drug selling. It was to impose that the same crime would have the same sentence all over the nation. Some of the negatives that rose from mandatory sentencing were nonviolent drug offenders and first time offenders who were receiving harsh sentences. Inmate populations and correction costs increased and pushed states to build more prisons. Judges were overloaded with these cases, and lengthy prison terms were mandated to these young offenders. Mandatory sentencing is an interesting topic in which I would like to discuss my opinions in going against mandatory sentencing. I will show the reasons for this topic, as well as give you my personal brief on which I support.
Maybe if I saw more reports on how prison has improved our society and the criminals who live among us, I would see why we should work on reforming our prisons. Until then, it does not seem to be working. We trust in the government to provide for our safety, but we must take responsibility among ourselves. To understand that the current system does work and that its intent is not to provide a safe society. History has shown us that. What we have done or continue to do will not make this a safer place to live. The problem is not to reform our prison system, for this won't stop criminals to commit crimes, but to find ways and means to deteriorate them from doing the crime.
More are sentencing options are great because just like every person is different, so is the crime. Prison may not always be the most effective response for people, so If courts have options other than incarceration, “they can better tailor a cost-effective sentence that fits the offender and the crime, protects the public, and provides rehabilitation” (FAMM, 2011). Findings have also proven that alternative saves taxpayers money. “It costs over $28,000 to keep one person in federal prison for one year1 (some states’ prison costs are much higher). Alternatives to incarceration are cheaper, help prevent prison and jail overcrowding, and save taxpayers millions” (FAMM, 2011, para. 3). Lastly, alternatives protect the public by reducing crime. There is a 40% chance that all people leaving prison will go back within three years of their release (FAMM, 2011). “Alternatives to prison such as drug and mental health courts are proven to confront the underlying causes of crime (i.e., drug addiction and mental illness) and help prevent offenders from committing new crimes” (FAMM, 2011, para.
The 19th century reform movement made a valuable impact on the future of the criminal justice system by rationalizing laws, civilizing punishments, and introducing prevention and rehabilitation. Nevertheless many of the developments had design flaws and were altered to accommodate growing needs. Today many problems still exist within the criminal justice system and reformers are still making efforts to reduce crime and improve rehabilitation.
In todays time we have different forms of corrections. We have the rehabilitation for of corrections. There is also the form of punishing offenders. To me there should be and equal balance between the two forms of corrections. Too much punishment and you get sued now an days. Too little punishment you get repeat offenders. Too little rehabilitation your drug crimes relapse.
All over America, crime is on the rise. Every day, every minute, and even every second someone will commit a crime. Now, I invite you to consider that a crime is taking place as you read this paper. "The fraction of the population in the State and Federal prison has increased in every single year for the last 34 years and the rate for imprisonment today is now five times higher than in 1972"(Russell, 2009). Considering that rate along crime is a serious act. These crimes range from robbery, rape, kidnapping, identity theft, abuse, trafficking, assault, and murder. Crime is a major social problem in the United States. While the correctional system was designed to protect society from offenders it also serves two specific functions. First it can serve as a tool for punishing the offender. This involves making the offender pay for his/her crime while serving time in a correctional facility. On the other hand it can serve as a place to rehabilitate the offender as preparation to be successful as they renter society. The U.S correctional system is a quite controversial subject that leads to questions such as how does our correctional system punish offenders? How does our correctional system rehabilitate offenders? Which method is more effective in reducing crime punishment or rehabilitation? Our correctional system has several ways to punish and rehabilitate offenders.
Secondly, I think a shorter sentence can give people more hope to donate to our society. Most of people in prison are young. They have ability to build up our society. It will be better if we regard them as labor force (Of course after they are willing to correct their faults from their heart). I believe that everyone is kind when they are born. The punishment of long or short is not important. The most important thing is to change the mind of a person.
There are many different problems that plague the prison system today. The biggest issue today is overcrowding. This is a major problem that is effecting every prison system throughout the country. There are many people that say that the judges are the biggest reason for this. However, if people would not commit crimes, then the judges would not have as many people that need to be punished, and that would mean that there will be less people going to prison, and more people that are better citizens by staying out of trouble. If we could all learn to stay out of trouble, then the prison system, the judges, the law enforcement officers, the courts, and all the rest of the divisions inside the justice branch, will have less work to do, and will have less people that are needing to be punished. At the same time, the law makers need to figure out some way to make the punishments for the crimes different so that we can keep people from being repeat offenders. The people that are the issue here are those that are repeat offenders. What this means is that people that are getting out of prison have not
The Criminal Justice system in the twenty first century is system that has collapsed and it is in mayor need of reforms that are going to fix many problems that we have to deal with and resolve. Prison overpopulation is one of the greatest problems that this nation needs to deal with because we have the highest incarceration in the whole world. Race has played a huge rule in the Criminal Justice system which has preyed on poor people of color. Reentry and recidivism has been a major contributor to our huge prison population that millions of people have fallen into. Our court system is in need to reform from its way that it prosecutes people and the laws that have mandated mandatory minimums for different type of crimes. All of these factors
The present system of justice in this country is too slow and far too lenient. Too often the punishment given to criminal offenders does not fit the crime committed. It is time to stop dragging out justice and sentencing and dragging our feet in dispensing quick and just due. All punishment should be administered in public. It is time to revert back to the "court square hanging" style of justice. This justice would lessen crime because it would prove to criminals that harsh justice would be administered.