Do Prisons Rehabilitate?

1695 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The effectiveness of parole in society

Do Prisons Rehabilitate?

In this essay, I shall be focusing on the whether or Prisons rehabilitate offenders. I will do this by focusing mainly on the Prison Service in England & Wales, the reason for this, being that the data and statistics for England & Wales are easier to obtain than that of other countries. The main information I will be referring to will be the rates of conviction, types of imprisonment, types of non-custodial sentences. Also I will explore some of the current methods of offender rehabilitation.

Her Majesty’s Prison Service is composed of two main types of prisons, they are open and closed prisons. Following the Mountbatten Report (1965) Prisoners were placed into security categories, ranging from category A (high risk prisoner - escape would pose a serious risk to the public or state) to category D (low risk prisoner - can be trusted in open prison conditions).

Prisons have four major purposes, they are; retribution, incapacitation, deterrence and rehabilitation. Retribution means punishment for crimes against society. Prisons serve to deprive criminals of their freedom is a way of making them pay a debt to society for their crimes. Incapacitation refers to the removal of criminals from society so that they can no longer harm innocent people. Deterrence means the prevention of future crime, it is hoped that bye imprisoning a criminal, it deters them from committing the crime again and also deters others from committing crime. Rehabilitation refers to activities designed to change criminals into law abiding citizens, and may include providing educational courses in prison, teaching job skills and offering counselling with a psychologist or social worker. Over many years the focus of the prison service has switched between the four purposes, therefore at different times in history the importance of rehabilitation has fluctuated.

“Her Majesty’s Prison Service serves the public by keeping in custody those committed by the courts. Our duty is to look after them with humanity and help them lead law-abiding and useful lives in custody and after release.” http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/lrgtxt.asp The above statement of purpose is that of Her Majesty’s Prison Service. As can be seen from the statement, there seems to be a focus on incapacitation and rehabilitation.

Over many years, people’s attitude towards how to deal with pr...

... middle of paper ...

...are often sentenced when nothing else has worked and in effect the system has given up. The prison service has no control over the prisoners that they take in, and therefore as the offenders stay in custody is forced rehabilitation will not be effective unless the offender wants to be rehabilitated.

REFERENCES

Internet Sites
All of the below listed sites were last accessed on 10/12/2002

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/prisonerlearning/init_p.cfm?ID=13

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/prisonerlearning/init_p.cfm?ID=17

http://www.guardian.co.uk/prisons/story/0,7369,747482,00.html

http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/lrgtxt.asp

http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/news/newstext.asp?272

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/prishist.htm

http://society.guardian.co.uk/mentalhealth/story/0,8150,682850,00.html

http://www.learn.co.uk/yvote/debates/crimeprisonpro.htm

http://www.socialexclusionunit.gov.uk/publications/reports/html/Reducing_Re-offending/chap ter_one.htm http://www.socialexclusionunit.gov.uk/publications/reports/html/Reducing_Re-offending/chap ter_two.htm http://www.socialexclusionunit.gov.uk/publications/reports/html/Reducing_Re-offending/chap ter_five.htm http://www.stoptheaca.org/purpose.html

Show More
Related

  • The History of Kingston Penitentiary

    1218 Words  | 3 Pages

    People expect a penitentiary to hold inmates, especially dangerous ones, for as long as the court determines they should serve. Kingston Penitentiary has been doing that for many years. But it has also dedicated to the reform of inmates. What that means has changed dramatically over time. (Curtis et al, 1985)

    Read More

  • The Strangeway Riots

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    What were the causes of the prison riots in the 1990`s and how effective was the government response?

    Read More

  • Is Parole Ineffective of Effective in Curbing Recidivism?

    2253 Words  | 5 Pages

    All the laws, which concern with the administration of justice in cases where an individual has been accused of a crime, always begin with the initial investigation of the crime and end either with imposition of punishment or with the unconditional release of the person. Most of the time it is the duty of the members of constituted authorities to inflict the punishment. Thus it can be said that almost all of the punishments are an act of self-defense and an act of defending the community against different types of offences. According to Professor Hart “the ultimate justification of any punishment is not that it is deterrent but that it is the emphatic denunciation by the community of a crime” (Hart P.65). Whenever the punishments are inflicted having rationale and humane factor in mind and not motivated by our punitive passions and pleasures then it can be justified otherwise it is nothing but a brutal act of terrorism. Prison System: It has often been argued that the criminals and convicted prisoners are being set free while the law-abiding citizens are starving. Some people are strongly opposed the present prison and parole system and said that prisoners are not given any chance for parole. Prisons must provide the following results: Keep dangerous criminals off the street Create a deterrent for creating a crime The deterrent for creating a crime can be justified in the following four types Retribution: according to this type, the goal of prison is to give people, who commit a crime, what they deserved Deterrence: in this type of justification, the goal of punishment is to prevent certain type of conduct Reform: reform type describes that crime is a disease and so the goal of punishment is to heal people Incapacitation: the...

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Prison Reform

    1032 Words  | 3 Pages

    Prisons are institutionalized systems that hold people hostage against their will. Many believe that these institutions are fundamental to keep balance within society. Although prison systems are meant to seclude troubled individuals, it should go beyond just containing criminals. The judicial system is responsible for correcting and eliminating future delinquent behavior before they can be effectively situated back into society. In saying this, the court system does not  implement these actions within prison systems, failing to fulfil the goals and the function of the prison overall. The U.S elots millions of dollars toward funding for our correctional system, but are unable to reform the basic natural rights and maltreatment within the prison system.

    Read More

  • What Happens Behind Prison Doors?

    1527 Words  | 4 Pages

    Prisons have dated back to the twentieth century when the United States had almost two million people confined in prisons or jails. Prisons have been a form of government punishment that has shaped our nation to what it is today. The first jail was established in Philadelphia, in 1970. It was called the Walnut Street Jail and was recorded as the first use of imprisonment through solitary confinement. The basic principles of the new system were to reform those in prison, and to segregate those according to age, sex, and type of offenses charged against them (Schoenherr). The second prison was called Sing-Sing a...

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Private Prisons

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    most of the units being understaffed, prison gangs and prison violence is hard to control in these type of

    Read More

  • Rehabilitation Case Study

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although it has varied in its forms, punishment is largely influenced by the theories and socially constructed views of criminal activity. It is important to acknowledge how the forms of punishment have progressed from public humiliation and executions to solitary confinement and into today, with forced labor and firmly established routines. Even how the structures have changed with the number of those incarcerated. From initially only being two-story houses to being massive communities hidden behind penitentiary walls, it becomes important to question what their true purpose really is. Although it can be argued that prisons are still a form of rehabilitation for offenders, when you examine what it is that the inmates are actually doing, they are benefitting the economy more than they are benefitting themselves. Making budget cuts towards education and counseling services, which are necessary to reform offenders, is only going to continue to increase rates of incarceration. Instead, that money is currently being invested in ways to further expand the prison enterprise and displace those who are marginalized. Racism and economic greed has been embedded into prison functioning. In order to reduce recidivism rates there needs to be more of a focus on decreasing crime and the rates of incarceration by focusing more heavily on resources and

    Read More

  • Stripped of Humanity: Are Prison Systems Helpful or Rather Harmful?

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    Three walls. One toilet seat. Bars made of mild steel and a lock only accessible to men who government calls authority figures. Prison systems are known for three things: to protect the people, to punish the criminal and to rehabilitate the prisoner so that a crime will not be further committed. However, it has been causing ongoing controversy on whether or not it has been stripping away the earned rights of citizens or indeed helping them become “better” for society.

    Read More

  • Overcrowding In Prison Essay

    712 Words  | 2 Pages

    Over the past couple of decades the UK’s prison population has exploded, causing an overcrowding crisis. Statistics show that intake has doubled since 1993 and the UK now has the largest population of prison inmates in Western Europe at 85,108. The Certified Normal Accommodation (CAN) for UK prisons is 75,440, so ‘the prison estate is currently holding just under 10,000 more people than it was designed to’ as reported by the Prison Reform Trust. Their research shows that ‘the 30 most overcrowded prisons in England and Wales are twice as likely to be rated as failing by the prison service’. Overcrowding is having a negative impact on the effectiveness and safety of the prisons which has been amplified by ‘cuts of more than 20% to the prison budget’ and ‘reformers argue that the best way to improve the system is to reduce both the number of people sent to prison and the amount of time they spend there’. According to The Howard League for Penal Reform, imposing community sentences on offenders rather than prison sentences, immediately diverts them away from ‘rivers of crime’, where ‘prisons are sinking under a tide of violence and rampant drug abuse’ and they argue that by simply putting people in prison they can be swept ‘deeper and

    Read More

  • Problems with the American Prison System

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dodd, Vikram. "Why Prison Education?." . Prison Studies Project, Teaching Research Outreach, 16 Jan. 2010. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. .

    Read More

  • Prison Rehabilitation

    1186 Words  | 3 Pages

    Firstly, in order to gain a better understanding of the problems that plague or correctional system we must fully understand the enormous overcrowding problem that exist in the majority of or state and federal prisons. Since 1980 the prison population has quadrupled and only the numb...

    Read More

  • Prison Research Proposal

    2603 Words  | 6 Pages

    In final analysis, this research project looks to provide a new way of understanding the current prison situation and its various manifestations. A comprehensive report of how things might be for those closely involved in the punishment and rehabilitation process might enable policy-makers and the public alike to change their ideas and help them perceive what it might mean to be in the position of officers or prisoners. The higher objective of this project will be to bring, through new knowledge, the necessary reforms that could leave both the taxpayer and those in the prison system more satisfied.

    Read More

  • Prison Overcrowding

    2356 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the 1970s and 1980s, a massive amount of inmates began fillin up the United States prison systems. This huge rate of growth in this short amount of time, has greatly contributed to the prison overcrowding that the United States faces today. In fact, the prisons are still filled to the seams. This enormous flood of inmates has made it practically impossible for prison officials to keep up with their facilities and supervise their inmates. One of the main reasons why many prisons have become overcrowded is because of states’ harsh criminal laws and parole practices (Cohen). “One in every 100 American adults is behind bars, the highest incarceration rate in the world” (Cohen). The amount of inmates in corrections systems, throughout the nation, sky-rocketed to 708 percent between 1972 and 2008. Today, there are about 145,000 inmates occupying areas only designed for 80,000 (Posner). Peter Mosko, “an assistant professor of Law, Police Science and Criminal Justice at New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice” (Frazier) stated, “America, with 2.3 million people behind bars, has more prisoners than soldiers” (Frazier). There have been studies that have shown “there are more men and women in prison than ever before. The number of inmates grew by an average of 1,600 a week. The U. S. has the highest rate of crime in the world” (Clark). Because of this influx in inmates, many prisoners’ rights groups have filed lawsuits charging that “overcrowded prisons violate the Constitution’s 8th Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment” (Clark). It is clear that the United States corrections system needs to be reformed in order to eliminate this problem. Prison overcrowding is a serious issue in society due to the fact it affects prison ...

    Read More

  • Imprisonment is Ineffective as Punishment

    1773 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Prison Reform Trust. (2013) Prison: the facts Bromley Briefings Summer. Available from: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Prisonthefacts.pdf [Accessed 01 January 2014].

    Read More

  • What is the Purpose of Prison and what Tries to Achieve

    1304 Words  | 3 Pages

    Prisoners in portrayal of society are treated as outcast and are often forgotten- they need to be kept away from the society. It is vital to understand the purpose of prison and what they are trying to achieve and compare their actions to the re-offending rates as they are the perfect example to prove if the prison system works. However, studies about prisoners mainly focus on the effects prison has on them and how it affects society. There is luck of research actually looking at the prisoner experiences inside the prison and what issues they face. The Human Rights, including sexual abuse, are very common in US, and the number of victims inside the prison is dramatic. Moreover, by looking at the UK prison statistics and taking into consideration the number of reported violations in UK, it gives us better perception of how underestimated and hidden in can be within prison system in UK.

    Read More

More about Do Prisons Rehabilitate?

Open Document