To understand incarceration, imagine you have committed an offense and suddenly you are locked inside a small room as punishment where you are forced to eat, sleep and also share with a complete stranger. Throughout their time in prison, punishment is used as a mechanism for inmates to be treated unjustly and learn a lesson. Rehabilitation programs within the prison offer a wide range of opportunities that help the offender develop an understanding of how their wrongful actions negatively affect society. Many believe that offenders should be treated harshly and punished for their actions even if they are minor, in an attempt to seek justice for the victim. Although these people have committed crimes, they are entitled to respect and dignity …show more content…
from everyone despite what they have done. However, our society becomes very caught up with the magnitude of a crime and our desires for retaliation instead of evaluating different solutions that are more useful. While some may argue that punishment should be incorporated into a society’s rehabilitation efforts for offenders, emphasis should be set on the correction of the individual by working with members of the community and restoring the faith of God. Canada’s current efforts of rehabilitation for criminals are not effective therefore, improvements to the reformatory system must be made so that wrongdoers are able to understand and correct their immoral actions for the future. Pope Francis does not use a vulgar and cruel approach to the wrongdoers, but instead he presents himself “as a pastor but above all a brother.” By opening our hearts to those that have done evil and treating them as our family, inmates gain an understanding of love for others and the ability to incorporate it to their own lives. As they develop basic skills of love, respect and compassion, it can be beneficial to their future because they may pursue a career of working with the weak and vulnerable, which requires a great amount of care for others before themselves. Pope Francis also states that “rehabilitation [must] benefit … the morale of the entire community" and attain the common good that brings about agreement between both parties. However, the Church encourages inmates to participate in learning whereas, the general public opposes this idea and desires an equivalent amount of harm brought to them because they simply deserve it. The idea of incorporating the Inside-Out course into prison programs are designed to bring college students and prisoners together to study as peers and learn new course material to further their education (Hueston, 2015). Typically, it pressures individuals to take the right course of action where they will learn new skills and develop good habits with the assistance of institutions and fellow citizens. Many individuals are narrow minded and hold the belief that a single wrongful action depicts who a person is, and moves away from the idea of repetitive actions that will turn into habits and essentially make up one’s character. In spite of this, holding responsibility such as a job can restore confidence in the inmates because it offers a sense of pride, usefulness and self-worth. It is extremely important that these practical jobs do not only include physical abilities because of possible injuries and the lack of thinking skills involved (Collard, 1911). Although some penal institutions have already adopted this idea, more freedom can be given to their choices of work and their creative abilities. When prison workers in the prison demand inmates to act, it can be classified as punishment because the alleged criminal now turns into a victim in the hands of the authority. We must not forget that these people are also human beings that must be treated with the same respect and love as if they were our own brothers and sisters. As members of the community, we are called to be responsible in the face of others by working with inmates to build meaningful relationships and putting compassion into action. Pope Francis states that a person must be willing to guide an offender through confession, compensation and following the path of God’s unconditional love for a successful rehabilitation. When individuals from the community comfort others in repenting and reflecting on their actions, they are not only helping the inmate but also demonstrating a selfless role model to the other. The ability for offenders to identify their wrongdoings can create a connection between the wrongdoer and our society’s norms that aids in the confession and apology of their actions (Vatican, 2014). Together, we must welcome offenders into our lives because bringing force upon them will not assist in learning what is morally right and wrong. The world does not pay enough attention to correcting rehabilitation programs and often neglects those who are “damaged” by rejecting them opportunities due to one wrongful deed. As citizens, it is our duty and obligation to treat all human beings with sympathy regardless of what they have done in the past. We are called to help offenders by accepting their suffering and in return, the wrongdoer transforms generosity received from society into compassion for fellow inmates. By volunteering and celebrating holidays at penal institutions, we translate kindness into actions that are done out of genuine concern for others without any reward. The Catholic Church encourages donating clothes to these individuals or even offering adequate housing to fulfill our duty. As moral and ethical beings, we cannot simply ignore the fact that there are people who require assistance when their image of suffering becomes engraved within us and provokes a response to help. Pope Francis also makes a comparison between ordinary people and the disciples of Jesus. He infers that we should live our lives like that of the disciples by following the Ten Commandments with strong morals and be willing to help others rather than want vengeance, since it only results in more hostility. The followers of Jesus are normal people, who were chosen by God to spread the Gospels across the face of the earth and influence changes within one’s life (Vatican, 2014). Spirituality plays a critical role in an inmate’s rehabilitation since it offers more opportunities to practice their faith in order to confess their sins to God and regain hope for the future.
When an individual believes in God, they become unified with Him and enter into the Kingdom of God. Some examples include praying or following religious traditions which can help a person establish a new relationship with God and restore their faith in a Higher Power. When offenders act out of the norms such as rejecting activities that contradict their faith, it can result in punishment due to beliefs in one’s own morals, values and ethics. Opinions are often ignored which presents prison as a place lacking freedom from the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that protects our right to practice a religion. Most penal institutions will interpret prison sentences as a time for reflecting, but in reality most people will drift away from faith and believe that God has made them suffer. Many bishops believe that they “will not tolerate the crime and violence that threaten the lives and dignity of our sisters and brothers, and we [the bishops] will not give up on those who have lost their way” (Schnurr, n.d). It is evident that ministers and bishops that belong to the Catholic Church believe human life is sacred and encourages the presentation of sacraments in an effort to reform convicts, and assist offenders in overcoming temptations of sin and evil through Christ. However, many critics are hesitant to give murderers, rapists and gang members a chance at rehabilitation because they believe that their sinful act was too immoral for correction and must be punished (Gray, 2014). Nevertheless, parts of the world are still expanding prisons and increasing the rate of executions to prevent others from committing sins, which does not truly reflect Christian values and make society a safer place. Everyday people are able to reach out to those who have done wrong such as providing
ex-offenders with basic needs of food, shelter, and money to give them a sense of belonging during their transition back into society (“Criminals, Justice and Change,” n.d). This also involves paperwork that can lead to employment, such as a driver’s license or social security numbers. All these efforts are done to satisfy the other as well as provide happiness when we are able to live in a selfless world that impacts another’s life in a positive way. Once this step is completed, our society is able to restore justice and reform a community that is safe for everyone with love and forgiveness. The idea of punishing others tends to advertise a wrong message to society when solutions to rehabilitation such as the offender understanding their crime to facilitate social skills, members of society being responsible in the face of others and living spiritually to reach enlightenment are incredibly advantageous. The idea of locking up a person because of their wrongdoings and throwing away the key must be carefully justified and looked upon. When education and respect is given to inmates within the prison, they will respond through the same attitudes they learn and convert their actions to become a new person. Members of society often gain happiness by helping a person who is suffering to promote humane interactions with those that others frown on. It is crucial for inmates to be given the opportunity to practice their faith, and learn the value of loving others unconditionally to build a foundation of relationships with one another. The solution to decreasing the rate of re-offenders committing a crime comes from rehabilitation and social support, because when we take away the causes and intentions, we also take away the crime.
Many changes are made inside the justice system, but very few have damaged the integrity of the system and the futures of citizens and prisoners. Although the story seems to focus more on lockdown, Hopkins clearly identifies the damaging change from rehabilitation in prisons to a strategy of locking up and containing the prisoners. To the writer, and furthermore the reader, the adjustment represented a failure to value lives. “More than 600,000- about 3 times what it was when I entered prison, sixteen years ago. In the resulting expansion of the nation’s prison systems, authorities have tended to dispense with much of the rehabilitative programming once prevalent in America’s penal institutions” (Hopkins 157). The new blueprint to lock every offender in prison for extended sentencing leads to an influx in incarcerated people. With each new person
Throughout his novel, Texas Tough: The Rise of America’s Prison Empire, author and professor Robert Perkinson outlines the three current dominant purposes of prison. The first, punishment, is the act of disciplining offenders in an effort to prevent them from recommitting a particular crime. Harsh punishment encourages prisoners to behave because many will not want to face the consequences of further incarceration. While the purpose of punishment is often denounced, many do agree that prison should continue to be used as a means of protecting law-abiding citizens from violent offenders. The isolation of inmates, prison’s second purpose, exists to protect the public. Rehabilitation is currently the third purpose of prison. Rehabilitation is considered successful when a prisoner does n...
The inappropriate or unnecessary use of incarceration is “expensive, ineffective, and inhumane,” and initiates a “cycle of juvenile reoffending” (Bala et. al, 2009). A study conducted by Mann (2014) exemplifies this cycle of youth reoffending. The youth interviewed demonstrated that despite a stay in sentenced custody, the threat of future punishment was not enough to deter from future offences. Cook and Roesch (2012) demonstrate that youth have developmental limitations that can impair their involvement in the justice system; for example, not understanding their sentencing options properly or their competence to stand trial. Therefore, deterrence as a justification for youth incarceration is ineffective, as incarceration proves to be not a strong enough deterrent. Alternative methods such as extrajudicial measures and community-based sanctions were considered more effective (Cook & Roesch,
For years now, incarceration has been known to be the center of the nation’s Criminal Justice Center. It’s no secret that over time, the criminal justice center began experiencing problems with facilities being overcrowded, worldwide, which ended up with them having to make alternative decisions to incarceration that prevent violence and strengthen communities. These new options went in to plan to be help better develop sentencing criminal offenders.
For centuries, prisons have been attempting to reinforce good behavior through various methods of punishment, some more severe than others. There are several types of punishments which include “corporal punishment, public humiliation, penal bondage, and banishment for more severe offenses, as well as capital punishment”(Linklater, V). Punishments in which are more severe pose the question “Has it gone too far?” and is stripping away the rights and humanity of a criminal justified with the response it is for the protection of the people? Is justice really served? Although prison systems are intense and the experience is one of a kind for sure, it does little to help them as statistics show “two-in-five inmates nationwide return to jail within three years of release”(Ascharya, K).
The Criminal Justice system was established to achieve justice. Incarceration and rehabilitation are two operations our government practices to achieve justice over criminal behavior. Incarceration is the punishment for infraction of the law and in result being confined in prison. It is more popular than rehabilitation because it associates with a desire for retribution. However, retribution is different than punishment. Rehabilitation, on the other hand is the act of restoring the destruction caused by a crime rather than simply punishing offenders. This may be the least popular out of the two and seen as “soft on crime” however it is the only way to heal ruptured communities and obtain justice instead of punishing and dispatching criminals
Although people are sent to correctional institutions as punishment, he/she must not suffer pains beyond the deprivation of liberty no matter what the reason is for incarceration. Prisoners must always be treated humanely and in accordance with his/her behavior (Peak, 2007). Although punishment, by definition, involves the infliction of pain, the incapacitation itself is the punishment. Inmates are deprived of their liberty, and therefore incarceration is painful to those who value their liberty. Imprisonment may also lead to psychological punishment, which occasionally leads to mental and moral deterioration. The benefits of imprisonment include deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation or
Normative reintegration into society and the resocialization of released prisoners has long been a prominent problem in society. With recidivism rates in the United States upwards of 69% it is quite clear that released prisoners are having difficulty readjusting and returning to normative lives in society (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2008). Prison aims to serve retribution, incapacitate, deter, and rehabilitate offenders, but much of the research on recidivism rates criticize the idea that “prison works” (Dhami, 2006). However, it seems with so many prisoners returning to prison within a year of being released, the prison system is not providing inmates with the rehabilitation and therapy needed to function once they return to society. In the past many studies have shown that inmates who take place in vocational and therapy based programs are more successful with reintegration into everyday life upon their release. Additionally, there have been numerous studies that have shown the healing and therapeutic abilities of animals when used in programs with deviant, sick, or mentally ill individual(Deaton, 2006) (Dell, 2011) (Field, 1951). So it would seem that the combination of vocational programs with the use of animals would be the next logical step in prison programs.
Rehabilitation is an action to restore a person's health and normal life through therapy and training exercise after they been imprisoned or ill. Does U.S. prisons institutions of rehabilitation model the definition of rehabilitation? These institutions were to prepare prisoners to rejoin society as a new citizens. However, many prisons do not lead up to that which led to the civil war in 1861 to 1865. Civil War was about slavery not prisons institutions, but many would argue that prisons were another place for slavery. Prior to the Civil War, U.S. prison institutions were not a place of rehabilitation for prisoners, the initial goal were to rehabilitate prisoners, but it did not rehabilitate prisoners. Many prisoners become ill in prison
Every civilization in history has had rules, and citizens who break them. To this day governments struggle to figure out the best way to deal with their criminals in ways that help both society and those that commit the crimes. Imprisonment has historically been the popular solution. However, there are many instances in which people are sent to prison that would be better served for community service, rehab, or some other form of punishment. Prison affects more than just the prisoner; the families, friends, employers, and communities of the incarcerated also pay a price. Prison as a punishment has its pros and cons; although it may be necessary for some, it can be harmful for those who would be better suited for alternative means of punishment.
For many years, there have been a huge debate on the ideal of reform versus punishment. Many of these debates consist of the treatment and conditioning of individuals serving time in prison. Should prison facilities be a place solely to derogate freewill and punish prisoners as a design ideology of deterrence? Should prison facilities be design for rehabilitation and conditioning, aim to educate prisoners to integrate back into society.
With the substantial increase in prison population and various changes that plague correctional institutions, government agencies are finding that what was once considered a difficult task to provide educational programs, inmate security and rehabilitation programs are now impossible to accomplish. From state to state each correctional organization is coupled with financial problems that have depleted the resources to assist in providing the quality of care in which the judicial system demands from these state and federal prisons. Judges, victims, and prosecuting attorneys entrust that once an offender is turned over to the correctional system, that the offender will receive the punishment in which was imposed by the court, be given services that aid in the rehabilitation to those offenders that one day will be released back into society, and to act as a deterrent to other criminals contemplating criminal acts that could result in their incarceration. Has our nations correctional system finally reached it’s critical collapse, and as a result placed or American citizens in harm’s way to what could result in a plethora of early releases of inmates to reduce the large prison populations in which independent facilities are no longer able to manage? Could these problems ultimately result in a drastic increase in person and property crimes in which even our own law enforcement be ineffective in controlling these colossal increases of crime against society?
Although it may not seem like a major problem to most people in the United States, prisons are becoming overcrowded, expensive to maintain and have little to no effect on the moral discipline of inmates. The current prison system is extremely inefficient and the purpose of prisons has been completely forgotten. According to Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, the primary purpose of prisons is to punish, to protect, and to rehabilitate. Not only is there an increase in prisoners, but there is a rise in the number of repeat offenders. Alternatives such as counseling, drug rehabilitation, education, job training and victim restitution must be better enforced and organized. People do not understand the severity of the problem mainly because
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.
Prison was designed to house and isolate criminals away from the society in order for our society and the people within it to function without the fears of the outlaws. The purpose of prison is to deter and prevent people from committing a crime using the ideas of incarceration by taking away freedom and liberty from those individuals committed of crimes. Prisons in America are run either by the federal, states or even private contractors. There are many challenges and issues that our correctional system is facing today due to the nature of prisons being the place to house various types of criminals. In this paper, I will address and identify three major issues that I believe our correctional system is facing today using my own ideas along with the researches from three reputable outside academic sources.