Positive Reinforcement In Prison

You are in a dark, clammy room. Eight steps to your right, you meet a wall; ten steps forward, another. Your only possessions for the next few days, weeks, or maybe even years, are a cot, a toilet and the clothes on your back; you’re granted no human contact, and a taste of freedom only one hour a day—in a cage. This is solitary confinement. “The degree of a civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons,” speculates Russian novelist, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, whose literary works analyzed the human psychology. Prisons are typically thought of as a facility in which criminals are stripped of their freedoms and punished for their crimes; it is also used to instill fear onto those who dare fathom breaking the law. America has the highest

The results concluded, “67.8% of the 404,638 state prisoners released in 2005 in 30 states were arrested within 3 years of release, and 76.6% were arrested within 5 years of release” (Durose et al 1). It seems as though punishment is not always the answer. An American psychologist and behaviorist, B. F. Skinner, carried out studies which show that humans tend to deliver the desired response most effectively when positively reinforced. “Positive reinforcement strengthens a behavior by providing a consequence an individual finds rewarding” (McLeod). For that reason, good behavior in prison should be rewarded in whatever way deemed appropriate. When disciplinary actions are introduced, on the other hand, with intentions to stop undesired behaviors, there are consequences. Quite frankly, it may not even lead to the desired behavior; it may just result in a highly distressed individual with increased aggression, as a coping mechanism. “Punished behavior is not forgotten, it 's suppressed - behavior returns when punishment is no longer present” (McLeod). This would explain why prisoners go back to their old ways once they are no longer being punished. I am not saying that prisoners should not be reprimanded for bad behavior; I am insisting, however, that rehabilitative services will lessen these negative occurrences, and be more effective in shaping a satisfactory

Some may say that it is absurd to give criminals benefits such as therapy, chapels, education, and more, when they have committed crimes and should be held accountable for their actions. In addition, punishing criminals serves as a deterrent to those on the outside, in hopes of diminishing the crime rates. Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, asserted, “We need to make it clear— in America, we do not throw people away.” On April 9, 2008, the Second Chance Act (SCA) was signed into law. This act, receiving bipartisan support, backs “state, local, and tribal governments and nonprofit organizations in their work to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for people returning from state and federal prisons, local jails, and juvenile facilities” (“Second Chance Act”). The SCA is not the only effort to prioritize rehabilitation in prisons; Kenneth E. Hartman is chairman of the Steering Committee for the Honor Program in California State Prison, starting in