How does our correctional system punish offenders? Criminal punishment is designed around four primary objectives, which are retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation . Retribution, which simply put means that a crime deserves a punishment. Retribution implies that the goal is to inflict harm on the offender rather than for the attainment of societal benefits . As stated by the 18th century philosopher, Immanuel Kant,
[e]ven if civil society were to dissolve itself with the consent of all its members ... the last murderer in prison would first have to be executed in order that each should receive his deserts and that the people should not bear the guilt of a capital crime through failing to insist on its punishment .
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The two types of treatment that are the most prevalent in our correctional facilities are education and work programs . Skills learned from these programs are essential for post-release offenders to not only find employment, but to remain employed . Almost 25% of federal and state inmates were participating in some form of eductaitonal program in 1995 . Furthermore, more than sixty-five thousand inmates from fourty-three different prisons took part in some form of vocational training according to a 1994 survey . Another type of rehabilitation offered within our correctional system is drug abuse treatment programs. After a review of more than 2500 pre-sentence investigation reports of federal prisoners entering the federal prison system in 2002 and 2003, it was discovered that close to 40% were diagnosed with a drug abuse disorder . These inmates have access to the Residential Drug Treatment Program. This program is strictly voluntary and provides inmates with the skills to promote positive relationships, reduce anti social behaviors, develop self-control, and end the abuse of drugs …show more content…
It implies that a prison is designed to correct the criminal behaviors of its inmates. Criminals are sentenced to time in prison not to be “corrected,” but to be “punnished for their crimes against society . There seems to be an inclination towards mercy and away from justice. Seeking justice is viewed as vengeful and wrong, therefor, we should show compassion to these criminals who have committed crimes against us. Insisting that the criminal take responsibility for his/her actions is apathetic and unmerciful and therefore, as a civilized society, we should offer understanding and forgiveness
In-prison and post-release vocational training and work programs evaluations have shown that they are considered to be most effective, as they greatly reduce the rate of recidivism. Steady employment and educational services are some of the main factors in delaying or preventing an individual from re-offending in the first three years following release. More reentry programs are using the comprehensive strategy in response to what research and evaluations have found. Comprehensive strategies are applied in the state and local levels of government, mainly relying on community-based groups to coordinate and provide services for those re-entering society. These programs usually start before a prisoners release and provide assistance in receiving employment, housing, substance abuse, and mental health
This paper will argue that post-secondary education is the most effective method of rehabilitation in American prisons. Education is not only cost-effective; it also has proven long-lasting effects on recidivism, employment, and personal growth. The majority of offenders in the American prison system are non-violent perpetrators, many of whom lack the resources for post-secondary education. By providing easily accessible education, offenders will have greater job prospects upon release and an improved sense of morality in connection to social values. Such a system must be slowly integrated into both federal and state prisons nation-wide. Implementation will be assisted by the use of electronic surveillance to monitor inmates, providing them a safer environment and access to the internet for research. In addition to this, online university programs will be used by the inmates to enable studying at recognized institutions. Grants, government-funded loans and public sponsorship are all necessary to provide the monetary funds needed to offer low-income offenders the opportunity to improve their quality of life through education. Access to post-secondary education is essential to improve the lives of non-violent offenders in the American justice system.
Most prisons would offer some form of education for the inmates, whether it is academic or religious based. The dynamic of imprisonment is centered on discipline and education, a balance between punishment and reformation (Adams et al., 1994). The programs provided a constructive activity for the inmates that provided a “dynamic security” for the prison (Adams et al., 1994). In order for the programs to be successful, the staff must pay attention to each offender’s personal needs. As Adams et al. (1994) found, the inmates with the lowest education levels benefitted from the program most. The offenders, through educational programs, could prepare for reentering the work force and receive an education they may not have had in the past (Phelps, 2011). However, the effectiveness of educational programs on recidivism has been debated. The programs give inmates an opportunity to further their education, but does the program actually help them from relapsing? Linden & Perry (1983) focused on Project Newgate in their evaluation of prison education programs. They were able to conclude that although the programs benefit the prisoners academically, there is little to no evidence that is has an impact on preventing recidivism (Linden & Perry, 1983). Though the programs are beneficial to prisons, more treatment is needed for the prisons in order to prevent them from reoffending. The shift from
Arguably, there are many reasons for punishment, including: retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, restoration, and rehabilitation. The main aim of criminal law is to punish anybody who does wrong to the society; however, it is clear that there are different goals and forms of punishment as listen above. Notably, these differences exist because of the severity of the crime and its punishment. A murderer can be sentenced to die but a shoplifter cannot face the same sentence. The first type of punishment, retribution, punishes the crime doer because the system believes that it is right and fair. Therefore, it looks back at the crime and matches it with the best possible punishment (Schmalleger, 2013). The second type, incapacitation, is forward
Right now in the United States there are over 2 million people incarcerated in the country’s prisons and jails. Out of this population about one-quarter of these inmates have been convicted of a drug offense. With drug offense arrests increasing nationwide and the prison population increasing there is an alternative to incarceration has been used over the past two decades in many cities across the country. This alternative is in the form of local drug courts that are now found in most major cities in the United States. A drug court is a specialized court in which the judge, prosecutor, public defender or private attorney, probation officers, and treatment counselors work together to help chemically dependent offenders obtain needed treatment and rehabilitation in an attempt to break the cycle of addiction and further criminal offenses. Some argue that treatment rather than incarceration is a waste of time and valuable resources that could be used elsewhere. Research however has shown that court ordered treatment is the best option for drug offenders. Treatments through drug court has proven to be less expensive than incarceration and has also been shown to reduce crime and provide a lower relapse and re-arrest rate for offenders that are placed in drug courts as opposed to those that are not.
Nally, J., Lockwood, S., Knutson, K., & Ho, T. (2012). An evaluation of the effect of correctional education programs on post-release recidivism and employment: An empirical study in Indiana. Journal of Correctional Education, 63(1), 69-88.
Canada reached its utmost population rate in 2013, with 15,000 inmates; this is a drastic increase of 75% in the past decade. Incarceration rates are rapidly increasing as crime rates decrease. Upon release, former prisoners have difficulty adapting into society and its social norms. Criminologist, Roger Graef states that, "the vast majority of inmates, the loss of local connections with family, job, and home sentences them again to return to crime." Prisoners often result in lethargy, depression, chronic apathy, and despair, making them ultimately rigid and unable to assimilate back into the public. Depression, claustrophobia, hallucinations, problems with impulse control, and/or an impaired ability to think, concentrate, or remember are experienced by prisoners who are isolated for a protracted amount of time; research has indicated that prisons can cause amenorrhea, aggressive behaviour, impaired vision and hearing, weakening of the immune system, and premature menopause. With the lack of system programs, the constant violence, and the social isolation, the prison system fails to prepare prisoners for reintegration to society. Prisons do not provide the proper structural functionalism to rehabilitate former long-term prisoners into society.
The repeated use of drugs often causes both physical and psychological dependence, as mentioned in an article by the Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (“Drug Dependence”). In order for an individual to truly be set free from their addiction, seeking treatment is necessary. Rehab centers are a great place with scientifically proven methods to cure those addicted to drugs. It is important to try to end drug use in our country, rather than allowing it to continue longer than it already has. While funding for rehabilitation facilities could become an issue, drug users may continue their addiction without proper treatment, and therefore those arrested for drug use should be sent to a rehabilitation center instead of prison.
The purpose of this paper is to inform about effect the drug treatment programs in prison are and who they affect the most. The programs are meant to for re-offenders with an extensive drug record. Some of the questions the researchers asked was how well do the programs work for the inmates, who does it effect, and does different drugs affect the programs. In 2002 there was 250 prison based drug treatment programs in 40 states. In 2004 the number went up to 290 treatment programs in 44 states. (Farebee et al. 1999) The main focus of the programs are to help inmates so they do not reoffend once released from prison. Drug treatment programs help the different inmates by using different programs.
In "Prison Studies" Malcolm X briefly details how, during his incarceration, he embarked on a process of self-education that forever changed him and the course of his life. Malcolm writes of his determination to learn to read and write, born out of his envy and emulation of Bimbi, a fellow prisoner. His innate curiosity, sense of pride, and ambition to learn and be someone of substance motivated him to study relentlessly. As he learned more about the world he developed a great thirst for knowledge that left him with a lifelong desire that only his continued studies could satisfy. He believed that prison offered him the best possible situation in which to educate himself.
This paper explores the benefits provided by educational programs in jails and prisons. Included are the reasons inmates need education in order to successfully reenter society once they are released and use the knowledge and skills they have learned to obtain a job in order to support themselves and their families. Also examined in the paper are the financial benefits of incorporating educational programs instead of cutting them, as well as the effect these programs play on the recidivism rate. Lastly is a focus on understanding the importance of education and job training, even though the recipients are criminals.
Prison has been around in human society for many millions of years. Having someone who disobeyed the law of that village, town, city or country punished in some form of institution, cutting them off from people, is a common concept – a popular and supposedly “needed” process society has taken to doing for many years now has been put under the spotlight many times by many different figures and people in society. The question remains – do prisons only make people worse? Many articles have been published in many journals and newspapers of the western world (mainly the USA, UK and Australia) saying prison only makes a person worse yet no complaint of the method has come from the less liberal eastern societies; this only proves how in countries where the rights of humans are valued such issues as if prisons only make people worse are important and relevant to keeping fair to all.
Different programs have diverse impact in reducing the rates of recidivism. Effective programs that help in reducing the rates of recidivism concentrate on three main problems that affect offenders in prison and after their release. They include substance abuse, employment and education services. There emerges a need for most programs to address these issues as they are the most rampant and likely to push the offenders to perpetrating the offence once again.
Punishing the unlawful, undesirable and deviant members of society is an aspect of criminal justice that has experienced a variety of transformations throughout history. Although the concept of retribution has remained a constant (the idea that the law breaker must somehow pay his/her debt to society), the methods used to enforce and achieve that retribution has changed a great deal. The growth and development of society, along with an underlying, perpetual fear of crime, are heavily linked to the use of vastly different forms of punishment that have ranged from public executions, forced labor, penal welfare and popular punitivism over the course of only a few hundred years. Crime constructs us as a society whilst society, simultaneously determines what is criminal. Since society is always changing, how we see crime and criminal behavior is changing, thus the way in which we punish those criminal behaviors changes.
The concept of retribution is that criminals should be punished for the damage they have cause to society. This theory is believed to