Raw Brett Dalton Character Analysis

931 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Psychological impact of prison

The legal system is a procedure for interpreting and enforcing the law. It is a set of laws that all communities in civilisation must obey. The penal system is a method where people are punished for violating the legal system. The book "Raw" is about a young sixteen-year-old born trouble maker, Brett Anthony Dalton. He is a recidivist and has no respect for the community and the law. An example of this, is said by the Magistrate, "Make no mistake, Brett,' she warned before the cops dragged him out back into a holding cell, ‘this is your last chance. If you end up in another court ---- it's jail." (Page 4). Consequently, Brett's punishment was a 3-month sentence at a low detention security centre called "The Farm", which was owned and ran by Sam and Mary Fraser. "Like every juvenile detention centre, it aimed to turn troublemakers like himself into model citizens. Brett snorted. As if." (Page 3). Throughout this essay, I will discuss the points regarding Brett Dalton's positive transformation whilst at "The Farm". Therefore, the penal and legal systems have given Brett the opportunity to change his life.
The institution, “The Farm” believed the best method of reforming the boys, or "inmates" into upstanding …show more content…

Sam and Josh have a friendly relationship. "Sam doesn't order me to do anything. He's my friend. I live on his farm. I do what he says" Josh says. (page 36). “That’s why I don’t put up with anyone’s hard luck story,’ Josh said. ‘I’ve been there. I’ve beaten it. I’ve started putting my life together again. If I can, anyone can.” (Page 307). This was the perfect representation of how Josh connected to Brett about exactly how he has learnt to forget and move on from his past and improve himself, displaying that if Josh could push through a hard time in his life, then so can Brett. That's when Brett realised that he was lucky to have normal parents who were respectable

Show More
Related

  • Raw by Scott Monk, Hard Rock by Etheridge Knight, and Dangerous Minds by John N. Smith

    1021 Words  | 3 Pages

    On the farm, Brett meets the caretaker Sam, who is symbolized not only as a role model but also the cause of Brett's positive change. Sam respects each individual equally and believes everybody deserves a second chance, but Brett, at the beginning does not tolerate anyone, especially people with authority – "they are the enemy, and you never get friendly with the enemy". This demonstrates Brett's attitudes and protest t...

    Read More

  • Man Gave Parole In A Flagstaff Hotel Analysis

    676 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the article titled ”Man Denied Parole in a Flagstaff Hotel” the article follows the case of then teenager Jacob Wideman murdering his bunkmate Eric Kane while he slept in his bed at a summer camp hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1986. Jacob was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years, the article was written in 2011the year of his first parole hearing. The issue for the readers to decipher in the article is if they believe Jacob who has served the past 25 years in prison should be granted parole and be released from prison. The article gives up to date insight from the parents of both of boys, Jacob who committed the murder, and Eric the victim all leading up to Jacob’s parole hearing. In this paper I will highlight key points from the article while answering key questions to give a better understanding of the trial for myself and for the readers.

    Read More

  • Behind Convict's Eyes by Cerceral Prison

    1338 Words  | 3 Pages

    After reading the book I have gained a new understanding of what inmates think about in prison. Working in an institution, I have a certain cynical attitude at times with inmates and their requests. Working in a reception facility, this is a facility where inmates are brought in from the county jails to the state intake facility, we deal with a lot of requests and questions. At times, with the phone ringing off the hook from family members and inmates with their prison request forms, you get a little cynical and tired of answering the same questions over and over. As I read the book I begin to understand some of the reason for the questions. Inmate(s) now realize that the officers and administrative personnel are in control of their lives. They dictate with to get up in the morning, take showers, eat meals, go to classes, the need see people for different reason, when to exercise and when to go to bed. The lost of control over their lives is a new experience for some and they would like to be able to adjust to this new lost of freedom. Upon understanding this and in reading the book, I am not as cynical as I have been and try to be more patient in answering questions. So in a way I have changed some of my thinking and understanding more of prison life.

    Read More

  • The History of Kingston Penitentiary

    1218 Words  | 3 Pages

    It represented a new world of confinement that removed the convict from his community and regimented his life. It introduced society to a new notion of punishment and reform. (Curtis et al, 1985)

    Read More

  • Jeff Jacoby’s Bring Flogging Back

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many young criminals are less likely to become career criminals if punished through public embarrassment than through prison. Prison can be a sign of manliness or a “status symbol” (Jacoby 197). He says “prison is a graduate school for criminals”, providing evidence that criminals want to be convicted and be in prison, to strengthen their status (Jacoby 197). Jacoby knows how to properly get his view across to the reader, by saying that prison is not as effective now, as it used to be.... ... middle of paper ...

    Read More

  • The Rise of America’s Prison Empire

    1930 Words  | 4 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • America's Juvenile Justice System

    3741 Words  | 8 Pages

    The Juvenile Justice system, since its conception over a century ago, has been one at conflict with itself. Originally conceived as a fatherly entity intervening into the lives of the troubled urban youths, it has since been transformed into a rigid and adversarial arena restrained by the demands of personal liberty and due process. The nature of a juvenile's experience within the juvenile justice system has come almost full circle from being treated as an adult, then as an unaccountable child, now almost as an adult once more.

    Read More

  • Beyond Bars

    2133 Words  | 5 Pages

    The authors begin the book by providing advice on how a convict can prepare for release from prison. Throughout the book, the authors utilize two fictional characters, Joe and Jill Convict, as examples of prisoners reentering society. These fictional characters are representative of America’s prisoners. Prison is an artificial world with a very different social system than the real world beyond bars. Convicts follow the same daily schedule and are shaped by the different society that is prison. Prisoners therefore forget many of the obl...

    Read More

  • Alternative Criminal Justice, And Restorative Justice: Not Real Alternatives

    3375 Words  | 7 Pages

    The current criminal justice system is expensive to maintain. In North America the cost to house one prisoner is upwards of eighty to two hundred dollars a day (Morris, 2000). The bulk of this is devoted to paying guards and security (Morris, 2000). In contrast with this, community oriented programming as halfway houses cost less than the prison alternative. Community programming costs five to twenty five dollars a day, and halfway houses although more expensive than community programs still remain cheaper than prison (Morris, 2000). Tabibi (2015c) states that approximately ninety percent of those housed in prison are non-violent offenders. The treatment of offenders in the current system is understood to be unjust. By this, Morris (2000) explains that we consistently see an overrepresentation of indigenous and black people in the penal system. Corporate crimes are largely omitted, while street crimes are emphasized (Morris, 2000). This disproportionately targets marginalized populations (homeless, drug addicted and the poor) (Tabibi, 2015c). The current system is immoral in that the caging of people is highly depersonalized and troubling (Tabibi, 2015c). This is considered to be a barbaric practice of the past, however it is still frequently used in North America (Morris, 2000). Another moral consideration is with the labelling of youth as offenders in the criminal justice system (Morris, 2000). Morris (2000) argues that we should see youth crimes as a social failure, not as an individual level failure. Next, Morris (2000) classifies prisons as a failure. Recidivism rates are consistently higher for prisons than for other alternatives (Morris, 2000). The reason for this is that prisons breed crime. A school for crime is created when a person is removed from society and labeled; they become isolated, angry

    Read More

  • Raw by Scott Monk

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    Raw by Scott Monk Brett holds a rebellious attitude and has certain negativity towards authority; this is expressed in his attitude towards the police at the start of the novel and the use of the dialogue "pigs". They capture Brett after a bungled robbery and he is taken from Sydney to a juvenile detention centre in Mungindi run by Sam and Mary Fraser. Brett Dalton is the individual we see the institution have major effects on, it changes his life, attitudes and morals.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of The Criminal Justice System

    709 Words  | 2 Pages

    During one of our class sessions we discussed the different areas within the criminal justice system. The topic of courts and sentencing specifically of juveniles was mentioned. As we get to know the inside students we learn some of their backstory of how they ended up at Joseph Harp Correctional Facility, many of them had their first contact with the criminal justice system as a juvenile. Several of the inside students expressed animosity toward the courts when it came to sentencing of juveniles. They thought that some of the ways juveniles are sentenced is too harsh.

    Read More

  • History of the Juvenile Justice System

    2654 Words  | 6 Pages

    This paper will discuss the history of the juvenile justice system and how it has come to be what it is today. When a juvenile offender commits a crime and is sentenced to jail or reform school, the offender goes to a separate jail or reforming place than an adult. It hasn’t always been this way. Until the early 1800’s juveniles were tried just like everyone else. Today, that is not the case. This paper will explain the reforms that have taken place within the criminal justice system that developed the juvenile justice system.

    Read More

  • The Struggles of a Gifted Student in "And Still We Rise," Miles Corwin

    760 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel offers insight into a corrupted system that is failing today’s youth. This system places children into state custody with environments that are academically and socially incompetent. These children suffer within a corrupted system that denies resources and attention during the most crucial period in their emotional development. They develop very few meaningful adult relationships, endure damaging environments, and ultimately become trapped in a system that often leads to a prison life.

    Read More

  • Current Issues in the Correctional System

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the current prison structures and sentencing process continues to neglect the issues that current offenders have no change will accrue to prevent recidivism. The issue with the current structure of the prison sentencing process is it does not deal with the “why” the individual is an social deviant but only looks at the punishment process to remove the deviant from society. This method does not allow an offender to return back to society without continuing where they left off. As an offender is punished they are sentenced (removal from society) they continue in an isolated environment (prison) after their punishment time is completed and are released back to society they are now an outsider to the rapidly changing social environment. These individuals are returned to society without any coping skills, job training, or transitional training which will prevent them from continuing down th...

    Read More

  • Hard Rock Returns To Prison From The Hospital For The Criminally Insane By Etheridge Knight

    971 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although prisons have the primary objective of rehabilitation, prisoners will likely go through many other troubling emotions before reaching a point of reformation. Being ostracized from society, it is not uncommon to experience despair, depression, and hopelessness. Be that as it may, through reading various prison writings, it can be seen that inmates can find hope in the smallest things. As represented in “Hard Rock Returns to Prison from the Hospital for the Criminally Insane”, the author, Etheridge Knight, as well as other black inmates look up to Hard Rock, an inmate who is all but dutiful in a world where white people are placed at the top of the totem pole. However, after Hard Rock goes through a lobotomy-esque procedure, the motif

    Read More

More about Raw Brett Dalton Character Analysis

Open Document