Rehabilitation of Criminals: A Waste of Time or Worth The Effort?
Since 1960, the number of violent crimes committed per capita in the
United States has increased by more than 450%. More than 24,000 murders took
place in America in 1991.. With each passing year, rapes, robberies, murder, and
other forms of extreme violence has become a way of life for some individuals
who fall short of society's norms; however, it is only a small portion of
criminals who commit the majority of the crimes. It is no longer rare to be a
victim of a violent crime or to know someone who has been affected .
Get tough laws passed by many states have caused a increase in prison
spending. Prison populations in the 1980's have more than doubled resulting in
more prisons being built every year. Even with all the harsh sentencing
guidelines, judges are not sentencing criminals to do necessary time . Prisons
have become a revolving door society. Only 25% of those convicted are sent to
prison. Judges usually have to let out a inmate before another one can take his
place. There are limited cells in prisons, so the majority of crimes are
punished by probation or court sanctions. Even when longer sentences are given,
they are rarely served. The average murderer spends about six years in prison.
What factors decide the outcome of such individuals? Some experts feel
there is no absolute answer, only speculation. There is however, a strong
relationship between environment and the outcome of offenders. Low income, poor
education,drugs, and family breakdown are some factors that keep repeating in
cases of habitual offenders; however, the public sees the problem lies with the
availability of guns and lack of morals. Only one factor stands out in both
public and professional opinion, drugs.
To deal with crime, we must first go to the root of the problem. The
American society is a breeding ground for violent crime. Preventative measures
must be implemented to stop such behavior before it starts. Teaching family
values in after school programs is a step in the right direction. Programs that
teach respect, anger management, and accountability for one's own actions is a
must in today's society.
Prison programs for the first time offender to help them become
productive members of society can be a step in the right direction.Teaching
inmates how to manage anger, drug counseling, people skills, as well as teaching
blue collar trade to inmates will ease the transition from prison to the outside
world. When the inmate is released, a half way house should be the residence of
you go to prison, whether you belong there or not, you become a dangerous person, and they
The name of this case and the specific facts, however, were unavailable at this time.9 Obviously affirmative action and reverse discrimination are still heavily debated issues. This is because they affect all people of all races and ethnicities. Conclusion Allan Bakke was denied his fourteenth amendment right to equal protection of the laws. In addition the University of California at Davis violated Title IV of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. By order of the Supreme Court Bakke was admitted and th e numerical quotas of the special admissions program were deemed unconstitutional. Justice was served to Bakke, but future generations who are not minorities may be plagued by the other half of the decision: That race may still be used as a "plus" on an application.
"Prison Legal News - Legal articles, cases and court decisions." Prison Legal News - Legal articles, cases and court decisions. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2014. .
Title IX has affected females’ access to higher education in so many ways. Before Title
In the 21st century, crimes have been and remains as one of the post-major threats towards
Civil rights is a topic which is on everyone’s tongues a majority of the time. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, the spotlight was on racial equality. In the 1970s and 1980s, it was gender equality that dominated the stage. In the modern day, it has shifted to same-sex rights. There is always a battle to live up to what America’s forefathers had dreamed of for this country: total equality in society. While it is an uphill battle more often than not, those who push for equality gain enough momentum to succeed in an ever-changing world. The long fight against gender discrimination in the education system is highlighted by the important case in Grove City College v Bell, the effects of the verdict of that case between 1984 and 1987, the passing of the Civil Rights Restoration Act, and how Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act has evolved in the modern day.
The Supreme Court's ruling in Grutter v. Bollinger and in Gratz v. Bollinger are two compelling and complex cases. In the Grutter v. Bollinger case, the Supreme court favored that race and ethnicity along with other factors are justifiable in the admission process of promoting a diverse and inclusive student body on the premises of state law schools. I agree with the court's decision because minorities only make up a small percentage on college campuses and universities, and that race and ethnicity does play a crucial role in recruiting students of colors from various cultural backgrounds. Students must be trained scholars who know how to interact with people from all walks of life and they must be able to adapt and understand different people in different environments in a given context. The goal is for everyone
Many people are pressuring colleges to change their admissions policy and abolish affirmative action. As a result, many colleges are abolishing their affirmative action policy. According the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), states like California, Florida, Michigan, and New Hampshire have passed laws prohibited the use affirmative action in public colleges or universities. In Michigan, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals rul...
The Rehablitation of Offenders Act 1974 has been put in place to ease offenders back into society and also make sure that offenders’, that are given under a 30 month prison sentence, convictions are spent. Therefore employers of the recent offender are not allowed to discriminate against that person, allowing the offender more opportunity to gain employment. This briefing note outlines the strengths and weaknesses of rehabilitating sex offenders. By analysing the literature and statistics surrounding rehabilitating sex offenders there is clear evidence that treatment programmes are effective. Punishment, Rehabilitation, Deterence and Incapacitation are the four main objectives for the Criminal Justice system.
Peterson, R, Krivo, L, & Hagan, J. (2006). The many colors of crime. NY: New York University Press.
Today, half of state prisoners are serving time for nonviolent crimes. Over half of federal prisoners are serving time for drug crimes. Mass incarceration seems to be extremely expensive and a waste of money. It is believed to be a massive failure. Increased punishments and jailing have been declining in effectiveness for more than thirty years. Violent crime rates fell by more than fifty percent between 1991 and 2013, while property crime declined by forty-six percent, according to FBI statistics. Yet between 1990 and 2009, the prison population in the U.S. more than doubled, jumping from 771,243 to over 1.6 million (Nadia Prupis, 2015). While jailing may have at first had a positive result on the crime rate, it has reached a point of being less and less worth all the effort. Income growth and an aging population each had a greater effect on the decline in national crime rates than jailing. Mass incarceration and tough-on-crime policies have had huge social and money-related consequences--from its eighty billion dollars per-year price tag to its many societal costs, including an increased risk of recidivism due to barbarous conditions in prison and a lack of after-release reintegration opportunities. The government needs to rethink their strategy and their policies that are bad
To punish or to rehabilitate incarcerated inmates is a debate decades in the making. The majority of correctional facilities are currently punishment-oriented. There is such a strong focus on punishment, as correctional facilities are built upon disciplinary objectives, that it is difficult to create effectual rehabilitative programs for inmates. Rehabilitation while incarcerated can include a wide variety of assistance such as education, vocation training, and hands-on experience. Mental illness support can also be a large portion of inmate rehabilitation, as the U.S. Department of Justice estimates that sixty-one percent of inmates in state prisons struggle with mental problems (Glaze and James). Ignoring mental illness, rather than helping
Clegg, expanding on the expense of discrimination towards scholars, displays how discrimination has a single benefit: diversity. Likewise, Abigail Fisher, plaintiff in the recent case Fisher v. University of Texas, has better grades than the average needed to gain admission for African-American and Hispanic students, yet was rejected from the University of Texas. Fisher, who is white, was forced to attend the l...
and out of the prison system, the control of (or lack there of) by prison
The correctional system punishes offenders by sentencing them to serve time in jail or prison. Others forms of punishment include being sentenced to probation, community service, and/or restitution. Jail is a locally operated short-term confinement facilities originally built to hold suspects following arrest and pending trial (Schmalleger, 2009). A prison is state or ...