Every year thousands of people are sent to prisons across the country and the current number of people in prison in the UK is 85,567 and counting. This is due to crimes being committed and people breaking the law but are prisoners being treated too leniently? Should prisoners not have privileges taken away from them? This is a widely discussed topic and some people say once released prisoners change their lives. However HMP Services say that 60% of criminals on short prison sentences will re-offend. Many people would agree that prisoners are treated too leniently and not punished enough for the crimes they have committed.
Many people assume that the prison way of life is gruelling and inmates do not have a wide choice of food to choose from
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It is not fair that prisoners sit and watch television all day while the tax payer is out working hard to earn a living and pay for prisoners to watch TV. A punishment for prisoners is the prison taking away privileges - e.g. removing a TV from a cell. Prisoners should take responsibility and try and achieve something while they are in prison. For example they could learn a new skill or complete a college course so they are ready to look for a job when they are released from prison as more than 50% of male offenders and 71% of female offenders have no qualifications according to civitas.org. Civitas.org also tells us that “Nearly half have literacy skills at or below level 1 and 65% have numeracy skills at or below level 1.” If they did participate in educational studies this would mean that they are a better person when they are released. However, according to an article in The Guardian, “67% of offenders were unemployed when they went to prison and more than three-quarters had no job to go to when they got out.” Rather than spending their days lazing in front of the television, prisoners should be studying to prepare for life
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.
Instead of prisoners just sitting in a cell doing nothing, why not put them to work, "Every inmate that works saves taxpayers $5,000 a year"(Smith). There are prisoners that work in greenhouses, that generated $57 million in revenue. As budget cuts rise working prisoners become more and more valuable. Inmates are finding ways to save money by recycling there old mattress, that would of end up in landfills. Some prisons even have their inmates help clean up dirty parks around them. While the prisoners are doing this they are learning skills , that will help them with different jobs. Prisoners that do a good job get rewarded with money bonuses. Prisoners learning how to be more responsible and understand how to become a better person will help them in the up coming future. With the prisoners getting paid for bonuses for good work this will make it feel as if it’s a real job. The experience that the inmates are receiving will help them with jobs once they are released from prison. Prisoners will strive to do better with the bonuses they are receiving, and will understand again what its like work. Now with this happening this will ensure the prisoners will have a better and healthier
Well I am for the idea of prison, but I don't support the way our prisons in North America are being run. These people deserve to be punished! I don't want them to waste our money, get "paid" for television interviews, book rights and all the other goodies that come from doing a crime. And then slapped on the hand saying: "You be a good boy/girl now" and sent them off to a place we call prison, but in reality, some of the prisoners, find prison to be just like a strict camp. I have personally talked to some people who had gotten out of prison a few weeks prior to our talk, and they where telling me how they learned how to make certain crafts, learn how to sow, and many other things.
That explains the positive correlation between the amount of education a person receives while in prison and the chance they have of securing a fulltime job following their release. A study published by a prison in Minnesota supports this idea by showing that prisoners who had obtained a secondary degree while in prison increased their chances of securing a job within two years of being released by 59%. These odds were increased even further for younger offenders, which shows that educational programs in prisons are even more pertinent for the younger
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 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?
Throughout history into today, there have been many problems with our prison system. Prisons are overcrowded, underfunded, rape rates are off the charts, and we as Americans have no idea how to fix it. We need to have shorter sentences and try to rehabilitate prisoners back to where they can function in society. Many prisoners barely have a high school education and do not receive further education in jail. Guards need to pay more attention to the well being of the inmates and start to notice signs of abuse and address them. These are just a few of the many problems in our prison systems that need to be addressed.
As far as the benefits to the inmates, this education decreases their risks of returning back to prison and increases their chances of getting and maintaining a job once released. He touches on the funds these programs are getting and how they have been recently decreasing. What he also mentions is how the cost of these inmates’ education is far less than the cost it is to keep them incarcerated. This article will be useful to me in its many stats and numbers on education in prisoners and how the effects it can
The amount th of money that has been spend on prisons is about 49 billion dollars the reason for this is because people are being sent to prison and some re offend and come back. The main purpose of going to jail is to never come back , but in some cases others don 't seem to learn from their mistakes. This is the reason why prison education would come in handy. In the article “Education and Vocational Training in Prisons Reduces Recidivism, Improves Job Outlook” its states that “Researchers found that inmates who participate in correctional education programs have 43 percent lower odds of returning to prison than those who do not”This quote is pretty much saying that the percentage of inmates that has education is less likely to come back. This is good because the amount of money that we would be saving would probably help us with debt that we face a lot in american. Education is the most important form of rehabilitation for
Prisons are institutionalized systems that hold people hostage against their will. Many believe that these institutions are fundamental to keep balance within society. Although prison systems are meant to seclude troubled individuals, it should go beyond just containing criminals. The judicial system is responsible for correcting and eliminating future delinquent behavior before they can be effectively situated back into society. In saying this, the court system does not implement these actions within prison systems, failing to fulfil the goals and the function of the prison overall. The U.S elots millions of dollars toward funding for our correctional system, but are unable to reform the basic natural rights and maltreatment within the prison system.
The most recent example of this would be Tyrone Howard who is mentioned above. He has been arrested many times yet still got out and continued to commit crimes even after going through the diversion programs for drug charges. I believe that Jonsson is mistaken because he overlooks the factors that come out of prison education. Although many think prison education is being pushed, prisons and prison guards do not advocate the idea of educating the prisoners. Since the requirement to become a prison guard is only a high school diploma, the guards become envious of the criminals who are getting higher education which could cause tension and mistreatment. Also, educating prisoners should decrease the recidivism rate which would bring the government to give less money to prisons because there are less prisoners to care for. Education in prison is not being pushed because it is harmful to the prison system no matter how the government decides to do
Prison inmates should be able work and spend time doing community service to contribute to society to repay for their wrong doing and develop a better character. This practice is available in some prisons and has so far, been proven effective. Labor for inmates should not be mandatory, but should be something the inmates are allowed to consider. By being able to function in the workplace, inmates will overtime develop a better sense of common knowledge in regards to being responsible and doing the right thing, be able to function in the workplace and in society, and get paid after their sentence for all of the work they’ve done.
Why should we care about education in prison? In today’s world people become more egocentric, so that no one’s longer care or even attempt to think about others problems and how to fix them. As a society, we have to begin to focus on the bigger picture, why so many people get behind bars in United States. All human beings should have an opportunity of better life even after committing mistakes before. Education is the key to success. By providing prisoners with opportunity to get education, our society will benefit everyone. Prison education should be provided to inmates for three significant reasons: reduces crime recidivism, gives job perspectives and helps prisoners to rehabilitate and commit themselves to a law-abiding life outside the prison.
Part of the punishment is the elements prisoners must endure while imprisonment. The conditions in prisons can be characterized as harsh and unbearable at times. Cold daunting cells and prison overcrowding evoke mediocracy living conditions (Herzing 2015). Yes, payment for crimes should match the crimes committed. Murders, rapes, and all other odious crimes should evoke a place of lack luster conditions to those of such criminal background (Washington 2016). The amenities once enjoyed by an individual in society should be taken away, if convicted of a crime. The freewill to go to the store, or a movie, to live in certain neighborhoods, should be entities lost due to criminal behavior. Besides the loss of freedoms, how should the prison system effect prisoners?
Most people have no idea what it feels like to be in prison, statistically only one out of every five people will know what its like to be in prison. Approximately 1.4 million people out of the U.S.’s 280 million people are in prison. (Thomas, 2) The only reason people know about prisons is because of the media. The news, movies, and books all contribute to people's stereotypes about prisons. Prisoners receive three meals a day, workout facilities, a library, as well as other things. People are also given the idea, through the mass media, that prisoners are free to walk around certain parts of the prison. All of these ideas are cast upon prisons so that people will not be afraid of them. Society has been given the idea that prisons are not very bad on the inside. What is prison life really like?
Prisons are historically meant to be a place of punishment for those that have committed one or more crimes, but it was not a proper rehabilitation for prisoners that are to be released back into society. The benefit of having an education program can enrich the inmates of their learning experiences and improve their knowledge and ability as an individual to return to society with a chance for future success. This spark of interest for this topic has given me a reason to believe that if prisoners were given an education, there are certain aspects of a person that can be improved and also benefit them to fit back into society which can be a step forward than a step backwards to what they are trying to achieve.