Over the centuries one of the most common forms of punishment is imprisonment. As times past by the prison has taken on various shapes and forms. The quality and most conditions of prisons have changed in order to provide better living conditions for the inmates, but the main purpose of the prison has never changed, the online article Welcome to Stop the Crime states that “ a prison have four major purposes, these include retribution, incapacitation, deterrence and rehabilitation” (stoptheaca.org). This shows that the prison is there to ensure that criminals pay back society for the crimes they have committed; it also serves as an area to keep criminals from hurting innocent civilians and it is also there to transform prisoners to law abiding citizens. The prison life is a common topic discussed between boys of all ages, and it is very common to hear past prisoners convincing them that the prison life isn’t hard at all and that it’s very simple. Although some prisoners try to make the prison life sound fun and carefree when it’s compared to the life of a free individual it can be clearly seen that the prison life is much harder. While prisoners still have some rights left intact most of the rights they had before they went to prison are striped from them. The prisoners are left with just enough rights for them to survive and to maintain a certain standard of living. Based on the online article some of the rights that prisoners are left which include “the right to be free from Cruel and Unusual Punishments, the right to be free from sexual harassment, right to complain about prison conditions and access to the courts, the right to special accommodations if disabled, the right to receive medical and mental health care, the right to ... ... middle of paper ... ...l with. But getting into and staying in a gang isn’t that simple, inmates that want to join a gang is tested, they have to show proof of the crime they committed and based on the crime they can either join the gang or be beaten by the gang members. Like most other groups there is a leader, the person that calls the shots, the gang leaders also develop rules that the members have to follow and the punishments for breaking the rules. In prisons the inmates may not be restricted with chains or ropes but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t restricted; the rules of the prison to the prisoners are equivalent to them being tied down by a rope or chain. The rules of the prison take away most of the simple things they were allowed to do in civilization, it do this by placing restriction on all the various things that the prisoners might enjoy or might make their stay easier.
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...
Furthermore, when our offenders reach prison, they are escorted to a room where they are stripped of all outside clothing, searched and given a prison suit. Next they are then taken to their cell, whether it is by themselves or bunking with one or more prison mates. Depending on the time of the day they enter, they will then be taken to the next meal, then afterwards maybe they return back to their cell or they have an activity of some sort. They get to sleep on a bunk, oftentimes, have a toilet and a sink in their rooms sometimes, and get to have pictures, buy from the canteen where they can buy anything from cigarettes to magazines, to even personal TVs or radios. Anything to make their life comfortable while they are there. Meanwhile, there are those in the US who work hard, never commit crimes,
If the gang ever wishes to induct a new member, they will offer easy access to drugs and alcohol. The gang will also accelerate the time line for a member's trial period or even skip requirements to allow easier entry. But these are usually the
Prisons have dated back to the twentieth century when the United States had almost two million people confined in prisons or jails. Prisons have been a form of government punishment that has shaped our nation to what it is today. The first jail was established in Philadelphia, in 1970. It was called the Walnut Street Jail and was recorded as the first use of imprisonment through solitary confinement. The basic principles of the new system were to reform those in prison, and to segregate those according to age, sex, and type of offenses charged against them (Schoenherr). The second prison was called Sing-Sing a...
Three walls. One toilet seat. Bars made of mild steel and a lock only accessible to men who government calls authority figures. Prison systems are known for three things: to protect the people, to punish the criminal and to rehabilitate the prisoner so that a crime will not be further committed. However, it has been causing ongoing controversy on whether or not it has been stripping away the earned rights of citizens or indeed helping them become “better” for society.
In Western cultures imprisonment is the universal method of punishing criminals (Chapman 571). According to criminologists locking up criminals may not even be an effective form of punishment. First, the prison sentences do not serve as an example to deter future criminals, which is indicated, in the increased rates of criminal behavior over the years. Secondly, prisons may protect the average citizen from crimes but the violence is then diverted to prison workers and other inmates. Finally, inmates are locked together which impedes their rehabilitation and exposes them too more criminal
In final analysis, this research project looks to provide a new way of understanding the current prison situation and its various manifestations. A comprehensive report of how things might be for those closely involved in the punishment and rehabilitation process might enable policy-makers and the public alike to change their ideas and help them perceive what it might mean to be in the position of officers or prisoners. The higher objective of this project will be to bring, through new knowledge, the necessary reforms that could leave both the taxpayer and those in the prison system more satisfied.
The “pains of imprisonment” can be divided into five main conditions that attack the inmate’s personality and his feeling of self-worth. The deprivations are as follows: The deprivation of liberty, of goods and services, of heterosexual relationships, autonomy and of security.
Life sentences is another very important fact that can bring inmates into an old age due to the extreme lengthy sentence which may cause the reason for older prisoners to be the fastest growing group in prison. The use of the life sentences involved with no chance of being discharge named life without parole (Fellner, 2012). Referring to the Sentencing Project, the amount of inmates served for life sentences in state prison raised from 34,000 to 140,610, which was four times of the inmates along the year of 1984 to 2008 (Nellis & King, 2009). As for the federal prison system, the increases in the amount of inmates with life sentences raised even more from 410 federal lifers to 4,222 between the years of 1998 to 2009, which is ten times higher
The norms of the prison are held up by sanctions, both by the prisoners and by the violence of the guards. Some examples of these sanctions are the degradation ceremonies established new inmates as inferior, violence by the guards enforcing their power over the prisoners, prisoners act in such a way that these techniques fail, and being sent to solitary confinement. All of these enforce their isolation and works to break them as a human being, reminding them their role as a prisoner and their lack of power. By doing this, one would want to abide by the rules to veer away from any severe
Prison was designed to house and isolate criminals away from the society in order for our society and the people within it to function without the fears of the outlaws. The purpose of prison is to deter and prevent people from committing a crime using the ideas of incarceration by taking away freedom and liberty from those individuals committed of crimes. Prisons in America are run either by the federal, states or even private contractors. There are many challenges and issues that our correctional system is facing today due to the nature of prisons being the place to house various types of criminals. In this paper, I will address and identify three major issues that I believe our correctional system is facing today using my own ideas along with the researches from three reputable outside academic sources.
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.
The origin of the word prison comes from the Latin word to seize. It is fair to say that the traditionally use of prison correspond well with the origin of the word; as traditionally prison was a place for holding people whilst they were awaiting trail. Now, centuries on and prisons today is used as a very popular, and severe form of punishment offered to those that have been convicted. With the exception however, of the death penalty and corporal punishment that still takes place in some countries. Being that Prison is a very popular form of punishment used in today's society to tackle crime and punish offenders, this essay will then be examining whether prison works, by drawing on relevant sociological factors. Furthermore, it will be looking at whether punishment could be re-imagined, and if so, what would it entail?
The mass media uses prison life as the source for movies and television shows. Over the years there have been many movies written about prison but the most prominent in my mind is Frank Darabont’s, The Shawshank Redemption. Throughout the film there are many examples of the falsities of prison life. There are some elements of truth but they are out weighed by the misconceptions. Numerous prisoners are allowed to walk around the prison and the prison yard with no guards in sight. In actuality there are always guards around, especially on the inside. The prisoner’s movement through the prison is highly restricted.
Some prisoners are claustrophobic; they can’t be in small tight places for example their prison cell. The prisoners were used to being on the streets doing whatever they felt they wanted to do; now they got to follow rules and do as they’re told. Inmates with life sentences have to stay in prison until they’re no longer alive, knowing that some even try to commit suicide. No one would like to be in prison for life, just thinking about can make everyone scared. Inmates serving life in prison are able to get special services, depending on their conduct. Inmates have double celled housing space for themselves, a person can get frustrated being small places and since the inmate is going to be there for life they want to at least let him feel good. The inmates also get employment opportunities, also depending in their conduct. They want the inmates to spend their time out of trouble and helping them get distracted can get them out of trouble. In some facilities the inmate can receive meals in their cells, in chow hall or in day room. Some facilities offer academic education; they offer adult basic education, GED, or special