Prisons May Cause Individuals to Reoffend

Introduction

Currently, statistics indicate that 60 percent of criminals have reoffended at some point in their lifetimes. Many argue that prison causes an individual to reoffend, however many oppose this belief and argue that other factors cause a high rate of reoffending. This controversial topic raises multiple questions regarding prison and its role in reoffending, as well as what other factors can cause an individual to reoffend. The question then raised is: “to what extent does prison cause an individual to reoffend?” This question will help to determine the major factors causing individuals to reoffend, as well as give insight into additional statistics related to the topic. Numerous sources have been identified and critically analysed in order to help identify what causes individuals to reoffend. The following report will focus on the points for and against prison causing high rates of reoffending, conclusions that have been made, and ways to reduce the number of individuals who commit multiple crimes.

Background research

The term reoffending refers to an individual who has committed more than one criminal act. As previously mentioned, current statistics indicate that 60 percent of adult criminals who have been imprisoned have reoffended at some stage. It has also been discovered that 80 percent of juvenile (or underage) criminals reoffend. Prison is defined as a legally sanctioned facility which holds individuals who have committed a serious crime. Prisons are typically defined within three categories; low, medium and high security, or can have areas of each security. Generally, lower security prisons include prisoners who are of less threats to society, and these prisoners have more freedom. In higher security ...

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... commit another crime. Counselling sessions are given individually to each prisoner, and are run by psychologist and social workers. Further counselling is offered to criminals who need extra support during prison, or are having difficulty coping with prison. In conjunction with this, counselling helps criminals understand how they can adapt to the outside world which, in turn, allows prisoners the chance to become more socially acceptable upon their release. Studies have shown that criminals who receive counselling are less likely to reoffend once they have been released. Therefore, these counselling and self-help sessions must be implemented within prisons to reduce the rate of reoffending. Additionally, prisoners are offered counselling sessions after their release. This helps them to control their actions and teaches them how to behave in amongst society.