Rehabilitation of Inmates

503 Words2 Pages

The topic of whether inmates can be rehabilitated was addressed by Kendall (2010) in her presentation of symbolic interactional solutions concerning crime, which center around the belief that because behavior is learned then learning alternative behaviors can replace the original learning. This argument makes sense when shaping a case in favor of rehabilitation; however, simply serving time in prison has not proven to be an effective method to re-educate inmates. (Kendall, 2010)

Yamatani and Spjeldnes (2011) reported that the effectiveness of social services in impacting recidivism rates and successful reintegration were neglected in inmate studies. They cited the Second Chance Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-199) as a federal admission that the incarceration of criminals has been a dismal failure. These two researchers conducted a three year investigation to determine the consequences of offering social services in a collaborative approach targeting inmates with a support program for newly released former inmates to facilitate their successful return to life outside prison. The study was p...

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