Imprisonment is a popular form of punishment in modern society which dates back to the 16th Century. People were originally put in prison to ‘save their soul’. This method of punishment began to replace the death penalty, which was still sentenced for the serious crimes. As time went on, prison sentences became more popular, which reduced transportation as criminals were no longer sent to another country. According to the Ministry of Justice (2013) prisons have been overcrowded since 1994, which suggests that an alternative method of punishment is needed. It can be argued that people believe that prison is the only form of punishment, however, this is untrue. The reason it is important to study this is because there is not a lot of emphasis on other forms of punishment or rehabilitation for offenders. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the attitudes and opinions people have towards incarceration.
The main databases used for selecting the literature that is to be reviewed, were Google Scholar and Locate. Search terms and phrases included the following: prison, incarceration, imprisonment, alternative forms of punishment, public attitudes to prison, rehabilitation, community service and sentencing. There was also some emphasis on how public attitudes are influenced by the media, and the role it plays in informing people about what is happening relating to prisons and punishment. Having discussed the aims, rationale and methodology, the literature review and discussion/conclusion will now follow.
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Allen (2002) reviewed research that was conducted specifically on what the public actually thought of prison as a punishment. He explores the options available as an alternative to prison, and how effective these were ...
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...er’, Journal of Health and Social Care Improvement, 1-7.
Wermink, H., Blokland, A., Nieuwbeerta, P., Nagin, D. and Tollenaar, N. (2010) ‘Comparing the Effects of Community Service and Short-term Imprisonment on Recidivism: A Matched Samples Approach’, Journal of Experimental Criminology, 6, 325-349
Whitehead, J. T., Blankenship, M. B. and Wright, J.P. (1999) ‘Elite versus Citizen Attitudes on Capital Punishment: Incongruity between the Public and Policymakers’, Journal of Criminal Justice, 27(3), 249-258.
Williams, R. B. (2010) Why We Love Bad News [online] available from [15 January 2014]
Windzio, M. (2006) ‘Is there a Deterrent Effect of Pains of Imprisonment?: The Impact of ‘Social Costs’ of First Incarceration on the Hazard Rate of Recidivism’, Punishment Society, 8, 341-364.
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...
For decades, prison has been signified as an unspeakably horrifying place for those who have done harm to our society. Nevertheless, in today 's society, shows like Wentworth, orange is the new black and prison break illustrate prison in an entertaining way. A way that is so detached from reality. However, in the article "Norway 's Ideal Prison," by Piers Hernu, he clearly reveals and gives us a vivid picture of what prison life is like in Bastoy, the home of Norway only prison. On the other hand, "The Prisoners Dilemma," by Stephan Chapman argues how in Islamic countries criminals are being cruelly handled and how flawed the American penal system is and needs to be adjusted. Even though there are many similarities in both articles on what
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.
Drago, F., Galbiati, R. & Vertova, P. (2011). Prison conditions and recidivism. American law and economics review, 13 (1), pp. 103--130.
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 in 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? Although prison systems are intense and the experience is one of a kind for sure, it does little to help them as statistics show “two-in-five inmates nationwide return to jail within three years of release”(Ascharya, K).
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
During the 1970s, the top argument in favor of the death penalty was general deterrence. This argument suggests that we must punish offenders to discourage others from committing similar offenses; we punish past offenders to send a message to potential offenders. In a broad sense, the deterrent effect of punishment is thought to b...
The purpose of this source is to evaluate and compare prisons with the death penalty. Prisons are meant to protect society, punish convicted criminals, deter criminal activity, and when possible, to rehabilitate criminals. However, there is an increase of incarcerated criminals due to rising populations and longer life expectancies. This may lead to an experience similar to facing capital punishment. Prisons will experience poorer health care and levels of sanitation, bigger risks of violence, and the likely hood of diseases. This type of environment violates constitutional rights, morals and ethics, as well as human rights. This situation could encourage the idea to thin out the population, or to abolish the death penalty because prison is a hellhole.
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.
Perhaps the most common argument against mass incarceration is the cost. Weisberg and Petersilia explain a “cost-benefit” rationality surrounding mass incarceration. The public still wants to incapacitate and punish violent offenders, but are becoming more lenient towards non-violent drug offenders. This is because the societal cost to imprison non-violent offenders has reached a threshold that is no longer fully tolerated. This is due to the actual cost of the current prison system to taxpayers, the socioeconomic costs and socially stratifying effects of imprisonment, and the collateral costs of imprisonment on the country as a whole. However, in implementation knee jerk reactions that cut costs often undermine programs that are designed
Spelman, W. (2000). What recent studies do (and don’t) tell us about imprisonment and crime (Vol. 23). In M. Tonry (Ed.), Crime and Justice: A Review of Research (pp. 419-494). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Retrieved November 11, 2013 from http://heinonline.org.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/HOL/Page?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/cjrr27&id=427#427.
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.
All over America, crime is on the rise. Every day, every minute, and even every second someone will commit a crime. Now, I invite you to consider that a crime is taking place as you read this paper. "The fraction of the population in the State and Federal prison has increased in every single year for the last 34 years and the rate for imprisonment today is now five times higher than in 1972"(Russell, 2009). Considering that rate along crime is a serious act. These crimes range from robbery, rape, kidnapping, identity theft, abuse, trafficking, assault, and murder. Crime is a major social problem in the United States. While the correctional system was designed to protect society from offenders it also serves two specific functions. First it can serve as a tool for punishing the offender. This involves making the offender pay for his/her crime while serving time in a correctional facility. On the other hand it can serve as a place to rehabilitate the offender as preparation to be successful as they renter society. The U.S correctional system is a quite controversial subject that leads to questions such as how does our correctional system punish offenders? How does our correctional system rehabilitate offenders? Which method is more effective in reducing crime punishment or rehabilitation? Our correctional system has several ways to punish and rehabilitate offenders.
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?