Are prisons meant to rehabilitate or to punish?
This topic is quite controversial as to whether the prisons should provide rehabilitation to the lawbreakers or punish them instead to reduce crime. Should we follow the beliefs of retribution which believes that punishment is deserved in percentage to the weightiness of a felony, or not?
First and foremost, we must also consider what the underlying objective of punishment is. If it is to enact suffering on the delinquents for them to reflect on their crime, then the punishment should be the method. However, if the objective is to give them second chance and to guide them in the right direction, then rehabilitation come across as an effective approach.
I believe that if we follow a sensible approach, crime would be most effectively controlled. One that leads to punishment but also gives the second chance to show them the right direction for the future as well. Nobody is perfect. Everyone commits mistakes. Hence, they should also be given a chance to change the way they are. Eradicating the habit of committing a crime in a person is more important than sending him to jail. But sending them to prison is also required else these offenses will increase in the society especially criminals committing such
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Yes, rehabilitation of prisons is an extremely difficult process but, I believe that no matter how heavy the crime committed is, everyone should be given a second chance. The repulsions of prison life and lessons they have learned from being in jail are enough to deter them from committing crimes again in the future. They should be given counseling and be guided that these punishments are due to the offenses that they have taken and they still have a chance to reinvent themselves. To those who have not been educated, the prison should also give them teachers to enhance their skills so that they have something to look after when they come out to
There is no simple right or wrong solution, there is simply choosing the best and most appropriate choice for the specific case. Choosing to use the combination of rehabilitation and deterrence is quite conflicting of one another. But some cases call for help and treatment, and so call for punishment. There are so many factors that contribute to a case, that the decision can be altered so fast by the smallest detail. The criminal justice system is complex, brutal, and sometimes unfair, but deciding on the right goal for the criminal can make all the
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.
The offender should be held responsible for their actions, and should be taken out of society to complete their punishment. I am torn between which system I believe does the most good. I used to believe that no contact with the outside world would always be the best punishment. They committed a crime, and they should pay for it. These days, people with a record can have a very hard time bettering their life after jail or prison. Having some contact with other prisoners, society, and a means to work inside can help with this. It really comes down to whether you believe criminals should be able to start fixing their mistakes during or after their punishment. The cost of these systems is different and should not be ignored, but for my assessment of the systems I have not included a difference in price. This is mostly because I feel as though there are cuts that could potentially be made to make the costs more
Davis discusses the history of the justice system and how the Penitentiary replaced capitol and corporal punishment. She defines Penitentiary as “Imprisonment was regarded as rehabilitative and the penitentiary prison was devised to provide convicts with the conditions for reflecting on their crimes and, through penitence, for reshaping their habits even their souls.3” though the idea of the penitentiary is arguable a new idea during the American Revolution. The penitentiary process was so that prisoners could learn from what they have done by a process of separation and rehabilitation. After slavery and during the early 20th century the level of crime rates rose during the early 1920’s to 1940’s. In the Article Less crime more punishment Adler4,
Prisons and correctional facilities in the United States have changed from rehabilitating people to housing inmates and creating breeding grounds for more violence. Many local, state, and federal prisons and correctional facilities are becoming more and more overcrowded each year. If the Department of Corrections (DOC) wants to stop having repeat offenders and decrease the volume of inmates entering the criminal justice system, current regulations and programs need to undergo alteration. Actions pushed by attorneys and judges, in conjunction current prison life (including solitary confinement), have intertwined to result in mass incarceration. However, prisoner reentry programs haven’t fully impacted positively to help the inmate assimilate back into society. These alterations can help save the Department of Corrections (DOC) money, decrease the inmate population, and most of all, help rehabilitate them. After inmates are charged with a crime, they go through the judicial system (Due Process) and meet with the prosecutor to discuss sentencing.
The individuals imprisoned are cast aside and separated from the community, even though they are a part of the community along with their victims (Leven, 1992). Both studies called for prisons to only be used as punishment on the offenders who would benefit from the long-term rehabilitation. Leven (1992) calls for community based reformation rather than relying on prison based treatments. This would entail the offender working with the community outside of the prison, instead of the community inside of the prison. Prisons may not be rehabilitative for all offenders as it does expose them to an environment of high-risks.
Rehabilitation can come in many different forms wither it be GED classes, drug treatment, therapy, job training or mental health care. When the correctional system provides rehabilitation services for offenders the offenders are less likely to reoffend. An offender that cannot read or write is less likely to find employment therefore is more likely to commit crimes to support them self, if the offender receives rehabilitation services in prison or on probation is then able to get a job and less likely to commit further criminal offences. Drug offenders who receive rehabilitation treatment are less likely to commit more offences to feed their drug habits. Large amounts of offenders do not have support systems in place from family, community or peers. When the offenders enter the correctional rehabilitation programs they reconnect with family or join a community program that gives the offender a feeling of support. Criminals are criminals because they have committed crimes, but some offenders benefit from rehabilitation and some offenders are just flat out criminals. Having rehabilitation services in prisons are vital to ensure that the offenders are prepared to reenter society with job training skills, money management skills and a new outlook on
The Criminal Justice system was established to achieve justice. Incarceration and rehabilitation are two operations our government practices to achieve justice over criminal behavior. Incarceration is the punishment for infraction of the law and in result being confined in prison. It is more popular than rehabilitation because it associates with a desire for retribution. However, retribution is different than punishment. Rehabilitation, on the other hand is the act of restoring the destruction caused by a crime rather than simply punishing offenders. This may be the least popular out of the two and seen as “soft on crime” however it is the only way to heal ruptured communities and obtain justice instead of punishing and dispatching criminals
Rehabilitation is an action to restore a person's health and normal life through therapy and training exercise after they been imprisoned or ill. Does U.S. prisons institutions of rehabilitation model the definition of rehabilitation? These institutions were to prepare prisoners to rejoin society as a new citizens. However, many prisons do not lead up to that which led to the civil war in 1861 to 1865. Civil War was about slavery not prisons institutions, but many would argue that prisons were another place for slavery. Prior to the Civil War, U.S. prison institutions were not a place of rehabilitation for prisoners, the initial goal were to rehabilitate prisoners, but it did not rehabilitate prisoners. Many prisoners become ill in prison
Punishing criminals by putting them in a correctional facility such as prisons can be successful in repenting the criminal as they would reflect on their own actions, allowing the guilt to make them better people, probably even seeing their own faults through other prisoners. Prisons give criminals a chance to rehabilitate themselves by using the facilities there present such as the counseling and seminars given. The fact that prisons house a lot of criminals that associate with each other has created a “criminal community”, an atmosphere where crime inhibits; therefore criminals can only aid each other out to become better “crims”, learning the tricks of the trade as well as toughening each other up through the highly abusive nature of the criminals there. Health wise, prisons can highly be dangerous and lethal to the prisoners; such diseases as AIDS from homosexual relationships and drug use is prevalent, as well as male rape, and even female rape, even some become mentally insane. In general however, prisons aren’t a nice place to be.
With the substantial increase in prison population and various changes that plague correctional institutions, government agencies are finding that what was once considered a difficult task to provide educational programs, inmate security and rehabilitation programs are now impossible to accomplish. From state to state each correctional organization is coupled with financial problems that have depleted the resources to assist in providing the quality of care in which the judicial system demands from these state and federal prisons. Judges, victims, and prosecuting attorneys entrust that once an offender is turned over to the correctional system, that the offender will receive the punishment in which was imposed by the court, be given services that aid in the rehabilitation to those offenders that one day will be released back into society, and to act as a deterrent to other criminals contemplating criminal acts that could result in their incarceration. Has our nations correctional system finally reached it’s critical collapse, and as a result placed or American citizens in harm’s way to what could result in a plethora of early releases of inmates to reduce the large prison populations in which independent facilities are no longer able to manage? Could these problems ultimately result in a drastic increase in person and property crimes in which even our own law enforcement be ineffective in controlling these colossal increases of crime against society?
“Doing projects really gives people self-confidence. Nothing is better than taking the pie out of the oven. What it does for you personally, and for your family 's idea of you, is something you can 't buy." - Martha Stewart. Rehabilitated prisoners programs, for example, in the prisons are one of the most important programs in prison to address the causes of criminality and restore criminal’s self-confidence. Therefore, many governments are still taking advantage of their prisoners while they are in prison. However, some people believe that prison programs ' can improve and develop the criminals to be more professionals in their crimes. In addition, rehabilitated programs help inmates in the character building, ethical behavior, and develop
There are many problems that exist when it comes to prisoner reentry. The first being the prison experience itself. Siegel (2017) writes, the psychological and economic problems that lead offenders to recidivism are rarely addressed by a stay in prison. Despite rehabilitation efforts, the typical ex-convict is still the same undereducated, unemployed, substance-abusing, lower-socioeconomic-status male he was when arrested. The point Siegel is trying to make is that the prison experience actually worsens the chances of an ex-inmates’ success during reentry. Another reason Siegel points out is the lack of supervision once a prisoner is released back into the community.
The punishment should be decided by the legislature not the courts and should be on a scale that reflects the severity of the crime by the damage caused to society not the individual. This means crimes that cause the most damage to society will have the highest punishment. These punishments should be imposed and carried out as promptly as possible so to be just and efficient. Both the Law and the punishment should be well published so that it is widely known, therefore to act as a deterrent. The prevention of crime is better than the punishment and activities that are not expressly prohibited by the law, though deviant acts are permissible by society.
Throughout the decades of correction, there has been an argument between rehabilitation and retribution. Although people think of prison as a reformatory, a place where criminals who have committed crimes pay their debt to society and learn their lessons, in order to return to society. People think of prison as a place of punishment, where the loss of freedom, limited privileges and rights are undertaken to enforce a punishment on criminals and to protect society. The question is which of these beliefs, retribution or rehabilitation, is more effective or important.