The Criminal Justice System: The Study Of The Correctional System

One of the most intriguing aspects of this course has been the study of American correctional systems. Statistics revealing the number of people either in jail, prison, or under another type of supervision is sobering. Additionally, the numbers of incarcerated persons in the United States as they compare to our “sister” nations is worthy of further investigation. In recent years, the component of corrections has found its way into the forefront of conversation as states scramble to discover new methods to reduce costs associated with incarcerating citizens. Moreover, getting acquainted with risk/needs assessments in the criminal justice process has brought a new curiosity of the subject to ponder. This introduction to the corrections process

This evidence is exhibited in a survey provided by the National Center for State Courts, “The survey found that seventy-five percent of the respondents thought sentencing practices needed some or major changes, seventy-nine percent thought that many offenders could be rehabilitated, fifty-nine percent thought prisons are unsuccessful at rehabilitation, and eighty-eight percent thought that alternative sentences for non-violent offenders should be used often or sometimes” (Princeton Survey Research Associates International 2006). Possibly a contributing factor to the survey’s numbers is the realization of the enormous costs relating to corrections. According to the text Crime & Justice in America by Joycelyn M. Pollock, “It is difficult to determine the true cost of corrections; however, some estimate that corrections consume $1 in every $15 dollars of state funds” (Pollock 279). These dollar numbers represent an enormous number as a whole for states. For instance in Kentucky where the state retirement system (worst funded in the nation) continues to be financially strapped for funding. Savings in corrections could be an important start to stabilizing the Commonwealth’s pension

Therefore, learning ways to control recidivism would be extremely beneficial to the integrity of the system and society as a whole. As people reoffend they are filling up court dockets which reduces efficiency within the court system Additionally, law enforcement officers waste precious time and resources on the same people over and over. There is a glimmer of hope for reducing recidivism in the future with the utilization of risk/needs assessments. These assessments are a scientific approach to pairing an offender with the correct method of rehabilitation for their unique situation. However, the science of risk/needs assessments is still a work in progress exemplified in the article Risk Needs Assessments 101: Science Reveals New Tools to Manage Offenders, “One program, for example, cut recidivism for high-risk offenders by more than twenty five percent but increased reincarceration of low-risk offenders by almost eighteen percent. Researchers think this counterintuitive finding may occur because mixing risk groups exposes the lower risk offenders to the more destructive behaviors of higher-risk offenders and jeopardizes prosocial relationships and productive community engagement they may have” (Pew Center on the States 3). Although the science behind risk/needs assessments is subject to error, advancements continue to be made that