The Effects of the Prison Punishment

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Recommended: Rehabilitation programs in prisons

Just twenty four hours out of prison a man raids the same exact shoe store he had robbed fifteen years earlier. Authorities claim he took a bus from Atlantic City up to Toms River and approached the store in the same exact fashion he had fifteen years ago. (Goldman) He was easily caught. It was as if the man wanted to return to prison which may actually be his only home. Was this a man that wanted to go back to prison or did he just not learn anything from his fifteen year sentence the first time? Either way it demonstrates a clear flaw in the prison system we have today.
Currently in our prison system there is an overabundance of punishment and a lack of rehabilitation and improvement for prisoners. To many, this may sound entirely wrong due to the circumstance that prison was constructed as a place for punishment and a place to teach these wrongdoers a lesson. But, the fact of the matter is that from recent studies the punishment system is not helping our society which results in failure in the system. Due to a high recidivism (re-offense which causes someone to return to prison) rate, the United States is searching for a modification. Many prisons have attempted to implement at least a little bit of rehabilitation which has seen success but others still seem to be striving on the old way of punishment.
Because the majority of the United States continues to use a punishment system the recidivism rate continues to climb. In term, this means that these prisoners are being released back into our society typically the same way they arrived at the prison. Recent studies show that when they are released, they end up performing much of the same actions and ending up back living their lives behind bars. This displays ho...

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...ive a life without corruption. By helping these prisoners recover and get back on their feet while also still supplying a punishment to them, society will benefit greatly. By teaching people the morally correct actions a chain reaction can occur as it will not only benefit now but also in the future as the children of these people will have a greater chance to escape the streets and crime.

Works Cited

Barrish Cris. “Study: 8 in 10 released inmates return to Del. Prisons”. The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal. July 31 2013. Web. February 20 2014.
Goldman, Jeff. "Just out of Prison, Man Robs Toms River Store Again, Cops Say." NJ.com. N.p., 25 Mar. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
Solveig, Spjeldnes, and Yamatani, Hide. "Saving our Criminal Justice System: The Efficacy of a Collaborative Social Service." Social work 56.1 (2011): 53-61. ProQuest. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.

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