Criminal Justice System: Rehabilitating The Offender

Question 1. Both Thomas Mathiesen and Stanley Cohen argue that the alternative criminal justice responses that were presented after the 1970s were not real alternatives (Tabibi, 2015a). With this they are referring to community justice alternatives generally, and Restorative Justice specifically. The argument here is that Restorative Justice cannot be a real alternative because it is finished and is based on the premises of the old system (Mathiesen, 1974). Restorative Justice is not an alternative because it has not solved the issues surrounding the penal system (Tabibi, 2015a). Cohen (1985) supports this sentiment, and suggests that community based alternatives have actually led to a net widening and expansion of the retributive criminal

An ongoing and increasingly evident issue in the criminal justice system is how convicted individuals reenter society with little or no gradual process. These individuals often resort back to criminal activity in an act termed recidivism. According to the National institute of Justice(NIJ), recidivism “refers to a person’s relapse into criminal behavior, often after the person receives sanctions or undergoes intervention for a previous crime” (National Institute of Justice, 2012). This process often involves individuals committing more serious criminal offenses than in their prior offenses. Is there any way in which the criminal justice system can be altered so as to either

One program that has become widely used is Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T.). In 1991 the Phoenix PD along with local educators and community leaders, implemented a school-based, gang prevention pilot program. With the hope to reduce gang activity and teach skills to students in order for them to resist the pressures of gangs.

In the article “Cities, towns face jail costs, property taxes may increase, if voters don’t extend jail sales tax”, written in The Daily Courier in Prescott, AZ, (2018) it states that the operational budget would go down by at least 50% if the jail tax sale does not go through. If it doesn’t pass, then property taxes would raise. Either way, it will impact inmates and the public. People would pay more taxes and inmates would lose access to programs.

The United States of America, long ago, founded a disciplinary system that was to keep law abiding citizens safe. Those who broke the law were to be adequately punished and reformed, so that when criminals were done serving time, they would be ready to become contributing members of society. Mandatory minimum sentences, high prison return rates, and overworked and underfunded public defenders are just some of the issues that plague the Criminal Justice System. It is astounding that an alternative has not been sought.Restorative justice, or Circle justice is a discipline system that involves mediation, honest speaking, and healing. It gets all parties to share their experiences thoughts and feelings to address what happened in the inciting

A standout amongst the most imperative elements impacting an offender's effective reintegration back into the community is the social bonds and connections the offender has kept up all through his or her sentence. According to Visher and Travis (2003), the quality of family connections significantly affects the successfulness or failure of the post discharge arrangement. This is because, according to Naser and Vigne, released prisoners relied on family members extensively for housing, financial support, and emotional support. In spite of what the vast majority think, offenders have a tendency to have expectations of family backing and these elevated standards are generally met or surpassed after discharge (Naser & La Vigne, 2006; Benson et

While George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm notably differ in genre, setting, and tone, both novels share a deeper allegorical message: the elevated minority will use its power to shortchange the common majority. This message is easily revealed through a brief study of the sociopolitical tenets of Marxism, a theory which asserts that the development of human society is characterized by a universal class conflict. A 19th century German philosopher and author of the groundbreaking Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx believed that almost all of a nation’s social problems and societal deficiencies could be attributed to the ignorance of the oppressed majority (in Marxist terms, the proletariat) and the tyranny of the decadent minority (the bourgeoisie).

researchers had conducted and gaining a statistical analysis of the researches, a meta-analysis is often one of the best tools to ensure a positive impact on recidivism “meta-analysis is the principal source of information for "effective principles” (Gendreau, 1996, p. 120). Often times these intervention programs are intensive and behavioral based, which are vital to the program. Behavioral Programs, should target the criminogenic needs of the offender, which has better results when it is paired with the offender’s risk level.

From the Oxford Dictionary, a prison is a building to which people are legally committed as a punishment for a crime or while awaiting trial. Prisons have a long history in the world. Early prisons arose with the rise of the state as a form of social organization. In the beginning, prison functioned as an institution to imprison offenders before they face penalties. Imprisonment itself is not a form of penalty, instead, people were punished as a form of vengeance, often by the victims themselves. Meanwhile, prisons also functioned as a place confining debtors who could not afford to pay their fines. Eventually, since impoverished Athenians could not pay their fines, leading to indefinite periods of imprisonment, time limits were set instead.

For the past weeks we have been focusing on punishment of the offenders of domestic violence, throughout the weeks I have to amit that I really did not think of rehabilitation. My mind has been on helping the victims in anyway possible and punish the offender. Buzawa, Buzawa, and Stark (2012) stated the goals of domestic violence courts which is "Punish past acts of physical abuse, protect victims from further abuse, and rehabilitate offenders" (p. 323). In the criminal domestic violence courts 27% of judges, court staff, prosectutors, and etc. see rehabilitating offenders as important. Many would say this is a waste of time and money, that a offender of domestic violence can not change. I came across this site that is called "ProChange" on domestic violence. It states,

Restorative justice is “a system of criminal justice that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large” (Centre for Justice and Reconciliation). The purpose of restorative justice is to repair or “restore” the harm that a crime has caused.

never implemented as intended. Although the contours of the correctional system changed—the juvenile court, indeterminate sentencing, probation, parole, and discretion became integral features of this system—the resources and knowledge needed to provide effective treatment to offenders were in short supply. Cullen and Gendreau (2000).

Some states have realized and took action, such as New York reducing harsh drug laws. In addition, states like Colorado and Washington have legalized marijuana, while many other states such as North Carolina, Virginia and Minnesota have reduced the sentences or diverted more the offenders towards probation, parole or rehabilitation. Same goes to specific organizations such as the Right on Crime which was founded by conservative politicians that advocated probation for non-violent offenders as a solution to overcrowding and realizes that states need to adjust to their budgets to improve facilities and lessen the burden on staff members. Non-violent offenders will only adapt to other criminal always ways while staying in jail or prison. It is

The following presentation deals with an explanation about what death penalty is and how it is practiced in the United States. I will then analyze the popular case of the doomed Troy Anthony Davis. I will then discuss whether it’s a question about justice or prevent. Finally, I will ask you some questions about the subject.

Nationally, every 7 minutes, another person enters prison. And every 14 minutes, someone returns to the streets, beaten down and, more often than not, having suffered a great amount of violence during his or her incarceration. Professionals will tell you that incarceration really does very little to stop crime, but we go on spending billions of dollars in order to lock up more and more people. We have become the country with the highest incarceration rate in the industrialized world. (National Criminal Justice Commission)