Should Prison Programs Help Benefit Inmates

Once the offender is released from prison with still no understanding of how to re enter society they resort back to what they know. However, some state and federal facilities are offering rehabilitation programs within the prison systems. Some federal prisons offer GED programs, college classes, and apprenticeships. There are also many of prisons who offer drug classes such as nonresidential drug abuse programs as well as the drug education class, 500 hr residential drug program. Some also offer classes that will get an inmate mentally ready before they release. In the state prisons they offer college classes in some as well as apprenticeships, and a drug class. What I have seen is that federal prisons are still offering a good bit of programs threw the poor economy while the state is cutting programs from left to right. I witnessed this statistic in person January 2010,21 inmates at Greenville Federal Prison Camp completed a 500-hr residential treatment program out of 21 inmates who was released in the same three days only one has returned back to prison to this exact day. However the first three years out for an

One of the main barriers that inmates face when they are released from prison is limited cognitive skills, limited education and work experience, and substance abuse or other mental health problems. Substance abuse and other mental health problems limit employability because it limits the job readiness that is required for employment (Holzer, Raphael & Stoll, 2003). Another issue that is faced when inmates are released into society is that any skills that they did have prior to conviction has diminished greatly and they face lower pay due to their diminished or lack of skills, and the attitudes that have been developed during their time in prison deeply affects their attitude during their search for employment. Offenders also face another barrier when searching for employment. Many businesses can be held legally liable for any criminal action that their employees may cause (Holzer, Raphael & Stoll, 2003). These barriers that offenders face upon release is why solid solutions and planning must be implemented when considering the integration of ex-felons into society and preparation for reentry must begin well before the scheduled release date in order to successfully reintegrate an inmate into society and reduce the rate of recidivism.

The jail program I believe is most beneficial to an inmate is educational and training programs. Most jails and prison offer inmates the GED programs to help them further their education more. Most of the inmates that receive education program are most likely not to return back to prison and more likely to find a job as well. This program gives the inmates hope for a better life and future. The ones with no education will stay on the street and make their living.

Chavis, Benjamin F., Jr. "U.S. Criminal Justice System Needs Urgent Reform." Washington Informer, Mar 2015, pp. 24-24,41, Global News stream; ProQuest Central, http://ezproxy.gsu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.gsu.edu/docview/1669733723?accountid=11226.

Employment is always an issue when it comes to an ex-offender. Not only is it hard for the everyday person in society to find employment due to a poor economy, but it is much harder for an ex-offender. While in prison, prisoners are usually made to work. Unlike other programs such as counseling, prison work programs can be justified for reasons other than rehabilitation of the individual offender. From the perspective of the policy maker in the criminal justice system, they can help manage the population by occupying the time of the prisoners, aid in the operation of the prison, create revenue (maybe), and provide a

From policing to a trial and the trail sentencing racial disparities persist at every stage of the United States Criminal Justice System. There are not a single factor that has contributed to racial profiling than the War on Drugs. All ethnic groups use and sell drugs at the same rate. Blacks and Hispanics comprise over 50% of these offenses. Whether on the federal, state, or local level police officers exercise discretion when determining whether someone’s behavior is suspicious enough that an investigation is done. Racial bias keeps more people of color in prisons and on probation than ever

There are many prison inmates who come from broken homes and have mental problems that went undiagnosed and untreated. The problem is that prison’s do not try to teach prisoners how to learn from their mistakes and better themselves. (McGovern, Celeste. 42) What actually happens is that criminals tend to be better criminals, and have the ability to “one up” the police. Our politicians need to stress how important vocational, educational, drug-treatment, and work programs are, in order to improve the attitude and demeanor of these convicted felons. This is the only way to keep ex-con's from becoming repeat offenders. (DeLuca, H.R. 38) Ex-convicts who find a job and a place to stay are less likely to return to crime. In Norway, prisoners can start their new jobs 18 months before they get out of prison. In America, there are 27,000 state licensing rules keeping felons out of jobs such as barber and roofer.

After read this article, Wampler's show a lot of benefits why prisons should rehabilitate inmates. Rehabilitating inmates is the best way to teach prisoners. If prisons require education and counseling for the prisoners, it will help the prisoners avoid any anger or overthinking during the time they stay in prisons. Prisoners will probably do better than just locking them up in the prisons without requiring any education. Prisoners also need education and someone who can give advice to them.

Prison-based drug treatment programs benefits the criminal justice systems, inmates, and the community in several aspects. Treating drug abuse and/or addiction in the criminal justice field can improve public safety and health. Instituting prison reforms such as re-entry programs and substance abuse treatment; can result in a reduction of recidivism and cost saving. The main goal for drug treatment programs in prison is to transform the lives of those inmates that are suffering from addiction.

College programs for inmates were largely defunded in the 1990’s as part of the “tough on crime” era. Since then prison populations have exploded along with the costs associated with housing convicted criminals. Inmates are often released with not marketable skills so they resort back to a life of crime and end up returning to prison within a short time of being released. Taxpayers should pay for inmate college education to help keep them from returning to prison and saving taxpayers millions of dollars in the long run. Compared to all other nations the United States has the highest incarceration rate with one in every 99 adults in state or federal prison totaling 2.3 million people.

I agree with the author Daniel Harr in the article “A Plea from Behind Bars” in which he offers a suggestion about education for those who are incarcerated for non-violent crimes. I do believe that the education programs behind bars could be very helpful for non-violent criminals. These programs can build self-esteem and can promote positive behaviors in non-violent criminals. That is because if they haven’t got a chance in their lives to change their life this is a big opportunity. Moreover, the cost of incarcerating a non-violent criminal is high. So working towards educating them would be a right step. With the education, they can work on gaining valuable trade skills. That will reduce the burden on the government because the recidivism

The prison educational and mental health programs were cut, along with the implementation of the Act, and budge cuts. Through the lack of education, mental health programs and job skill programs makes it more difficult for the offender to reenter into the community and become gainfully employed in order to survive the “real” world. Mr. Patrick (2015) reminded the forum that “The Iron Law of Corrections is that most people come home.” Patrick continued, “What do we want for people when they come home? We want them to get a job and earn a living wage, support their families, be better parents, and be better neighbors” (Patrick,

The criminal justice system has various programs in place to better control the deviants that commit our societies crimes. However according to Przybylski (2008) prisons do not reduce the rate of recidivism and even said that longer imprisonments resulted in an increase of recidivism rates. This means that one of the practices of the justice system is not doing much in preventing crimes, especially from those who already committed crimes. This is to say that there should be another alternative to controlling crime. According to the Transforming Rehabilitation, paper (2013), there is a decent amount of evidence that supports the effects of using cognitive skills programs on criminals reduce recidivism. Are prisons still a viable option when

Many criminals today spend years behind bars wasting their life away until their time is up. There are numbers of criminals who desire to do right and feel guilt for the crimes that they committed. They want a new start when they are released from prison, but are often left with nothing. When they are set free from their time spent in correctional institutions, they are vulnerable and have zero security. They are alone to fend for themselves and often ask themselves, “Now what?” Without some kind of security, they are most likely to return to prison or jail and more tax dollars are pulled from the nation. Do studies indicate a chance of a more productive life if criminals receive a further education while incarcerated?

With the highest incarcerated rate in the world, does the United States prison systems offer quality rehabilitation or just punishment? According to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there was approximately 706 prisoners per 100,000 residents, or about 2.2 million prisoners in 2012 and within 3 years, almost 6 out of 10 released inmates will be rearrested and half will be back in prison. According to data from www.gpo.gov , the vast majority of prisoners are not rehabilitated. Two-thirds of released prisoners are re-arrested and one-half are re-incarcerated within three years of release from prison. Rates of recidivism rise to approximately 75%-85% of released prisoners are likely to be re-arrested within a decade of release. Successful rehabilitation is vital when releasing an inmate into the community as it produces a significant reduction in criminal recidivism. The purpose of incarceration is to protect the public and punish as well as rehabilitate the criminal. It is designed to change an inmate's view of life and alter their future behavior when re-entering society. Prisons offer education, labor, and other rehabilitation sources to inmates, so why is the recidivism rate so high with these programs in place?