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The Pros And Cons Of Prisonment

Decent Essays

The aim of imprisonment is to go prison as a punishment and supposedly not for punishment. Punishment is not an appropriate response, prison damages people and should be used as a last resort. Most people have nothing to lose when being sent to prison, they tend to be early school leavers, addicts, with poor skills, history of unemployment, homelessness and mental health issues. Not only that but most prisoners have experienced abuse in childhood or violence in their home. They were victims then and still they are victims in prison, only they are being further punished instead of being helped. Carol Coulter has stated that punishment goes beyond the prisoner to entangle innocent family members. Stigmatism, alienation and lack of social support …show more content…

Gresham Sykes came up with the 5 pains of imprisonment.
Deprivation of liberty - Once in prison the prisoner’s world is shrunk down to a confined living area and restriction of movement. The prisoner is also cut off from the freedom to contact their family and friends whenever they wish. This leads to the loss of emotional relationships, boredom and loneliness or even alienation from conforming society.
Deprivation of goods and services - Prisoner’s basic needs are met, such as they get fed, they are not cold or wet and they receive satisfactory medical care. But a standard of living in terms of taking in the essential amount of calories a day, so many hours of recreation or so many cubic yards of space per individual is disregarded in prisons. This creates material deprivation and personal inadequacy.
Deprivation of heterosexual relationships - A society composed of one gender can lead to anxieties concerning their sexuality. Also rape incidents can occur amongst prisoners as a temporary means of relieving their frustration. DOJ reports that 70,000 prisoners are sexually abused every …show more content…

At first the prison when it opened in 1985 had a punitive approach, but due to the failure of this approach, it turned to a more educational approach, in 1986 when the education centre opened. The education program was aimed to help prisoners cope with their sentences, prepare them for release and provide an opportunity for each prisoner to develop new potential. There were small classes to enhance the individual's learning and a student council of four which was found to build students trust and confidence and even offered a ‘voice’ for the students. The education program had such a wide variety of programs such as the junior cert in english and maths or even horticulture classes where the students grew plants and took care of 3 chickens and some goats. Fort Mitchel had a great set up on pre and post release programs to offer prisoners. One post release program being ‘The Club’ which was a family support group that met once a week. Which is vital for prisoners to have support and build bonds when they leave

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