Theories Involved In The Incarceration Of Criminals

This paper discusses three critical issues in the criminal justice system. It touches on the general issues of punishment philosophies, sentence decision making, and prison overcrowding and focused more specifically on the negative effects of each. Highlighted in this informational paper is the interrelated nature of the issues; each issue affects and is affected by the others. Data and information has been gathered from the FBI Uniform Crime Report, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Amnesty International, the NAACP Legal Defense

As a country, we should care about all of our citizens and work toward bettering them, because we are only as strong as our weakest link. When it concerns the issue of corrections it should not be a discussion of punishment or rehabilitation. Instead, it should be a balance of both that puts the spotlight on rehabilitating offenders that are capable and willing to change their lives for the better. Through rehabilitation a number of issues in the corrections field can be solved from mental health to overcrowding. More importantly, it allows offenders the chance to do and be better once released from prison. This paper analyzes what both rehabilitation and punishment are as well as how they play a part in corrections. It also discusses the current reasons that punishment as the dominant model of corrections is not as effective as rehabilitation. After explaining rehabilitation and punishment, then breaking down the issues with punishment, I will recommend a plan for balance. A plan that will lower incarceration rates and give offenders a second chance.

Every civilization in history has had rules, and citizens who break them. To this day governments struggle to figure out the best way to deal with their criminals in ways that help both society and those that commit the crimes. Imprisonment has historically been the popular solution. However, there are many instances in which people are sent to prison that would be better served for community service, rehab, or some other form of punishment. Prison affects more than just the prisoner; the families, friends, employers, and communities of the incarcerated also pay a price. Prison as a punishment has its pros and cons; although it may be necessary for some, it can be harmful for those who would be better suited for alternative means

In the United States of America, there are several different types of incarceration facilities that criminal offenders, both convicted and accused my end up. The two most distinguishable different facilities post-conviction are the state prison systems and the federal bureau of prisons. These units house a wide array of criminals, from the lowest of low scum to the high profile “Hannibal Lector” types. The range of crimes is equally different, from sexual offences and aggravated murder charges all of the way down to so called white collar crimes and too many DWI’s. In short, the intricate designs and diversity contribute to an experience all to its

Within this paper, you will find a comprehensive review of the United States prison system, and why it needs to analyzed to better support and reform the people of this country. I plan to persuade the other side (politicians and society) into seeing that the way the prison system is now, is not ethical nor economical and it must change. We have one of the world’s largest prison population, but also a very high rate of recidivism. Recidivism is when the prisoners continuously return to prison without being reformed. They return for the same things that they were doing before. So, this leads us to ask what exactly are we doing wrong? When this happens, we as a nation must continuously pay to house and feed these inmates. The purpose of a prison needs to be examined so we can decide if we really are reforming our inmates, or just continuing a vicious cycle. What is the true purpose of prison besides just holding them in a cell? There must be more we can do for these hopeless members of society.

Prisons and jails hold some similar characteristics but are completely different models in which they serve in the criminal justice system. Some of the types of crimes that America faces today are: violent crimes, property, white collar or organized crime, and public order crimes (Worrall, 2008). The criminal justice system sets the regulations and policies of how an offender will be held accountable for their inappropriate actions. The criminal justice system is a process that takes time and money from society. The following information will briefly discuss the main purposes for the jail and prison systems, which will focus on the length of sentencing, funding sources, and private sector ownership. Let’s begin by explaining the length of

America is experiencing a social phenomenon commonly referred to as mass incarceration, in which the rate of incarceration has increased by, “...has grown by 700 percent.(Goffman)” in the last 40 years. Mass incarceration is difficult to digest in totality due to its immense nature, nuance and variety of answers with the essence of ‘could be right’. In order to decipher the complex puzzle of mass incarceration, we must establish borders to manifest clarifying order in the overwhelming clutter of data. Theory will assist in demonstrating how the general and specific facts of issues, in this case mass incarceration, relate by essentially declaring the philosophical frame of the interpretation. In order to gain a nuanced understanding of America’s mass incarceration, three relatively distinct theories will be applied: conflict theory, structural functionalism and symbolic interactionism. These theories are categorized by two approaches of sociological investigation- macrosociological, which emphasizes the analysis of social systems and populations on a large scale, and micro sociological, which emphasizes the impact individuals have on social structure.

Why Prisons Don’t Work, by Wilbert Rideau, editor of the Angolite, the Louisiana State Penitentiary newsmagazine written March of 1994; gives a perspective into the flawed criminal justice programs from the viewpoint of a criminal. The analysis of this paper will examine the credibility of the examples used by the author to stage his claims.

Today, it seems that no matter how many criminals suffer in prison, thousands of crimes are committed each year. Many reformers have noticed this occurrence, and recognize the debatable fallacies of the prison system. Prisons have changed over time to better suit the needs of each generation, and many believe prisons today need to adjust.

Hence, the environment of jails is declared to be responsible for turning the individuals into habitual offenders because of their stay with criminals. Theorists, psychologists and researchers have articulated different reasons behind the prisons’ being unable to play the active and powerful role of the reform house for prisoners.

It has been said “bad company corrupts good morals”. Parents sometimes use this phrase in hopes of keeping their children from hanging out with the wrong crowd. The prison system is no different. Locking up people in jail should be a consequence that most want to avoid thus decreasing the crime rate. In 1976, William Nagel found that incarceration did not stop criminals from committing crimes. In fact, if overcrowded prisons are increasing with more people being booked into jail than being released, perhaps the correctional system encourages crime instead of discouraging it (Nagel, 1976). This is the reason we need to consider positive alternatives to our current correctional system.

The US has high recidivism rates, and the percentage of the population involved with the country’s criminal justice system is supreme to other developed countries. This paper is therefore made in order to find which methods have emerged in low recidivism rates. In order to go through with the study, different internet sources have been carefully selected to make the result as credible as possible. Under these circumstances this research displays how the US has too harsh prison conditions for the convicts to have a willingness to change. As well as the need to separate politics from the prison service in addition to do rehabilitation a part of the penalty instead of

It is common knowledge that the American prison system has grown exponentially in the last few decades. The prison population within the last forty years has risen by two million inmates. Multiple factors such as overcrowding and cost cutting have also decreased the quality of life within prisons by an order of magnitude. With this rising statistic, it becomes increasingly urgent to understand the effect of incarceration on our prisoners and whether the reformation process is actually doing more harm than good.

“The history of correctional thought and practice has been marked by enthusiasm for new approaches, disillusionment with these approaches, and then substitution of yet other tactics”(Clear 59). During the mid 1900s, many changes came about for the system of corrections in America. Once a new idea goes sour, a new one replaces it. Prisons shifted their focus from the punishment of offenders to the rehabilitation of offenders, then to the reentry into society, and back to incarceration. As times and the needs of the criminal justice system changed, new prison models were organized in hopes of lowering the crime rates in America. The three major models of prisons that were developed were the medical, model, the community model, and the crime

Crime has been around since the creation of man, and specifically, since the fall of humanity in biblical times. Since then, people have been trying to explain what causes an individual to commit a crime. Although the Bible explicitly confirms the origin of crime is the sinful nature of man, many have argued as to the cause of criminality. During the eighteenth century, the argument for criminality and delinquency was the fall of man, as the Book of Genesis explains, after Eve ate from the forbidden tree, in Chapter 3. The first criminal act follows the fall of man, in Genesis 4:8 (NIV) where “Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” Since then, human beings have committed atrocities against other human beings, and continue to commit acts of violence against others to