Punishment In Prisons

Simply put, punishment follows the Law of Effect. A consequence is presented after a given behavior is enacted, and if done properly, leads to a decrease in the unwanted behavior. The effectiveness of punishment however is a bit more complicated in real life situations such as that of the prison system. There are three ways effectiveness of punishment can be increased. Frequency of application, immediacy of application, how often and how quickly punishment is enacted plays a role on deterrence, and punishment used with positive reinforcement also increased effectiveness (Henry, 2005).
First off, frequency of application is one of the most critical pieces in successful punishment. The punishment for the unwanted action must take place as immediately
It is impossible for the people currently in prison to commit crimes, however prison does not necessarily do anything to prevent them from committing crimes in the future, or change the majority of the convict’s views on crime.
Rehabilitative Education and Crime Rate
As previously stated in this paper, prisons took a turn away from rehabilitation in the 1970s, people wanted to crack down hard on crime, and that mindset has been increasing as time goes on. People are less educated on what is actually effective, and more focused on criminals getting what they deserve as opposed to what is the best way to reduce the crime rate in the first place.
The fact of the matter is that the most effective way to deter criminals, or anyone from committing future crimes is through an education system, the very program that has since lost tremendous amounts of funding. Different education programs although varying rates of effectiveness reduce re-incarceration rates by 10% or more. The most effective education program was for those already in prison, namely literacy programs and GED programs. The inmates that receive two years of college education have a re-arrest rate of 10% that is 52% below the national average of 62% for non-educated criminals