Mr. Rideau goes on to say that prison is not a cure-all. He describes what prisons do as “isolating young criminals long enough to them a chance to grow up” (31). I agree when he says that prison should only be a temporary arrangement, not a way of life. As well as many criminals are kept there for too long making the prison a way of life and not allowing them to readjust to normal society. The prisoners are potentially being held hostage longer than rehabilitation should allow.…
With the inclusion of the fact that “Youth Court had an 11 percent recidivism rate — well below the national average of 20 to 29 percent,”(1) the author uses all three rhetorical devices. The logical argument is that a decrease in recidivism indicates a decrease in overall crime, the ethical argument is that the moral obligation to provide rehabilitation is being accomplished but the strongest argument is the emotional one. These kids, not juveniles since this article has made a distinction, are obviously improving because instead of just being sentenced they are being cared…
This week I found the paper written by Wilbert Rideau most interesting to write about. Rideau wrote an essay arguing to convince us that the prison system does not work. The prison system was built and designed to house criminals who committed crimes for punishment, and to deter people for committing criminal acts. Rideau states, “Although prison is set in place to, ensure public safety it has minimal impact on crime, because the response is after the fact.” Rideau believes when criminals commit crimes they are in a desperate situations and their state of mind is distorted so they aren’t thinking of the consequences, or many criminals think they won’t get caught. Although the prison system is put in place to punish criminals, and correct their…
“When They Get Out” by Sasha Abramsky cries out to the general public for the change in corrections that the convicted are unable to do. Abramsky leaves nothing to chance in his war on the prison systems for the awakening of the American society to an ever growing problem. Therefore, Abramsky commissions an argument with real uncensored facts. In spite of how incarceration envisions reforming the convicted, Abramsky argues that the prison system corrupts prisoners into worse criminal behaviors. Throughout his essay, Abramsky vehemently questions the true motive of the continuously expanding correctional system. As Abramsky blatantly brandishes the numerous faults of corrections, he splits the purpose of corrections into two separate motives,…
By directing more money into the prison industry, the state is teaching and funding the notion that in our society it is acceptable to value the reduction of “crime” by enslaving inmates than it is to support a child’s education, creativity, and future.…
Although criminals should pay the consequence for their behavior, it should not mean that they should live in overcrowded prisons. An example of an overcrowded prison is shown in Angola, where the max occupancy was for 800 prisoners, yet they had 1,750 prisoners (Stern, 2006). When this happens, the lack of resources, space, and training from needed officers increases. Therefore, conditions become hazardous and prisoners and officers are at higher risk for diseases such as HIV and Tuberculosis (Stern, 2006). Although society feels safe with criminals locked up, they have to realize that a main purpose for prisons is to help reduce crime by showing prisoners that breaking the law will cause them the loss of freedom. Ultimately, leading those criminals who are able to get out, to come out with a sense of a change behavior. However, the system that puts these women, men, and young people in overcrowded prisons are not even worried about the criminal. Instead, they keep increasing the definition of “crime”, which increase the number of criminals in an ineffective prison…
In the book, A place to Stand, by Jimmy Santiago Baca, Baca writes about prison and how being incarcerated can have impact on a person and their family. With the most beautiful, strong and poetic language, Baca tells us the story of all the people who faces difficult times in order to find their place in the world. Baca always felt like he had no place to stand in society because, all of his life he was put down by his family and friends. From the age of five Baca experienced his dad and uncles going in and out of jail from being addicted to alcohol. Baca knew he would eventually end up in jail sooner or later because that’s what he had experienced all of his life. Baca writes, “Whether I was approaching it or seeking escape from it, jail always defined in some way the measure of my life” (3). Baca felt that his life would always head in the wrong direction because of his family issues. Baca shows being in prison can cause a lot of emotional impact on a person’s life, as well as affect the community.…
The media is at it again, hyping up stories about our youth, from school shootings, children gone missing, to teenage gambling, the media is trying to reinforce fears that there is an epidemic of youth violence. I believe that Glassner puts this in hi book to make us think about how much we watch on television is one hundred percent correct or if the media is putting false information to keep us scared. This makes you think, because you never really know what a child is going to do, but on the other hand you never really know what an adult will do either. Are we more interested in our youth then in the adults? Glassner puts a quote from Bob Dole that says" we must shift the focus on the juvenile justice system from rehabilitation to punishment" (Glassner 72). Glassner writes "Ignoring the fact that many juveniles serve longer sentences than adults for the same crimes, and that many juvenile facilities, grossly overcrowded and understaffed, provide rehabilitation services in name only" (Glassner 72). I believe that Glassner is trying to paint a picture to the readers that changing rehabilitation to punishment is not the answer, that maybe fixing the juvenile detention centers might work better. Glassner goes on saying that $30,000 or more per youth per year with over 100,000 youths behind bars on almost every day, the prison industrial complex is making money so they want to make sentences longer (Glassner 72). Getting back to the media, they thrive on youth violence. A very good example of this is the Columbine shooting, they showed the images over and over again to never let us forget what is in this world. Glassner states the 48% of all reports on children from CBS, ABC and NBC concerned with violence and crime and only 4% concerned or children's health, well being and economic issues (Glassner 72). Children should be worrying…
The Prison system has been under scrutiny for years. They have tried every way imaginable to keep the prison system from failing. Experts have come and observed our criminal system from all over the globe “Our prison system has always been a closed institution, and that very secrecy has intrigued visitors to our country” says an article in the magazine America called “Reforming the system: rehabilitation needs a chance”. The prison system has remained an intriguing issue. The prisons have been kept quiet and no one really knows about it outside the system.…
In society today, it is commonly known that crime rate has increased dramatically by the years. This is where many of us look for ways to solve such issue. It is the last place anybody would want to be in. but unfortunately we have hundreds of thousands of them, if not millions around the world. Thousands in just the United States, Those are prisons. Just hearing that word makes us think bad things right away. Murder, theft, violence, and everything bad that happens in this world. We live in a world where prisons and jail are very important and almost every country, state, county, or city must have at least one. Prisons now are much more crowded than they were 20 years ago. The number of inmates in just the United States has doubled between the years of 1992 and 2011. The question many of us should ask ourselves is why do we need prisons? Are prisons effective in any way? Are prisons causing economic issues? Are prisoners getting proper treatment while incarcerated?…
Anyone who has ever been to prison can testify about the harsh nature of that kind of facility. Rehabilitation has taken a back seat to punishment which has caused a very difficult transition between prison and the outside world. In the 70’s, the popular idea of prisons was to build more prisons, which will get criminals off the streets. In theory that sounds right, but in practice it has shown to be highly ineffective. Etienne Benson, with the American Psychological Association, delivers analysis around the topic by explaining the historical context while also giving reason to distrust the system.…
The United States prison system is not a suitable place for nonviolent drug offenders. The high rate of recidivism is caused by one thing and one thing only, prison sentences. Nonviolent drug offenders will have no choice other than to socialize with other inmates, some who have committed irreprehensible crimes, thereby greatly increasing their chance of becoming violent. The population of prisons in the United States is on a steady rise. One way to stop this is by reevaluating the three strikes law, because the proof that this law discourages repeat offenders is simply not there.…
America’s prisons have a major importance in modern society. They are a huge contributing factor to the safety of our country and allow for proper and humane punishment for those who commit crimes. While America’s streets continue to be plagued by crime and dangerous people, prisons help significantly in decreasing the crime rate and removing those people from society in order to create a safer place for people to live. Although there are many pros that come with prisons, a handful of cons come with them as well, which allow for arguments to rise about whether prisons should be allowed in America or not. Prisons are a necessity in modern society that punishes and rehabilitates those who commit crimes with the purpose of protecting…
In, “Beyond the Prison Bubble,” published in the Wilson Quarterly in the winter 2011, Joan Petersilia shows different choices about the imprisonment systems. The United States has the highest incarceration rate of any free nation (para.1). The crime rate over a thirty year span had grown by five times since 1960 to 1990. There are more people of color or Hispanics in federal and state institutions then there are of any other nationality. The prison system is growing more than ever; the growth in twenty years has been about 21 new prisons. Mass imprisonment has reduced crime but, has not helped the inmate to gradually return back to society with skills or education. But the offenders leaving prison now are more likely to have fairly long criminal records, lengthy histories of alcohol and drug abuse, significant periods of unemployment and homelessness, and physical or mental disability (par.12).…
Prisons may also fail in their attempts to fulfil their aims. One aim is to rehabilitate criminals. A potential stumbling block is that some people - despite perhaps showing promise in certain rehabilitation programmes - simply do not change or cannot remain…