James Gilligan relays an enlightening message in his article, Beyond the Prison Paradigm: From Provoking Violence to Preventing It by Creating “Anti-Prisons”, about the history and sole purpose of jails. Gilligan dates his research about jails all the way back from the first civilization known to man, Sumerian, to the jails we see and know so well today. At the beginning of time jails literally meant “house of darkness” which when compared to any of today’s jails is very similar to our maximum security facilities with solitary confinement. Jails were first used as a place to house those citizens, who chose not follow the social norms of society, and used a very violent form of punishment to teach a lesson to any of those citizens who even had thoughts of straying away from the social norms and rules of society. Prison was metaphorically seen as hell and the prison guards the demons of hell whose role was to follow through with the punishment of the prisoners. Prisoners would be tortured physically and mentally and then either released or executed depending on the severity of his or her crimes.…
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 Prison Service encompasses three central aims; holding prisoners securely, decrease risk of offending and lastly offer safe, well-ordered institutions in which prisoners are treated humanely, decently and lawfully (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007, p.193). When the state incarcerates, it must accept accountability for the basic care of those it detains. Although prisoners should not expect luxuries during their time of incarceration, they should not be deprived of the basic goods and comforts of life. Certification of access to enough goods should be available to help them develop as the citizens expected to be. Lord Justice Woolf (1991) claimed three necessities for the prison system to maintain steadiness: security, control and justice. In terms…
The US correctional system punishes offenders in different ways, because each offense is on a different level some can be felonies and some can be charged as misdemeanors. In our correctional system they punishes offenders, by putting them in jail/prison. But in its early years prison punishments for offenders were cruel. In the early year of the correctional system offenders punishments were very different from their punishments now in this day and age.…
Should prisoners serving life sentences for first degree murder be eligible for a parole hearing after 15 years? They shouldn’t. Criminals who hold life sentences for murder, rape, and kidnapping should stay in a jail cell. Without even the slightest chance of getting out. To many factors fall into play and the subject can only run deeper and deeper. These convicts were brutal in the outside world, and after taking their first step in a penitentiary it only gets worse. Their mental state crumbles, eventually leaving them hard wired to live in a dangerous environment. Being prosecuted for such terrible crimes, doesn’t happen just once for these people, and American citizens do not want these fist degree murderers set free in their communities.…
Drug courts seek to halt the revolving door of addiction and crime by linking addicted offenders to drug treatment and rigorous judicial monitoring. They bring together judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, treatment providers, and court staff in a collaborative effort to address the offender’s underlying substance use disorder and enforce compliance with court orders. Drug courts also use a system of graduated incentives and sanctions to help substance abusers achieve and maintain a drug-free life. Today, thanks to well-established evidence that drug courts reduce substance abuse and recidivism—including a groundbreaking study by researchers from the Center for Court Innovation—there are approximately 3,000 drug courts in the United States.…
illness and addiction. They are members of the surplus labor market—those that are unemployed due to limited skills and disabilities. They are a neighborhood’s youth, elderly, veterans, and immigrants, alienated from the norms and expectations of opportunity in a capitalist society. They are stigmatized so their actions and behaviors are non-normative, and public tolerance and policy dictates efforts to contain and manage them.…
The overall topic of my research paper is mental illness in jails. The population of individuals with a mental illness in jail with a mental illness is no small number by any means and the rate of individuals with a disability that are re-offenders is not compact either.…
From the mid-1980s drug offenses increased primarily due to the pressure put on by the war on drugs (Neubauer & Fradella, 2014). This has contributed to overcrowding of prisons across America. In order to ease the overcrowding in prisons, rehabilitation through court sentenced drug treatment programs is a practical and economical alternative. Assigning offenders to applicable drug treatment programs would decrease overcrowding caused by drug offenses, lower recidivism rates, and provide savings for the criminal justice system.…
The abuse of drugs by incarcerated peoples is a rapidly growing issue among all nations. The goal of prison is to reform and rehabilitate former criminals, however this goal cannot be accomplished if more and more prisoners are abusing controlled substances. It is estimated that over 80% of prisoners abuse a controlled substance, and over 65% of prisoners are clinically addicted. Because these numbers are based on reported cases, the actual percentage are likely much higher. These statistics reflect a dire situation that must be addressed.…
One must wonder if the "war on drugs" helps or hinders our American Criminal Justice System when you look at the overwhelming impact it has had on crowding issues within our prisons. At the present time there are over 1.5 million people in prison, 59.6 % for drug offenses alone.…
The documentary, The Released, described the challenges those with mental illness face when they are released from prison. In most cases, the inmates were unable to break the cycle of recidivism. The high rate of recidivism within the mentally ill prison population is caused by different factors. One factor that contributes to the high rate is a lack of support, which as a result, may lead to an increased chance of a relapse. Also, the challenge of reintegrating back into the world can be even more difficult due to the person’s mental illness. Once the offenders are released, they face extra obstacles of trying to find a place to leave and a job. All of these factors, together, cause the high recidivism rate for mentally ill offenders.…
In modern America, prisons have become a controversial topic that is prevalent throughout various forms of media, political debates, and social discussions. During the numerous debates of the 2016 presidential primaries, politicians argued about how the prison population has grown rapidly to approximately two million people. In news programs and newspapers, there are extensive reports about the quality of the conditions in various prisons. In several popular television shows and movies, there are diverse sets of characters who struggle to survive daily life in prison. Although there are several conversations about prisons, an aspect that is frequently forgotten is the rights of current and former prisoners. Because of certain laws, when an individual is convicted of a crime, he or she loses…
Incarceration rates have dramatically increased in the United States than in anywhere else in the world. In fact, according to “Incarceration nation,” America has about 707,000 incarcerated people compared to Russia, who has about 474,000 people. Not only has this caused a problem inside the prison walls, it has also increased economic situations for stakeholders.The recent increase in incarceration rates has had negative effects on the United States economy by causing an increase in expenditure on prisons that could be better used for education. This increase in incarceration rates has also led to overcrowding in prisons, leading to unsuitable conditions for prisoners and prison workers.…
More than half of prisoners are currently serving time for non-violent drug related offenses, as the popularity for “war on drugs” has increased over the last decade. The majority of inmates are harshly sentenced, including doubling of imprisonment time for repeat offenders. For example, the federal law issues that selling 28 grams of crack cocaine requires a sentence of at least five years. Because even more convicts are being sent to prison, overcrowding has forced institutions to release prisoners early to meet budget requriements. Most of these inmates become homeless and are diagnosed with many medical problems, often getting little to no help. Being that this subject is an issue currently in society, I also had to cope with consequences…