Support For The Continuation Of Funding For Prison Based Programs Designed Help Inmates Reform

One major concern is the quality of rehabilitation the inmates receive while they are incarcerated. The question to ask is “Are our prisoners being properly rehabilitated?”

Ms. Thompson’s proposal is she submitted to the Pioneer Institute Better Government Contest. The proposal is a Release Reform Community (RRC) Program to reduce the recidivism rate in the United States. The high recidivism rate in the U.S. is what she believes is from how difficult for an inmate to re-enter society after imprisonment. The program that Ms. Thompson proposed (RRC) is to address the lack of fundamental skills and structure needed to modify negative behaviors that have been long-ingrained in the correctional system. From her experience in the correctional system and speaking with other inmates, they feel that a program such as this will give them the best opportunity to live a healthy, productive life once released.

She argues that the reforms suggested by the conservative party would cause unintended harm to the people they are attempting to help. The author forms her argument by analyzing the prison reforms initiative put forth by republican politicians. Bruenig concludes that these attempts to bring needed modification to the criminal justice system have not improved the lives of disadvantaged people. By focusing on cutting prison costs the author states, the conservative’s suggestion for reform will fail to provide support to community programs that help people stay out of prison. This would make the reform meaningless. It would also rid communities of prevention programs.

In the essay "Prison "Reform" in America," Roger T. Pray points out the much attention that has been devoted to research to help prevent crimes. Showing criminals the errors of their ways not by brutal punishment, but by locking them up in the attempt to reform them. Robert Pray, who is a prison psychologist, is currently a researcher with the Utah Dept. of Corrections. He has seen what has become of our prison system and easily shows us that there is really no such thing as "Prison Reform"

The resulting Declaration of Principles proposed a new scientific approach to prison reform based on humanitarian and individualized treatment. The Declaration of Principles and its 37 paragraphs aimed at increasing opportunities for prisoner rehabilitation recommended indeterminate sentences, a carefully planned mark system, progressive classification, meaningful academic education, industrial training, intense religious instruction, and positive reinforcement along with mild disciplinary measures (Pisciotta,

The way the criminal justice system should handle crimes has always been a debated subject. For over the last forty years, ever since the war on drugs, there are more policies made to be “tough on crime”. From then, correctional systems have grown and as people are doing more crimes, there are plenty of punishments for them. In the mid 1970’s, rehabilitation was the main concern for the criminal justice system. It was common that when someone was convicted of a crime, they would be sentenced to prison but there would also be diagnosed treatments to help them as well. Most likely, they would have committed a crime due to psychological problems. When they receive treatment in prison, they can be healed and would not go back to their wrong lifestyle they had lived before. As years have gone by, people thought that it was better to take a more punitive stance in the criminal justice system. As a result of the turnaround of this more punitive criminal justice system, the United States now has more than 2 million people in prisons or jails--the equivalent of one in every 142 U.S. residents--and another four to five million people on probation or parole. The U.S. has a higher percentage of the

In conclusion Many things need to change to lower America's recidivism rate, like budget readjustments, education programs, and improved psychiatric health care. Without many reforms in these critical areas and better distribution of true information to our free citizens who actually have a voice on this controversy America will never see a lower recidivism rate or a low prison population. For the sake of safety for our citizens and improving the quality of life for those offenders who want change within, America must get rid of the nothing work doctrine, and open their minds to second chances and the idea that people can change.

Penal abolition is the attempt to reduce or eliminate the prison system and replace with an alternative form of modification to help the offender reintegrate back into society. Prisons and punitive tactics produce tremendous ideological rigidity and despair. Incarcerating an individual fails to repair the harms between the offender and society, as well as address interpersonal violence, substance abuse, mental illness and sexual abuse. “Yet despite persistent and increasing recognition of the deep problems that attend U.S. incarceration and prison-backed policing, criminal law scholarship has largely failed to consider how the goals of criminal law—principally deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, and retributive justice—might be pursued by means entirely apart from criminal law enforcement” (McLeod, 2015, Pg. 1156). The prison system simply fails to address the appropriate needs to each individual offender and fails to reintegrate individuals back into society upon their release.

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.

Given the number of inmates in the prison system and the high level of recidivism, it is important to seek out possible solutions to this growing problem. By implementing more educationally and vocationally oriented programs it is possible that current recidivism rates can be reduced, thereby offering some relief for existing overcrowding conditions.

     “It is not a surprise to see that prisoners all have a low education level. I guess a more educated person has enough sense not to be involved with crime…the relationship between crime and education is easy to see when viewing these facts” (Cordes 1). This is the view of most people when asked why people are in prison. People simply say that criminals were ill educated. As hard as we may try, we cannot do a lot about what happens before they enter prison, but there are many programs inside prisons to help rehabilitate them for when they leave the prison.

Prison reform is a significant issue that the United States government should enforce. It would aid in creating a more organized system of incarceration. Prison reform is an attempt to improve, change, or eliminate certain conditions in prisons. It is believed that it should be enforced due to the cases of overcrowding, lack of proper education, and the lack of rehabilitation that could inform prisoners of societal values. Prison reform would increase the self-esteem that was diminished in the prisoner’s personal history. Prison reform is significantly important as it will heighten the amount of self-worth in the prisoner and cause a decrease in the population of prisoners who return to a life of crime. Recidivism, or chance of recommitting a crime, will therefore be reduced. Prisoner who are released will not have all the negative ideals or influence from the prison that is usually spread until their release. Prison reform will help society if the increase in education and decrease in overcrowding is ensued upon the prison system with this policy.

Did you know that imprisonment is useless? Traditionally prisons have been argued to serve at least one of two purposes, which are to punish the offenders and to protect the general public. But in recent years the number of crimes seems to keep on increasing exponentially and imprisoning offenders do not have any impact on the increasing crime rate. With this in mind, how do we keep our society safe and peaceful, the answer is an excellent rehabilitation program. Prisoners will be more civilised and are less likely to commit crimes if they are rehabilitated well enough.

CORPORATION PRISON AND FEDERAL PRISON The majority of BOP inmates in private prisons are sentenced criminal aliens who may be deported upon completion of their sentence UNICOR is the trade name for Federal Prison Industries (FPI):): an entirely closely-held, independent Government corporation that sells market-priced services and quality merchandise created by inmates.

Convicting, sentencing, and imprisoning are just the first few steps of reducing crime. All the effort, time, and money that go into keeping criminals locked up and off the streets are really for nothing in the end if he or she commits the same crime again after release. James Haley, who is the book editor of “Prisons” points out, “Every year, close to six hundred thousand inmates are released from state and federal prisons around the country. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, two-thirds of former convicts commit new crimes and one-half are re-incarcerated within three years of being released from prison” (138). Are US prisons truly effective when so many prisoners are committing new crimes upon release? It is for the better interests of American safety that some prisoners are locked up for life, but this should not include the constant return of re-offenders. The life of most convicts involves committing a crime and being sentenced to jail only to repeat the same process again. Many re-offenders see incarceration as a ticket to a place to sleep and food to eat.