Study Document
The Case Against Prisons Research Paper
Pages:2 (628 words)
Sources:2
Document Type:Research Paper
Document:#53408040
Discontinuing Prisons
Prisons have been used as institutions for punishing and rehabilitating offenders for a long period of time. These institutions have been used as facilities for detaining men against their will because of the illegal actions. The use of prisons as incarceration facilities to help in the fight against crime emerged in the most remote antiquity. While these institutions have played a major role over the years in fighting crime, the continued use of these facilities have attracted considerable concerns in the recent past. These concerns are not only attributable to the nature of the facilities but also fueled by their overall impact on prisoners and fighting crime. The case for discontinuing prisons has been supported by the negative effects of prison overcrowding, flaws in the American prison system, and the existence of alternative evidence-based practices or alternatives to prison for criminal supervision.
Negative Impacts of Prison Overcrowding
One of the major reasons that have been utilized in the case against prisons is the negative impacts of prison overcrowding and other flaws in the American prison system. With the highest incarceration rates per capita across the globe, prison overcrowding is one of the major issues facing American prison officers. According to Haney (2006), overcrowding is directly linked to many of the problems that currently face the American prison system (292). Overcrowding has generated significant psychological consequences on prisoners because of harmful or harsh treatment of inmates. Actually, this issue has compromised the welfare of inmates and correctional staff members and affected the role of prisons in reducing the rates of crime. In addition, overcrowding has changed the nature of incarceration, changed correctional norms, and endangered the well-being of prisoners and prison officers or authorities. The issue has also generated indirect social and psychological costs as prisoners are denied effective and meaningful treatment programs.
Apart from overcrowding, the other flaws of the American prison system include solitary confinement, which is a technique used in supermax and maximum security systems. This technique has been a source of psychological problems and inhumane treatment of offenders. The other flaw is the ineffectiveness of the U.S. prison system to act as a deterrent to crime or a measure of reducing recidivism. Actually, the prison system has encouraged rather than prevented high levels of crime and increased crime rates.
Alternative Methods to Prison for Criminal Supervision
America's main response to crime has usually been to…
Sample Source(s) Used
References
Haney, C. (2006, January). The Wages of Prison Overcrowding: Harmful Psychological Consequences and Dysfunctional Correctional Reactions. Journal of Law & Policy, 22(1), 265-293.
Petersilia, J. (2011, October). Beyond the Prison Bubble. NIJ Journal, 268. Retrieved May 4, 2016, from http://www.nij.gov/journals/268/pages/prison-bubble.aspx
Related Documents
Study Document
Prison Life and Recidivism Generally, Recidivism in
Prison Life and Recidivism Generally, recidivism in the justice system context entails the tendency amongst former prisoners or criminals to go back to their criminal lives mainly upon release from prison. In this case, recidivism rates are measured by having a look at the number of former prisoners re-incarcerated within a given time period. It can be noted that in basic terms, high recidivism rates are in most cases associated with
Study Document
Prison Management From the Prison
In addition, prison managers must deal with the mundane as well as the human equation, because much of their jobs are in the paperwork, union rules, state statutes, and other regulations that are required in the prison system. Management in the prison is a unique challenge, because of the many responsibilities that come with it. It is clear, just as business management and leadership are evolving, that prison management
Study Document
Prison Crowding
prison overcrowding and its effect on the criminal justice system. Prison overcrowding has skyrocketed in the United States in the last three decades, leading to a multitude of problems in the criminal justice system. Overcrowding costs taxpayers money, it leads to dysfunction within the penal population, and it creates dangers for prison staff. It is a result of many items in society and the criminal justice system, and it
Study Document
Prisons As Punishment or Whether They Are
Prisons as punishment or whether they are good for rehabilitation or rather perhaps neither are of a positive effect for the offender or have a negative effect. Prison as a Punishment There are many arguments for and against prisons many see the prison role as a way of helping to fight crime, for example many argue that as a deterrent it can force criminals to avoid prison by not committing crimes.
Study Document
Prison Overcrowding or Typically, Mass Incarceration, Is
Prison overcrowding or typically, mass incarceration, is the most threatening issue in virtually every state and in many municipalities all over U.S.. It has been reported that the imprisonment rate in U.S. is seven times as much as in Europe and it is equivalently increasing with the increase in population. Inmate populations are escalating due to a great number of sentencing to jails and prisons and the number of repeat
Study Document
Prison Nurseries There Are Few Assets As
Prison Nurseries There are few assets as precious to a nation as it children. Especially in the developed world. Social, care, and education systems are set up in such a way as to nurture the young ones to that they can grow and develop effectively to make the most of their lives and their future. Indeed, not making sure that children's lives can progress along optimal levels can result in dire