Is Recidivism Inevitable Essay - 896 Words

Prisons are intended not only to hold prisoners, but, also to rehabilitate them and turn them into productive members of society. Though it seems prisons are not doing their job correctly, most prisons, either due to budget constraints or corrupt officers, do not try to rehabilitate them. They serve their time and then are thrown back into the world worse criminals than before. The prison system, in its current form, is flawed. It is nearly impossible to truly rehabilitate someone after prison time. The prison system, as it is now, has existed for a long time. Only recently has it has it become flawed. Recidivism, or the tendency to relapse into a previous undesirable type of behavior, especially crime, rates are at their highest.†¦show more content†¦This is because at the end of their sentence prisoners are thrown out into the real world with no help and with parole-based restrictions. Some places, however, are trying to help like Wisconsin’s â€Å"Windows to Workà ¢â‚¬  programs. â€Å"Inmates participate in weekly group sessions, and develop a release plan with a coach, who will also help them after they are released† (Lawrence 20). This program gives them a much needed support system that is very important to their success out of the prison system. If other states began to adopt similar programs more prisoners may be able to rejoin society. Another problem is that people are not given the help they need to be rehabilitated. When someone is put into jail for a drug related charge they should be given help in the form of drug rehab. However since these inmates are not given any kind of assistance they are exposed to the inter-prison drug trade with no support to help them stay away. Prisoners also face the challenges of illiteracy. â€Å"nineteen percent of adult inmates are completely illiterate.† (Frolander-Ulf 114) These inmates should be given the opportunity to take classes that would help them to find jobs once they are released from the system thereby improving their lives in general. Yet another problem within the prison system is the general lack of education among the inmates. â€Å"Not only does education help in terms of helping incarcerated persons get on with life after prison†¦ but it also makes life moreShow MoreRelatedThe United Of Prison System874 Words   |  4 Pagesfocuses on punishment rather than rehabilitation, which causes the recidivism rates to be extremely high. It has one of the highest rates in the world at a 76.6%, compared to Norway at the lowest rate of 20%. The system is so focused on punishing these individuals that it forgets they will one day go back into society. A report on recidivism in 2007 released by the US Department of Justice found that strict incarceration increases recidivism. Researchers in the National Institute of Justice found thatRead MorePrivate Prisons1166 Words   |  5 PagesOver-crowding in our federal, state, and local prisons, along with a depressed economy, has resulted in a trend toward privatization of these facilities. This paper examines the core issues surrounding private prisons in the areas of cost-effectiveness, recidivism, and the special needs of specific groups of inmates, including the elderly and mentally challenged. It explores problems related to the prison industry in general and whether privatization is the solution to these problems. Read MoreThe Failure Of The Modern Prison : Understanding The Politicization Of A Total Institution Essay1538 Words   |  7 Pagesnotably murderers, rapists and other individuals who present a threat to the public, they tend to fail abysmally in terms of reforming criminals who are imprisoned for lesser offenses. With the success of prisons measured in terms of the rates of recidivism versus rehabilitation that they succeed in bringing about, America’s prisons currently create a context in which approximately 50% of those who are sentenced to prison will commit another crime, and re-enter the prison, upon their release. MoreoverRead MoreExpanding Funding For Alternatives For Incarceration Essay1589 Words   |  7 Pagesbeen proven that individuals will less likely be arrested, less likely to use drugs again as well as being more effective in reducing drug-related crime than incarceration (Reducing Recidivism by Expanding Funding for Alternatives to Incarceration, 2011). Community service The best alternative towards offender recidivism is community service for 1st time offenders. Offenders and the community have the ability to rebuild their relationship at the same time the offender is able to give back. CommunityRead MorePrison System And The State Of Justice And Managed The National Penitentiary Department1548 Words   |  7 Pagesweekends and holidays. In this regime, the inmate is allowed to work and/or study outside the imprisonment facility Although there are a high number of prison systems, it remains to be one of the most crowded in the world with high rates of criminal recidivism of about 70% of all releases re-offending. There is a shortage of staff to maintain daily functioning of the prisons resulting in inmates to govern themselves. Overcrowding and staff shortage remains the underlying issue in the Brazilian prisonRead MoreThe Deterrence Theory By Thomas Hobbes1347 Words   |  6 PagesThomas Hobbes singled out only men and made it well known that they are not bad as well as they are not good. Hobbes also pointed out that â€Å" humans are rational enough to realize that the self interested nature of people would lead to crime and inevitable conflict of their own decisions† (Dilulio, 1959). Allowing us to believe that someone cannot force another person to do something that they do not want to do realizing that there is some hidden truth behind that a person is capable of doing whatRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of The Death Penalty1331 Words   |  6 Pageshighest interest in preventing murder, it should use the strongest punishment available to deter murder†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Death Penalty Persuasive Essay | Shannon Rafferty E-Portfolio). Another key factor is that the death penalty acts as a deterrent for recidivism and recidivism is the rate at which criminals that were previously convicted go back to committing crimes after being released. If a criminal is executed for a crime such as murder, then they have don’t have an opportunity to commit crimes another timeRead MoreThe Portrayal Of Sex Offenders1781 Words   |  8 Pagesalso tends to create distorted perceptions among the public, including beliefs of especially high recidivism and how there is little to no chance for rehabilitation. Considering attitudes toward sexual offenders, it is no surprise that their release back into the community is a controversial subject. The practice of community notification is perceived as a means to combat the potential for recidivism among these criminals by providing citizens with the information necessary to protect themselvesRead MoreEssay about Correctional System1469 Words   |  6 Pagesprograms could reduce recidivism rates and keep more low-risk inmates from filling expensive maximum-security beds. Demands for additional programs such substance abuse and rehabilitation also add pressure to the job of the corrections administrator. Effective behavioral rehabilitative treatment as well as treatment for substance and alcohol abuse is necessary to correct the delinquency of offenders, so that they become law-abiding citizens and in the process reduce recidivism; however most of theRead Moreâ€Å"Young Men Think Of The Streets As Providing Both Structure1700 Words   |   7 PagesUnderstanding this statement and living it should be important for everyone in any situation. In life we all face obstacles on our road to success (our goal). In fact, obstacles, setbacks, troubles or problems, however you choose to identify them, are inevitable. For me, this statement says when the obstacles come don’t stop. Although this seems so simple, it is easy to allow an obstacle to become our stopping point. The young men in this book faced many setbacks, for some it was easier to give up and