The Failure Of The American Prison System - 1302 Words

The Failure of the American Prison System The subject of prison evokes fearful and violent images seen in movies or on television; outdated clichà ©s consisting of men eating stale bread and drinking dirty water that are intended to repulse people and deter them from committing crimes and ending up in such a position. Unfortunately, the reality of the American prison system is just as troubling as the dated stereotypes surrounding it. Despite its success in keeping dangerous offenders off the streets, the modern prison system fails in fulfilling its original design of restoring criminals to being productive members of society. It has proven to be an inefficient and ineffective system by focusing on punishment over rehabilitation, leading to issues such as overcrowding, wasting taxpayers’ money and a high recidivism rate. As children, most people learn obedience through punishment. When we do something â€Å"wrong† one or several privileges are taken away by our parents . Depending on the severity of a mistake, such punishment may last for a very short time or in some cases it may even be permanent. Many parents inflict the common punishment of not allowing their children to watch television for a certain amount of time. Such disciplinary methods often prove to be positive learning experiences that teach children right from wrong and instill them with values that prevent them from doing it again. Similarly, the United States prison system was initially designed with the same basicShow MoreRelatedThe Failure Of The American Prison System1344 Words   |  6 PagesThe Failure of the American Prison System Whenever you imagine prison, you think up ideas and violent images that you have seen in the movies or on TV.    Outdated clichà ©s consisting of men eating stale bread and drinking dirty water are only a small fraction of the number of horrible, yet â€Å"just† occurrences which are stereotypical of everyday life in prison.    Perhaps it could be a combination of your upbringing, horrific ideas about the punishment which our nation inflicts on those who violateRead MoreThe Failure Of The American Prison System940 Words   |  4 PagesThe Failure of the American Prison System What if someone broke into your house and stole everything of value and sold it so they could buy their next dose of heroin? Would you rather see them spend the next ten to fifteen years in prison? Or would you prefer the crime never happened because they got the rehabilitation they needed so they never robbed you for drug money?   The United States correctional system uses both punishment and rehabilitation when dealing with offenders. There are many waysRead MoreEssay about Therapy, Not Punishment843 Words   |  4 Pagesalways been a concern to society. There are many different ideas about what causes it and even more ideas about how to stop it. Dr. Karl Menninger believes that our current prison system is not adequately addressing the motivation behind crime. In his article Therapy, Not Punishment, Menninger says of the old prison system, In its place should go a quiet, dignified, therapeutic programÉ (544). He sets forth the claim of policy that criminals need to be tre ated with professional therapy. I dontRead MoreWhat Is Going On With The American Criminal Justice System?1645 Words   |  7 Pageson with the American Criminal Justice System? Incarceration is happening more frequently than ever before. Incarcerating our people is not the answer to helping our society, mainly those whom are incarcerated for non-violent crimes. Non-violent offenders make up over 60% of prison and jail population. America imprisons more people than any other country in the world. It’s time for prison reform to take place in America. Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, establishRead MoreThe Failure Of The Modern Prison : Understanding The Politicization Of A Total Institution Essay1538 Words   |  7 Pages The Failure of the Modern Prison: Understanding the Politicization of a Total Institution Juan Valdes UTPB Dr. Joanna Hadjicostandi Sociology 1301 Fall Semester Are prisons effective total institutions or do they more commonly fail in their goal of resocialization? In considering the effectiveness of prisons as total institutions, it is critical to examine the degree to which they successfully rehabilitate those who spend time within their walls. While prisons most certainly protect citizensRead MoreThe Rehabilitation System Is On Converting Criminals On Productive Members Of Society1384 Words   |  6 PagesThe rehabilitation system focuses on converting criminals to productive members of society. While there is a certain level of punishment in being forced to go through such a system, the goal is conversion, not revenge. This leads to a more moral society where those being released are less dangerous and less likely to return to prison. A rehabilitation system’s goal is to reintegrate every inmate back into society. A life sentence is a death sentence, and a death sentence helps no one. One NorwegianRead MorePrivatization Of A Capitalist Society1699 Words   |  7 PagesA criminal is easier to deal with when they’re found dead. A living criminal must be tried in court of their peers, provided legal representation, and then must have whatever prison time they receive - if any - paid for by the Government. Meanwhile a dead criminal just needs to be acknowledged then buried. When it comes to dealing with live criminals, a government finds itself in a position where it must provide for the safety and wellbeing of members of society that are often ignored, which canRead MoreDefining Accreditation675 Words   |  3 PagesAccreditation is defined as a verification system in which correctional agencies must comply with under the American Correctional Association. Privatization brings about competition between prisons and jails in the community. As a result, prisons and jails are encouraged to make improvements as deemed necessary. In addition to affecting prisons and jails, accreditation and privatization also has an effect on the professional development of corrections officers. In recent years, the correctionalRead MoreThe Flawed Drug Policy of America1691 Words   |  7 PagesAmericas Flawed Drug Policy Introduction: As a major policy issue in the United States, the War on Drugs has been one of the most monumental failures on modern record. At a cost of billions of taxpayer dollars, thousands of lives lost and many thousands of others ruined by untreated addiction or incarceration, Americas policy orientation concerning drug laws is due for reconsideration. Indeed, the very philosophical orientation of the War on Drugs and of the current drug policy in the UnitedRead MoreThe Incarceration Of The Correctional System910 Words   |  4 PagesThe correctional system in America is an umbrella term referring to a range of mandates that entails the management, supervision, and rehabilitation of convicted offenders. These mandates are often carried out through incarceration, probation, or parole, while prisons are the most popular correctional agency in America. Prisons in America were among some of the first public buildings established in the New World. Early prisons were not considered â€Å"houses of punishment,† but were rather referred to