Technology in Correctional Facilities - Term Paper Example

Technology in Correctional Facilities Introduction The use of Technological has bought concerns in its psychological impacts on the prisoners or inmates. Undoubtedly, the affirmative carries the day in the order of the most organized, well planned, and sufficiently executed technological efforts in dealing with the concerns of the inmates. The interests are to improve the welfare of the inmates during the periods within which they are in the correctional centers and to avert series of offenses that inmates are most known for while they are within the prisons (Stahl, 2006). This issue is an absolute subject of technological advancement that is pertinent in acute execution of proper technology within prisons to help improve on the administration of the correctional facilities and establish viable response to concerns of various dimensions of which health matters take the center stage of the whole structure. Technological prisons are designed in a manner in which violators or the offenders within the prisons are as well taken care of in terms of their behavioral checks and controls. It is obvious that the inmates would always resort to certain acts that would jeopardize the general security of both the fellow inmates and the correctional facilities (Vargas et al., 2011). The technology is then instituted in several broader paradigms to minimize injuries or other physical punishments. These actions limit the occurrence such violations thereby maximizing on the overall security of both the inmates well as facilitating put that assist in the administration of the prisons (Stahl, 2006). To start with, the technology tends to offer a series of strategies that deal with social engineering. These among others include the removal of the violators’ targets within the prisons, which minimizes the opportunity of the inmates finding avenues to commit a crime. Secondly is making the violator’s target valueless. For instance, it aims at making the target of the intended offense quite unattractive hence reducing the desire of the inmates to interfere. Another revolves around the incapacitation of the offenders (United States.1994). These may include, restrainers, immobilizers, or containers that reduce the will or urge by the offender or incapacitates their ability to undertake an offending action. Another strategy includes the insulation of the offenders’’ targets on derail the ability or accessibility on the offender's side to commit the offense. In this case, tranquilizers may be afforded to help suppress certain behaviors that are deemed quite aggressive such as the sexual drives that often cause sexual misbehaviors and offense related courses (Stahl, 2006). Technology prisons against nontechnology prisons It is quite vital necessary to identify the difference between technology prisons and the prisons where there are many interactions between the correctional officers and the inmates are as unimpeachable as the application and the efficacy of the former. This emphasizes on the proper technology and the level in which it is applied. The human factor is at its weakest point when it points towards bias, corruption, fatigue due to overworking and inattention particularly due to physiological and environmental factors (Pattavina, 2005). These mentioned technological advancements require adjustments for their positive application in maximum-security prisons. The nontechnology prisons, predominantly traditional offer open targets to offenders and sometimes lead to aggressive response towards containing security situations. The validity of these technological aspects is as strong as the outcome evinced, hence the need to anticipate the outcome before the application. The alternatives of the nontechnology prisons prove to be quite practical and realistic besides being effect6ive and efficient. The use of telemedicine is not only essential, but also extremely necessary in responding to inmates health issues arising from the prevailing circumstances and causes within the correctional facilities. The application of telemedicine is categorical in almost three principal standards in dealing with the health issues of the inmate. Sexual violence and abuse at times records the largest degree of the offense committed by inmates within the prisons. This has been the principal catalyst to the rate of HIV/AIDS spread within the prisons. Immediate and sufficient responses in this case are most apparent. Violence relating to fights and inmate unrest is certainly dominating features within some correctional facilities. This calls for emergency cases, which require immediate response. The three categorical standards of telemedicine include; therefore, the remote monitoring, providing self-testing to inmates giving the doctors easier time of observing the health conditions of the inmates who need specific attentions or with chronic bouts of illness. Alternatively, there is the store-and-forward category that provides the inmates with the opportunity to self-test and store their data relating to their medical conditions or transmitting them online to the medical doctors for examination of their health conditions. The doctors often respond with appropriate medication or attention. The other category is the patient-doctor interaction that takes place through communication at the phone, online or even visits. Ophthalmologic and psychiatric testing is possibly done through this besides physical assessment and historical review. In these cases, appropriate response is undertaken to deal with the inmates psychological issues in the sufficient way (Pattavina, 2005). To improve the technology further in prisons, there have been the adoption and application of the global positioning security surveillance and the Radio Frequency monitoring. The GPS is tremendously beneficial in offering the surveillance of the inmates and most especially the sexual and physical victims (Moriarty, 2005). It incorporates a two-way communication design that allows direct communication with the offender or the victim; thus, helping in the mapping of the location to retrieve archives. It provides an immediate notification in case someone has interfered with the security systems and incorporated with remote laptop with built-in modem to enhance the conveyance of the information to the Data center of surveillance. This has helped in increasing security such that the GPS can always monitor the movement of the offenders and track them down before their eventual apprehension. On the other hand, it enhances the immediate response to the victims of the offense for purposes of immediate medical, psychological or any other notable attention (Pattavina, 2005). The RF is essential, in that there is a bracelet attached to the offender such that it is easy to monitor the movement and actions of the offender while in the home confinement. Initially part of this discussion has outlined a number of strategies that the technology prisons adopt in order to respond swiftly to the psychological issues of the inmates. One such strategy was the incapacitation of the offender. In looking at the construction and operation of the electric fences around the correctional facilities, it is clear that the thought of trying to interfere with the fences destroys the minds of almost inmates (Moriarty, 2005). The electrical fences are fitted with high voltage capacities or pulse that is used in a circuit to shock on the intruders and the offenders who want to tamper with it. This has actually been helpful in preventing prison breaks that at some time in the past used to be applied in a number of correctional facilities. Therefore, it is a common knowledge to the prisoner that making unprofessional attempts to interfere with the electric fence, one would land into severe trouble that may result in catapulting outcome (Pattavina, 2005). This has reduced the number of correctional officers needed to ensure security surveillance, and further increase the efficiency in dealing with prison breaks. Some correctional facilities are situated in places accompanied by a lot of noise making, may be from the nearby roads. This, at times, may be quite disturbing to some inmates with exceptional cases (Moriarty, 2005). In order to cushion sections of the correctional facilities that do not favor noise, acoustic fences are then constructed around to help in the absorption of excess noise, which is tremendously influential in dealing with exceptional cases. Besides that, they also play extremely crucial roles in ensuring that the movement of inmates is in regular checks and no cause of alarm for areas out of bound for them (Otto, Otto, and Tuedio, 1988). In the technology-based prisons, the use of the electronic brain implants has also been on the rise for certain reasons. First, the electronic device is connected to the cortex of the brain. This is done to help deal with both health and psychological problems of the inmates. A patient may have undergone health problems like the injuries at the head or the stroke including the cardiac arrests. These have damaging result at the brain of the human beings, and the situation demands accurate and immediate assessment for accurate diagnosis. To circumvent the possible areas that have become dysfunctional due to such attack, a biomedical prosthesis is done to unveil the damaged parts (Moriarty, 2005). This kind of technology is extremely useful in immediate response to the health needs of the inmates, in case such situations arise, giving rise to prominent attention and action-oriented diagnosis. Conclusion The world has advanced technologically, and the brains have advanced too. Technological formulae are the answer to building a foundation in which the psychological concerns of the inmates is adhered to, in a bid to strengthen the core roles of prisons, not just as places of punishing wrong doers but also changing them to be the better part of the society. This is bound to their recognition as human beings with fundamental values of enjoying their frights albeit in a limited and most acceptable way. Technology is then the answer may as a matter of necessity. References Moriarty, L. J. (2005). Criminal justice technology in the 21st century. Springfield, Ill: Charles C. Thomas. Otto, H., Otto, H. R., & Tuedio, J. A. (1988). Perspectives on mind. Boston: Kluwer. Pattavina, A. (2005). Information technology and the criminal justice system. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications. Stahl, B. C. (2006). Issues and trends in technology and human interaction. Hershey PA: Idea Group Pub. Vargas, M. M., Garcia-Ruiz, M. A., & Edwards, A. (2011). Technology for facilitating humanity and combating social deviations: Interdisciplinary perspectives. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. Read More