Institutional-Based Corrections - Essay Example

? Corrections Future al Affiliation al based corrections refer to individuals held in guarded correctional facilities. Community based corrections on the other hand refers to the management of criminal offenders in the resident population, rather than holding them in guarded correctional facilities. All correctional institutions are established in order to provide sufficient punishment to people convicted for violating the law, therefore protecting the public, and consequently reducing fear of crime. Community corrections programs are established to ensure that offenders are in effect held accountable for the crimes they commit and in the mean time, ensure that they also meet accepted living standards in the community and this holds a number of benefits. Offenders that are dangerous to the society on the other hand are held in institutional correction systems. The size of prison and jail populations has massively increased leading to a number of issues in the prison environment and to prison administrators. Alternate correctional systems for example community correction systems have been established to solve the problems that mainly come with institutional correction systems. Keywords: Institutional Correction systems, Community Correction Systems, Alternate Correctional Systems, Governments, Prisoners, Prisons, Prison Administrators, Foreign Prisoners, Crimes, Correctional Facilities, Correctional Officers, Overcrowding, Violence, Living Conditions Institutional based corrections refer to individuals held in guarded correctional facilities. Correctional facilities vary in types and the entities that operate them are very different. Municipal or county authorities operate local jails where offenders are held for short periods ranging from a day to year. The federal bureau of prisons and state governments operate prisons where offenders are held for long periods. A number of local, state and federal organizations operate private correctional facilities. Special jurisdictions such as the United States territories and armed forces operate other correctional facilities. Community based corrections on the other hand, refers to the management of criminal offenders in the resident population, rather than holding them in guarded correctional facilities. Supervision under community corrections falls under parole or probation (Bureau of Justice Statistics [BJS], 2012). Correctional institutions and the correctional process has the mandate to provide sufficient punishment to people convicted for violating the law, therefore protecting the public, and consequently reducing fear of crime. Over the years, the goals of correctional systems have taken different meanings and emphasis. Siegel and Bartollas assert that “the tactics used to achieve correctional goals have shifted from one generation to the next” (2010, p.7). Today, corrections are an important part of the criminal justice system. Community correction programs are established to ensure that offenders are in effect held accountable for the crimes they commit, and in the mean time, ensure that they also meet accepted living standards in the community. Majority of offenders do not present any possible danger to themselves and others, and hence can stay in the community to cultivate relationships. Punishing offenders while they still stay in the community holds a number of benefits. According to Alarid and Del Carmen “with legitimate employment, offenders can support themselves and their family of origin, and they will pay taxes” (2012, p.1). Additionally, unlike offenders bound in prison, offenders living in the community have higher chances of paying up their victims or the community through restitution or community service respectively. Offenders in community corrections programs are not exposed to the subculture of violence present in many prisons and jails. In recent years, the place of the prison in the American society has changed. Siegel and Bartollas (2010) state that, “a prison has become a quick way to fix the economic struggles of small counties. Towns that are economically strapped know that if they can induce jail and prison construction, they will receive jobs and attract other businesses such as fast food chains………all of which contribute to their tax base” (12). Contemporary correctional systems are very interested in prison building booms. Economically profitable relations are being established among corporations, politicians, the private sector, and stock markets. In the twentieth century, objectives and priorities in corrections were reformulated and standard working practices were changed. New methods of judging and handling crime emerged requiring correctional system workers to view their jobs differently. In the final decades of the twentieth century, offenders had more adjustments to make and the conditions in prisons greatly changed. Offenders “found that overcrowded and violent prisons, which now had racial tensions and warring gangs, made doing time more dangerous than in the past” (Siegel & Bartollas, 2010, p.14). Privileges and programs previously held by prisoners to help them survive prison life began deteriorating. In fact the parole board in some states was eliminated and although prisoners were glad, they had to spend more time in prison and it was more complicated to get released. In the last four decades, the size of prison and jail populations has massively increased. There has been a considerable increase in the number of male and female inmates. As a consequence of this overcrowding, the basic expectations and principles of the correctional system are gradually abandoned. Finding room in prison has become more difficult posing more problems to the prisons and prison administrators. Siegel and Bartollas (2010) state that “the problems posed by crowded prisons include the difficulty of controlling large inmate populations, feelings of anxiety and stress among inmates, and increased levels of stress among all who work within the walls” (p.15). Increase in prison population requires correctional officers to monitor too many inmates. On top of that, they have inadequate space and time to isolate troublemakers and handle constant daily issues. Siegel and Bartollas (2010) add that “a crowded prison tends to be a violent prison, which means that both inmates and staff are more likely to be injured or killed” (p.16). Correctional officers having difficulties with primary security issues may be unwilling to allow inmates to participate in programs. Furthermore, people who work or live in crowded prisons undergo high levels of mental stress and physical ailments. As a result of this, the United States federal courts have mediated ordering specific population ceilings for particular prisons and sometimes for entire state systems. “Ironically, efforts to reduce prison crowding have led to the overcrowding of county jails, where convicted felons wait for vacant cells in a state prison” (Siegel & Bartollas, 2010, p.16). Overcrowding in prison at a time when crime rates have been declining can be explained by the facts that, harsher sentences with majority of them being served behind bars are created by anxieties associated with crime and violence, requests for public protection, and the assumption that concern for victims does not include concern for offenders. Political populism is linked to doubts towards the criminal justice system, while social solutions to the issue of order are disapproved, and the situations of the undeserving poor are disregarded. The primary purpose of holding inmates in prison is to resocialize them and ensure that they become more responsible people. However, living conditions in most prisons hinder the meeting of these objectives. This is because unsanitary conditions, lack of hygiene, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases prevail in prisons. Medical and other services are also inadequate making living conditions unbearable. Furthermore, inmates are not provided with individual assistance and chances to develop their potential, which can play a significant role in reintegrating them back to the society as normal citizens. Lack of contacts to the outside world makes it difficult to reintegrate prisoners back to the society. Deterioration of living conditions in most prisons is a result of overcrowding. According to Prasopnetr, this consequently leads to “higher levels of violence and increase spread of illness such as AIDS, Tuberculosis and other infectious diseases” (n.d., p.319). With these conditions, it is difficult to apply any standards, hence institutional management and official satisfaction is affected. All prisoners are kept together due to the fact that classification is impossible, as a result of lack of space to segregate them. In most countries, there is lack of financial resources to upgrade prison conditions. As a result of this, building of new modern prisons to replace old ones becomes impossible. Prasopnetr notes that “there is also lack of funds to facilitate the implementation of modern correctional programs” (n.d., p.319). Implementation of United Nations Standard Minimum Rules is also very expensive. Application of these rules in different countries is also difficult due to different cultural, legal, geographical conditions, and levels of wealth. In fact, poor countries are completely unable to implement these rules. In other countries the rules are overlooked owing to lack of enough budgets to improve the living standards of inmates. On top of this, governments in most countries have neglected prison or correctional work regarding it as least important. Today, most prisons and prison administrators face issues concerning foreign prisoners incarcerated in other nations. In fact, this is becoming one of the most important issues facing prison administrators worldwide. Tourism, search for job opportunities, and changing political and economic regimes have led to a rise in the number of individuals travelling and working in other nations. Consequently, individuals involved in crimes related to illegal entry, credit card fraud, drugs, and other crimes have increased in number. When these crimes are committed in other nations, offenders are arrested and incarcerated there forcing them to face different cultures, food and living conditions. Additionally, offenders face difficulties communicating with prisoners and prison officers leading to lack of proper medical care and qualified lawyers. Prasopnetr (n.d.) states that “foreign prisoners on the other hand, cause economic and administrative burdens for prison administrations in many countries” (p.321). Community correctional systems have therefore been established to reduce problems that come with institutional based correctional systems. They act as alternatives to institutional correction systems, where offenders who are less violent are allowed to live within their communities under parole or probation. Reference List Alarid, Leanne Fiftal & Del Carmen, Rolando V. (Eds.). (2012). Community-Based Corrections. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Bureau of Justice Statistics [BJS]. (2012). Terms & Definitions: Corrections. Retrieved November 25, 2012, from bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=tdtp&tid=1 Prasopnetr, Somboon. (n.d.). Current Issues in Correctional Treatment and Effective Countermeasures. Retrieved November 25, 2012, from http://www.unafei.or.jp/english/pdf/PDF_rms/no57/57-22.pdf Siegel, Larry J. & Bartollas, Clemens. (2010). Corrections Today. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Read More