Strategies and Options Designed To Meet the Goals of Corrections - Research Paper Example

Abstract Engagement in deviant activities in the society is highly discouraged and individuals getting involved are bound to be punished in relation to the laid laws of the land. Every country has a well-structured judicial system that is armed with a constitution and which works to ensure that justice is administered to the citizens of the country. This has also facilitated the development of correction systems that include prisons where the people who have been declared unfit to stay with the people because of their deviant behaviors are taken and correction on their behaviors done so that they can become important people in the society. The role of the prison system is to punish the individuals who are involved in crime, protect the citizens from people who are not allowing them to stay in peace and exercise their constitutional rights peacefully and to rehabilitate the individuals so that they can become important people in the society. Correction of their behaviors falls under rehabilitation of the individuals. Keywords: Correction, deviance, punishment, rehabilitate, society. Introduction There are various programs that are put in place to ensure that people who have expressed deviance in the society by engaging themselves in bad habits are corrected and rehabilitated so that they can become important people in the society. This variety of programs, services and facilities that are put in place for the person convicted of a criminal activity are the ones that comprise the correction system. They work in social control and ensuring that the society is living in harmony with the deviant being brought back to the society with their habits having been corrected (Christensen, 2008). As indicated earlier in the essay, every society is bound by some rules and norms that are put down in constitutions that can be used to convict the ones who break the law. Such laws are put in place since in a normal society it will be common to encounter individuals who are deviant and who breaks the law. However, since the prisons are not just meant to punish the individuals, they must put in place correction measures to ensure that the individual is better when he is allowed back into the society. The prevalence of the individual committing another crime is high if the corrective measures are not taken and this will make the person unable to fit into the society and therefore succumb to crime once more. This essay will address the correction system and its roles in the society. Since the prisons are the main corrective institutions in many countries, our argument will revolve around their performance and the way they are structured to ensure that they deliver their mandate in the best way possible. History of the Corrections System Imprisonment as a form of correction of human behavior became appreciated and embraced by the developed countries since the 15th century. Countries such as Britain had dungeons which served as prisons and where the people who broke the law were taken to be punished and rehabilitated. These form of punishment is positive to the individual as well as the society since the person benefits by becoming important in the society while they are taken away from the society therefore allowing the society to enjoy a moment of peace. For one to be convicted, there must be concrete evidence that they committed the atrocity they are being accused of. However, in some case, due to the failure in the justice system, the accused or the convicted may not be the culprit and so in such cases justice is not delivered. I the United States, the embracement of the correction system followed after the American Revolution which saw significant developments in the criminal punishment sector (History of American Corrections). The development of the criminal rehabilitation system in the United States is the most documented and so our discussion will revolve around its three major waves. The initial wave was witnessed in the Jacksonian era. This period was marked by a rise in use of prisons as a way of rehabilitating criminals. This was widely used and during the American Civil War, the most widely applied form of punishment and rehabilitation was the use of prisons. This partially or in some situations fully served to correct the individual and bring them back to the society as an important person. After the American Civil War, the progressive era of the system started and this was marked by the introduction of new mechanisms into the system. These included probation and intermediate sentencing and they were meant to ensure that the criminals got justice as well as getting corrected to become important people in the society. The final wave was seen in the 20th century that saw great developments in the judicial system as well as the correction system (The Howard League for Penal Reform). There was marked expansion of the correction systems both at the federal and state level which served the increasing number of individuals who were in need of the services. Normally, as the population increases or the area under jurisdiction expands, the deviant people will also increase and therefore it is important to come up with ways in which they shall be handled in the best way possible. Participants in the Correction System The correction system involves a number of stakeholders who play various important roles to ensure that the individuals are corrected and fit to go back to the society. The first group of people that does an important task is the police force that is mandated to maintain law and order in the society. The police force ensures that deviant people in the society are put into custody and sued for their respective breaking of the law. The police should ensure that they present the individuals to a court of law and present any evidence that can aide in the administration of justice. They should not be biased or manipulated so as to ensure that the suspect and the victim get justice. The judicial system is responsible of handling the criminal cases presented before them and using the law governing the land make a decision that will ensure that justice is granted. This may include exonerating the suspect or convicting them. Exonerating the suspects mean that it was proven beyond any reasonable doubt that they are innocent and so no claim can be held against them to be punished. In case they are convicted they are taken to prison where the serve a given period. It is during this period that their behaviors are corrected and introduced to activities that can help in changing their lives and making them important people in the society. Many prisons have laid strategies where the inmates learn various courses that help them to earn a living when they get out of prison. One of the main reasons why people engage in criminal activities such as stealing is due to economic strain which can be facilitated by lack of education (Stohr, 2008). The prison system as the major correction institution encourages learning and the inmates can continue with education though it is done at the individual’s discretion. This helps them to maneuver well when they get out of prison and live with people in peace. There are various problems that comes with running the correction centers and the prisons. First dealing with these people is hard as some of them are far down the wrong way. This makes it hard for the officers in charge to help them. Others may not be interested in changing their behaviors and no matter how long they take in prison when they get back to the community they will engage themselves in unlawful acts that will attract another prison term. The government has allocated much capital to improve the facilities in the prison and this has worked positively and negatively for the sector. As much as the person getting out of there is reformed, other inmates see it better to remain in prison as they have their security there and so if they are set free, they will commit another crime and get back there. Prisoner’s Rights and Privileges The prisoners are accorded various rights though they are denied the rights of a full citizen. For instance, the prisoners’ freedom of movement is greatly affected and so they are supposed to stay in the secluded area until their term is over or the respective organ feels that the individual is fit to be allowed back into the society. The prisoners are however allowed to engage themselves in various activities such as sports, getting in touch with the country’s happening through various forms such as newspapers and television and radio. The prison administration on the other hand is the one mandated with the responsibility of handling the prisoners, guarding their movements and ensuring that they transform to become important people in the society (Cavadino & Dignan, 2007). Though they have to stick to the laid strategies to run the prison, at times they may be forced to improvise new techniques to ensure that the correction is effective and the prisoners are getting the best from their stay in prison. Alternative Forms of Rehabilitation Imprisonment is not the only method used to rehabilitate the law breakers in the society. Over the years, it has been proven that not all of the people who are imprisoned conform positively and embrace a new life as supposed when being imprisoned. Various organizations have therefore come up with various strategies that are meant to make the people better in the society. These mainly works to teach the individuals better ways of making it in life as well as offering psychological support to them. Most of the law breakers suffer various psychological conditions which may be due to drug abuse and depression. It is therefore important for the people overseeing the correction to ensure that they understand the root of his problem before starting the correction process. This has been lacking in many prison set ups a situation that has made it hard for the prison to achieve its goals successfully. Conclusion Many governments have invested heavily in the criminal justice sector to ensure that on top of the victims getting justice the perpetrators are conformed to live peacefully with the people. This has been done by ensuring that when the individuals are convicted for their respective crimes, they are introduced into a system that allows them to learn and get new things that can help when they get out of prison. This has proven to be important as some ex-prisoners have really transformed after their jail terms. References Cavadino, M. & Dignan, J. (2007). The Penal Code: An Introduction. New York: SAGE Publications. Christensen, E. G. (2008). Ur System of Corrections: Do Jails Play a Role in Improving Offender Outcomes. US Department of Justice. Available at. N.a. History of American Corrections. Introduction: Not much is New under the Corrections Sun. Available at. Stohr, K. M. (2008). Corrections: A Text/Reader. New York: SAGE Publications. The Howard League for Penal Reform. (n.d). History of the Prison System. Available at. Read More