Definition and Meaning the Pains of Imprisonment - Research Paper Example

1) What do you understand by the “pains of imprisonment”? Do men and women experience the pains of imprisonment differently? Imprisonment is always atorture for any individual, be it a man or a woman. This is because confinement secludes him/her from his/her loved ones and puts the individual under question in total isolation. Imprisonment is tough, no matter how small it is. This is because imprisonment basically has more of a mental strain than a physical one. The person who is being imprisoned feels the heat when he/she does not get to meet his/her relatives, immediate family members, friends, etc. There is a complete ban on being social, let alone going out and feeling free for one’s own good. Imprisonment comes about when an individual has committed some major sin within the societal undertakings. At times, the person is confined for a wrong cause, or imprisoned because he/she was thought to be the person who instigated the very process of that sin in the first place. It must be understood that imprisonment is against the very basis of human rights but the manner in which it has been adopted by different criminal protection agencies of the world makes one believe that imprisonment is indeed the right way to go about doing things in this world. One should therefore look at the positives that come about in the wake of imprisonment and turn away from the downsides; however the latter can be as dreadful in entirety as they could be in essence. Therefore it would be wise to fathom that the pains of imprisonment are very difficult to heal, let alone fulfill in a manner which could be regarded as sane and commonsensical from the outset. This paper looks at the very basis of the pains of imprisonment and how men and women experience this issue in wholly different ways and means. The pains of imprisonment come about in a very stark manner when women are confined within prisons. This is because they have to endure the long and hard confinements with a lot of trouble. Some women give birth to children whilst they are confined and hence go through a lot of mental and physical trauma. The young ones are raised up within the prisons which essentially mars the very basis of their childhood (Wahidin 2004: 211). These children do not get to see the real world and hence experience all forms of troubles right from the very beginning. Their mothers would not allow their wards to be separated from them because they feel that their children would be kidnapped by the already existent evils in the society. It is a sad fact that imprisonment has equally significant and pounding effects on women and their children who are punished for no mistake of their own. The society’s way of dealing with such women is not based on merit. There must be a proper way to address such issues because these women really do not deserve to be imprisoned for such long periods (Faure 2003: 460). However nothing of note has come about in the wake of ever-increasing women action groups, committees and bodies. There is anarchy of sorts and one would not bow down on the said principles, all of which go against the very basis of human rights in essence. Essentially men suffer on the same count as well. They are made to wait for their court cases to come to a final result, some of which take decades. Such is the ironic state of affairs that one can expect absolute misery for the people who are confined with or without a solid reason. From a fair and balanced society’s perspective, imprisonment is the basis of crime taking place on an increased level. The reason for crime to come about in such a magnanimous form of late is dependent on the way the prisons of present times treat individuals. The people retaliate in their own meticulous ways and this is a fact that they have no avenues to vent their feelings and emotions. Thus they resort to violence and all forms of criminal activities start taking place. No heed is paid towards making such people come back to the sane ways and behaviors rather emphasis is paid on the fact that how much imprisonment would be adequate for a person so that he could be given a justifiable punishment (Kipnis 1999: 222). This is a wrong precedent within the present day society because the result should be based on the fact that imprisonment must lead towards positive results and not making the people look as criminals within the very society. The whole essence of imprisoning people thus becomes a farce and it would be correct to state that no one wins at the end of the day, yet there are losers aplenty. The pains of imprisonment need to be aligned with the outcomes as much as possible, because it really does not matter how long an individual was confined behind bars. What matters is the fact that whether or not this imprisonment was able to remedy the anomaly that existed within the criminal’s head. If the purpose was done in a rightful way, one could deduce from such imprisonment that it solved the very purpose for which it was founded in the first place. However this seldom comes about in a positive way, and thus serious lapses within the justice system are witnessed time and time again (Longhurst 1994: 95). The imprisonment aspect has been much discussed the world over. The reason for this is that there have been serious differences amongst the law enforcement authorities when it comes to tackling the offending parties on a global basis. However the role of police and such law enforcement agencies has been centered on the rational that imprisonment is deemed as the sanest way under which prisoners could be brought to justice. However all such authorities understand the fact that imprisonment might not be the most perfect solution but then again it is somewhat close to what the police can term as the perfect solution (Western 2007). In the same light, imprisonment is being abhorred by individuals left, right and center because these people believe that imprisonment mars the very basis of human rights in entirety, and there is more than enough reason to suggest that this is pretty true in letter and spirit (Morrissey 2003: 99). One should comprehend the fact that imprisonment is different for both men and women, because it brings a totally different perspective for men as compared to women. But this is no justification for confining men at all. There must be a proper dictum when it comes to imprisonment and the authorities should understand that imprisonment is not the solution for every evil that is taking place within the societal manifestations. Going further ahead, it would be correct to state that the role of courts and similar law enforcement institutions is of paramount significance within the treatment that is meted out on the individuals. Imprisonment never helps solve a problem that exists within the mind of the offender. It just makes him think negatively and this is not what the purpose of imprisonment is, in the first place (Delgado 2001: 148). Therefore it would be proper to state that imprisonment has failed to live up to the expectations the world over and an alternative for correcting the offenders would be deemed as highly appreciable. This will also solve the problems that underlie the very basis of crime and violence within any society of the world. Hence all out efforts should be made which could vindicate the stance chosen within this discussion, all of which aims to focus on the premise that imprisonment is harmful for any and every society of the world, and the offenders never draw any positive out of the related equation whatsoever. It is a fact that both men and women experience the pains of imprisonment in different ways and means. This is because men and women are made differently by Lord Almighty. The manner in which men could take this pain is very different to how the women perceive the mental and physical tortures. Some victims are made to work long hours within the confinement which essentially kills the very purpose of correcting these people. A number of men who are imprisoned for long periods of time come out of confinements to become hardened criminals and hence the society bears the brunt for the evils which exist within its criminal justice system. Suffice to state that the law enforcement agencies have generally failed to live up to the general expectations of the people for whom it exists in the first place. There have been serious apprehensions as far as understanding how law has been unable to implement its own self in the truest form. The civil society needs to stand up and make its voice heard within the thick of things, as this is indeed very quintessential (Fennelly 2007). However this element does not receive much significance because the evils within any society of the world have outnumbered the expectations of the people left, right and center. This means a complete anarchic situation and one that must be addressed immediately. The pains of imprisonment are severe for both men and women but the manner in which women are made to suffer at the hands of the criminal justice system is something that makes the whole system look rigid and very harsh. There must be a proper manifestation for solving the problems related with the prisoners because it is their life one is talking about in essence. Just the fact that imprisonment comes about in a very severe way for the women makes the whole exercise doubly difficult for them, however it does not mean that men should be imprisoned in a more rigorous way at all (Pease 2001: 74). There must be a proper code and procedure towards the application of imprisonment because this will pave the way for a number of things that happen within the societal undertakings, and the ways under which people are generally treated once they are locked up on one criminal charge or the other. One must remember that nearly all evils that ransack any society in the world are due to its inhabitants. The manner in which policies are enacted and measures are generally taken usually decides the future course of action as far as a society is concerned. Therefore it is quintessential to comprehend that imprisonment is a form of societal undertaking which is closely monitored by the different segments of the society. The elders within the society usually speak their mind whenever they feel that there is a missing link within the imprisonment regimes. The pains of imprisonment similarly are spoken about at length, so that the end result, for the sake of the individual under question, is studied in an adequate way. The basic purpose is to correct the offenders but correcting them should be done in a manner that there are fewer problems which must be faced by the people who are basically brought under the aegis of imprisonment. Putting them behind bars is no small task at all (Holton 2000: 155). Asking them to work rigorously without any breaks whatsoever is asking too much in essence. Now it is up to the individual as to how he takes this negative form of seclusion and how he will cope up with the differing norms and procedures within his life when he steps out of the imprisonment that he is presently under. There are a number of different questions which need to be highlighted in the wake of reaching a proper understanding as far as the pains of imprisonment are related. The bottom line of all such discussions center on the premise of bringing a positive outcome towards the lives of the offenders and the people who are caught just because they are thought to have some links with the relevant cases under the pretext of the law (Mauer 2003). The need is to have a clear cut policy which will actually decide the course of action in the times to come. Now it is really up to the individuals as well as the elders of the society what kind of decisions they think are applicable within the criminal justice system and what aspects are thought of as being redundant in the long run. Any society would absolutely cherish the idea of having peace and serenity within its domains. However this is a picture perfect scenario and one that can always be yearned for in entirety. The fact of the matter is that this aspired form of the society seldom comes about in full circle. The reason for this is that there are millions of people already living within the present state of law and hence all of them need to abide by the dictum that is already in place (O’Shea 1999: 322). It is impossible to coin new laws which will take care of the needs of a particular clan or community because then each and every community would get up and ask for its own place within the society. In essence, a society is comprised of different individuals having distinctive preferences and dislikes, but all of these segregated members need to abide by the law that is in place within the society or the country for that matter (Demleitner 2005). This highlights the very basis of discipline within the long term scheme of things as well as narrates the highs and lows of the people when it comes to deciding which laws are deemed as appropriate and which ones transgress the human rights and ethical perspectives. The sociology of imprisonment is thus important to understand in order to draw conclusions for the sake of the people, for whom the society exists in the first place. In the end, it would be appropriate to suggest that any society would cherish the ideology of having a perfect law enforcement agenda. However this usually never happens due to a number of litigations and understandings related with the compulsions under which law is usually made enforceable upon all and sundry within any nation of the world. The best fit scenario indeed would be to have such regimes which will take care of the legal rights of the people and give them the human rights as the dictum is prescribed in letter and spirit. This will help solve a lot of problems which come under the related domains (Dobas 1992: 214). The pains of imprisonment need to be studied in depth as well, because people experience severe and harsh ramifications in the wake of rules that are enacted under the auspices of the imprisonment acts and laws. It would be a good omen for any society to have such laws that will take care of the rights of its men and women, as well as give them the room to maneuver their strengths, both from the short term perspectives as well as in the long run scheme of things (Tonry 2004: 48). All said and done, imprisonment needs to be properly defined, described and the best possible alternatives need to be determined in a capacity which is close to perfect in entirety. Bibliography DELGADO, Melvin. (2001). Where Are All the Young Men and Women of Color? Capacity Enhancement Practice in the Criminal Justice System. Columbia University Press, pp. 148 DEMLEITNER, Nora V. (2005). Smart Public Policy: Replacing Imprisonment with Targeted Nonprison Sentences and Collateral Sanctions. Stanford Law Review, Vol. 58 (Journal Article, no page number) DOBASH, Russell. (1992). Women, Violence, and Social Change. Routledge, pp. 214 FAURE, Christine. (2003). Political and Historical Encyclopedia of Women. Routledge, pp. 460 FENNELLY, Carol. (2007). Who Does the Time? Families and Communities Pay a Steep Price for High Imprisonment Rates. Sojourners Magazine, Vol. 36, September (Magazine Article, no page number) HOLTON, Sandra. (2000). Votes for Women. Routledge, pp. 155 KIPNIS, Aaron. (1999). Angry Young Men: How Parents, Teachers, and Counselors Can Help Bad Boys Become Good Men. Jossey-Bass, pp. 222 LONGHURST, Brian. (1994). Discourse, Power, and Justice: Towards a New Sociology of Imprisonment. Routledge, pp. 95 MAUER, Marc. (2003). Introduction: The Collateral Consequences of Imprisonment. Fordham Urban Law Journal, Vol. 30 (Journal Article, no page number) MORRISSEY, Belinda. (2003). When Women Kill: Questions of Agency and Subjectivity. Routledge, pp. 99 O’SHEA, Kathleen. (1999). Women and the Death Penalty in the United States, 1900-1998. Praeger Publishers, pp. 322 PEASE, Bob. (2001). Working with Men in the Human Services. Allen & Unwin, pp. 74 TONRY, Michael. (2004). The Future of Imprisonment. Oxford University Press, pp. 48 WAHIDIN, Azrini. (2004). Older Women in the Criminal Justice System: Running out of Time. Jessica Kingsley, pp. 211 WESTERN, Bruce. (2007). Mass Imprisonment and Economic Inequality. 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