...Life in Prison Cody Cotten CJA/383 December 21, 2010 Chet Madison Jr. Life in Prison When an individual is introduced to the prison life, after violating rules and laws, he or she must come to terms about the journey he or she are about to take behind bars in prison. No one can save them, or do their time for them, and a majority of their freedom has been stripped from them either temporarily or permanently. Prison life deals with all walks of life and is not discriminative toward any race. In this paper I will discuss my perspective on prison life, policies I would enforce an inmate’s need for respect, changes on correctional policy, and why people commit crimes. I have learned many things about prison life. I have in fact changed my perception of what I thought prison life was like. Prison is in fact a fight for survival where the stronger inmates will abuse the weaker inmates. Not only survival from inmates, but from a few corrupted correctional officials as well. When entering prison, one must be perceived as a tough individual to avoid being abused or bullied by other inmates. In addition to other inmates, there are some correctional officers that bully and abuse certain inmates for many reasons. This also gives reason for inmates to hold a sturdy ground while incarcerated. S.D. (2003), currently, prison administrator’s house inmates together based on their desire for violence, misconduct, and escape. The idea behind this is that grouping dangerous...
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...Midterm Paper Life in prison is something that many people do not know how to even understand or imagine because they have never experienced something like this. Statistically, one of every 5 people will know what it is like to be in prison. According to the U.S Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are 2,266,800 adults in the prison system throughout the United States which is about .94% of the U.S population. The United States does have the highest incarceration rate in the world. The rate of crime has increased in many cities/parts throughout the United States which has resulted in an increase in persons incarcerated. The fortunate thing is that there is a place where criminals are kept for their wrongdoings however, the United States population is paying to house every single one of them with our tax dollars. Prison has a life of its own which is something totally different from what is shown/portrayed on television, films and movies. In this paper, I will be writing about what life in prison really is like. In an Arizona state prison, the system has four levels of security which are: minimum, medium, closed and maximum. These levels are designated to encarcerate prisoners at a different level due to chance of escape, harming other inmates or in other cases to protect them from other inmates. As an inmate goes up in custody level, the less freedom they are allowed. Minimum security housing is described as living in a dorm style housing unit which includes an open yard...
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...How would you describe life in prison? Just imagine being surrounded by a thousand other men who have been convicted of a felonious crime by the state attorney’s office. It is not the Holiday Inn, and it is not meant to be. Many people do not see the true colors behind a life in prison because they do not experience it themselves to make that judgment. In the following paragraphs, I would like to illustrate the stressful and depressive emotions the incarcerated experience while in custody. These individuals dwell on freedom and strive to survive. I will reveal the repetitious routines in which some are mandatory for the inmates to follow, the prison community as a whole, inmate job assignments, the numerous rehabilitation programs the Department of Corrections offers, and the very few responsibilities the inmates have to follow. To begin with, revealing the repetitious routines of the prison population is very important. Their routine may consist of attending mandatory callouts, reporting to work, being present for school, or assisting other staff members who are roaming at the institution. Inmates are required by the state to report to any “callout” issued to them. For example, an inmate cannot refuse a PPD (Tuberculosis injection) which tests for the highly severe disease Tuberculosis. “A callout is a mandatory order issued by a staff member of the department for the inmate to report to” (Florida Department of Corrections, 2012). Inmates not only have to report to required...
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...Evolution of Life in Prison November 11, 2013 Evolution of Life in Prison The purpose of this essay is to do an analysis on the evolution and perspective of prison life. This essay will explain how the evolution influenced the classification of male and female prisoners over time. Last, this essay will explain how the prison populations in jails compare to the population of prison at the state and federal levels. A person could describe prison life as living with thousands of other men and women, who also have criminal convictions by the judicial system. Prisoners will need to realize that his or her prison sentence is not a vacation; however, it is a punishment for his or her criminal mischief. Some people will not understand the true meaning of life in prison because they will not experience it themselves to pass judgment. As Stanley “Tookie” Williams did say in his Life in Prison book is no life in prison is hard for any individual who has to serve life in prison. Inmates will spend his or her time trying to figure out how he or she can win his or her freedom again (Becnel, 2008). The Evolution and Perspective of Prison Life A convicted felon prison life will change as the nature of the institution itself will change. The 1700s life in confinement is life in jail awaiting trial, sentencing, or punishment. Each prisoner will remain in the same jail together. Those prisoners will sleep in dirty and unhealthy jails. The prisons and jails have epidemics and malnutrition...
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...Prison Life and Recidivism Karen Cavanagh CRJ303: Corrections Instructor: Gary Gonzales September 19, 2011 Prison Life and Recidivism Prison recidivism is a problem in the United States, resulting in prison overcrowding. As the government struggles to address the conditions in prisons, researchers have begun to look at alternatives to incarceration. These alternatives can result in lowering crime, recidivism and the prison population. The numbers of people in the United States spending time in prison and the amount of time people are spending is an enormous problem and cost for every state (Langan & Levin, 2002). Prisons correctional role is mainly formed from the special strict environment where sentenced people are placed for a certain period of time. The difference in life conditions, that are stricter, more formal as well as restricted, forces on the sentenced person and has a correctional and educational function on his consciousness of a person. Prisoners have less freedoms and rights than those who are out of prison. They are forced to obey the rules of the correctional facility that includes a strict scheduled daily life, limit time for outside activities out of the cells, limited access to visitors and limited time of the visits. Prisoners in the United States have a shorter period of time for visitors to visit prisoners compared to other countries. The life of prisoners in the correctional institutions is based on the authoritarian regime of the prison’s...
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...Life After Prison Pamela Nichols Everest Online Jennifer Dunn Composition II - 6 J. Katarzyna Woronowicz / for msnbc.com J. Katarzyna Woronowicz / for msnbc.com Randall Countryman, 40, applied for 90 positions before getting a five-week temporary assignment Do you know someone that has been in jail or prison for a long time? Do they have a plan when they get released? Do they have a job waiting on them? Do they have a place to live? Find a place to live, a job to support themselves and their families is one of the biggest things that an ex-offender will have to face when they are released. This is the problem that most inmates have to think about upon release. Some may not have someone in the family that they can turn to. There are those that don’t have a safe place to go to, so they have to worry about can I go there and not get back into the same trouble that got me put into jail in the first place. Ex-offenders should have more opportunities to have jobs, housings, and to more places to get habilitation service if needed. Finding work is hard work in the reentry process for many reason. There are many places that programs that are made to help them to come back into society and also help with finding jobs. But some of these work programs do not make finding a job easy. So the problem is that some overcrowded prisons currently house more than 25...
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...sentenced to life in prison as juveniles and found the defendants in other cases were not uncommon. Seventy-nine percent witnessed violence in their homes regularly, 32% grew up in public housing, and 40% had been enrolled in special education classes. Fewer than half of the prisoners were attending school at the time of their offense, 47% were physically abused, and 77% of girls reported histories of sexual abuse (“Juvenile Life Without Parole”). Is a child who has been through so much mental trauma at such an age of there life deserve to be put in prison for life? “In the U.S. each year, children as young as 13 are sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison...
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...Samuel Toes PSC 105 5:00PM Juvenile sentience to life in prison Juvenile sentience to life in prison without parole is a very “cruel and unusual" punishment. The reading piece of text talked about how the state of California is giving juveniles a second chance at life. The question is should they be given freedom even though they have committed murder? In Laurence Steinberg’s article Risk taking in Adolescence: What Changes, and Why? he states "It is argued that adolescence is a period of heightened vulnerability to risk taking because of a disjunction between novelty and sensation seeking (both of which increase dramatically at puberty) and the development of self-regulatory competence (which does not fully mature until early adulthood).” From age of 11 until 22 kids are still developing the judgment making and in this quote it says that most of the reason why division making is off is due to puberty, something that everyone has to go through during that time in their lives (Steinberg, 2006) .The brain in an adolescence has it moments of being impaired and confused when it comes time for decision for instants the article writers son "[Snuck] out of the house where they were spending the night [to] visit one of their girlfriends at around two in the morning" once at the house the threw rocks at the window, setting of the alarm which also meant some involvement of police. When the writer asked his son what was going through his head he said nothing. This is a good example of...
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...Death Penalty or Life in Prison Sierra Brattain Southwestern Michigan College Death Penalty or Life in Prison Death Penalty I began my research by looking into the death penalty or also known as capital punishment. The death penalty is the action of executing a person who has committed an illegal act equivalent to death. Crimes punishable by death vary depending on the state; some include murder, sexual assault, treason, and other serious capital crimes (“Crimes Punishable”, 2011). There are many different outlooks on the death penalty; some in favor of the death penalty believe it is the ultimate balance between good and evil and they often use the phrase, “an eye, for an eye.” By using death as punishment they can assure society that the offender cannot commit another crime. Also that it can deter people from committing violent crimes, with the reasoning of, if someone believes they will lose their life over an action they will usually choose not to perform the act. On contrast, those who oppose believe the death penalty is “a waste of life.” Many keep faith that everyone who may have committed a crime punishable by death can be rehabilitated, and could serve a purpose in society. Furthermore the death penalty takes the value away from life in society’s eyes, and causes it to seem unimportant. It is also strongly argued that the death penalty is unjustified because it can be dispensed upon the innocent. “Since 1900, 350 people have been wrongly convicted of homicide...
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...Xavier English PSC 105 5:00PM Daniel Underwood Juvenile sentience to life in prison Juvenile sentience to life in prison without parole is a very “cruel and unusual" punishment. The reading piece of text talked about how the state of California is giving juveniles a second chance at life. The question is should they be given freedom even though they have committed murder? In Laurence Steinberg’s article Risk taking in Adolescence: What Changes, and Why? he states "It is argued that adolescence is a period of heightened vulnerability to risk taking because of a disjunction between novelty and sensation seeking (both of which increase dramatically at puberty) and the development of self-regulatory competence (which does not fully mature until early adulthood).” From age of 11 until 22 kids are still developing the judgment making and in this quote it says that most of the reason why division making is off is due to puberty, something that everyone has to go through during that time in their lives (Steinberg, 2006) .The brain in an adolescence has it moments of being impaired and confused when it comes time for decision for instants the article writers son "[Snuck] out of the house where they were spending the night [to] visit one of their girlfriends at around two in the morning" once at the house the threw rocks at the window, setting of the alarm which also meant some involvement of police. When the writer asked his son what was going through his head he said nothing. This...
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...Life Behind Bars: Women in Prison Abstract When we think of women in prison as of lately, we think of Orange is the New Black, a television show centered on a woman whom after ten years of living a relatively quiet and normal life, is sentenced to prison for transporting a suitcase full of drug money for her former girlfriend. What we fail to see is the real prison facilities that women are sentenced to for nonviolent drug and property offenses. There are two sides of women behind bars, the female offender and the female correctional officer. First, the vast majority of female prisoners are likely coerced into committing crimes for their partners and as a result have ended up behind bars. Many female offenders are incarcerated as a result of the too strict laws and policies adopted at the height of the “war on drugs.” Majority of women incarcerated in prisons and jails come from poverty ridden surroundings, where there is a lack of support from family; have experienced physical and/or sexual abuse, some having happened while as young children; and suffer from physical and mental health problems as well as substance abuse issues. The majority of women serving time who have suffered from abuse, poverty, lack of educational and vocational skills are mothers, with a vast majority of them being the sole support and caregivers for their children. Second, the female correctional officer is sometimes viewed as infiltrating a male dominated field...
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...After leaving a southeast Atlanta client to die bound and gagged on the bathroom floor of his apartment, Tamieka Gamble, a 38-year-old prostitute, has been sentenced to life in prison. Police found the 64-year-old Edward Jowers dead in his Atlanta apartment on August 9th, 2010. Prosecutors of criminal law stated that Tamieka Gamble and her pimp and boyfriend, Mark Ross, visited Jowers at his apartment and tied him up with cables. Afterwards, they covered his head with linens and repeatedly slashed his back with a knife as they demanded money. After the property manager did a welfare check at Jowers' home, he and the police discovered Jowers' body. Investigators soon discovered that the pair had demanded money from Jowers, so robbery was the...
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...“Imagine being so bored you actually think about every moment -good and bad in your life…” One man answered to Quonas question “Is prison really as bad as people say it is?” If you ask me, having the time to think about every moment in my life, was beneficial. In reality, prison was not an altogether negative experience, as it allowed me to have the time to work on improving myself physically, mentally, while also furthering my education. Wake up, eat breakfast, get in“compliance,”(room clean, bed made) . That was my morning routine for the first month at the Department of Corrections. I quickly figured out there was more I can do then just sleep my time away. I learned about Rio Salado’s Computer Technology class, and immediately took the steps necessary to get started on earning my certificate. My goal was to receive the certificate in the shiny royal blue portfolio. While enrolling in computer technology, I learned of Rio Salados distant learning program where one can earn a degree while incarcerated so I also got started with my prerequisites for my next goal, my associates....
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...Ex-convicts do not live an easy lifestyle in prison, however, when they reenter society, they have even bigger struggles to face. In the outside world ex-convicts do not face the intimidation of other convicts, but rather disrespectful and pessimistic attitudes from employers. Ex-convicts are immediately judged and labeled based off of their rap sheet. What these employers seem to forget is that, these ex-convicts are people trying to make a living as well. Jeremy Travis, President of Criminal Justice at John Jay College, and Christy A. Visher, Director of The Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies (CDAS) at the University of Delaware, performed a study on prisoners and their needs to adapt back into society with more ease. In their article, Travis and Diaz 2 Visher touched upon the previously mentioned idea, “Individuals returning home from prison have been shaped by their offending and substance abuse histories, their work skills and job histories, their mental and physical health, their prison experiences, and their attitudes, beliefs, and personality traits.” (Travis, Visher pg 91) Travis and Visher are not specifically referring to employers, but that is where most discrimination on ex-convicts occurs simply from the section on the work application that asks if one has ever had any trouble with the law. Any person who has to check that box must feel discouraged in some way. One may argue that having an ex-convict in their work place will cause uneasy tensions...
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...structure theory related to the video of Pelican Bay State Prison: War Zone. Social structure theory is a theory that a person’s place in the socioeconomic structure influences their chances of becoming a criminal. Social structure theories “These theories look at the formal and informal economic and social arrangements (or structure) of society as the root causes of crime and deviance” (University of Phoenix, 2016, para.). There are three major principles of sociological theories they are: Social disorganization, strain theory, culture conflict theory. Social disorganization “(which depicts social change, social conflict, and lack of social consensus as the root causes of crime and deviance) is closely associated with the ecological school of criminology” (University of Phoenix, 2016, para.). Strain theory is “which depicts delinquency as a form of adaptive problem-solving behavior committed in response to problems involving frustrating and undesirable social environments” (University of Phoenix, 2016, para.). Cultural conflict theory is “which suggests that the root cause of criminality can be found in a clash of values between differently socialized groups over what is acceptable or proper behavior.” (University of Phoenix, 2016, para.). Within this essay I will examine the structure that influences the prisoners to commit more crime within the prison. Video Support: While watching the video Pelican Bay State Prison: War Zone, there was several things within the video that...
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