...Rehabilitation Versus Punishment Tyler Ross Macomb Community College In this essay, I will go over the issues of punishment versus rehabilitation for convicted offenders. The issues I will point out will be how punishment and rehabilitation affects deterrence of crime, how it impacts the victims and their families, and the financial impact upon society. This debate will show both pros and cons to punishment and rehabilitation. The criminal justice system and the public have opinions on how each should work and not work. I will go over each side of the issue when it should be time to punish or rehabilitate. The Deterrence theory is if one commits a crime the punishment should outweigh the crime. To prevent crime from occurring the law will show through punishment. The punishment should outweigh the crime. If you put the fear of punishment into the criminal, then he will think twice about committing the crime. Crime has been part of society for a long time, and the usual punishment is to incarcerate. Even though incarceration is a temporary fix for the felon, research shows “recidivism amongst convicted felons following release from prison is as high as 63%” and most of the inmates had arrest records and convictions prior to the incarceration of their current offense “ (Carson & Mulako-Wangota, 1989). Others argue rehabilitation is a deterrence to crime. Rehabilitation has long-term effect on offenders since it would prevent future crime from happening. Also rehabilitation...
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...the way sentence is carried out. Namely, punishment as in the adult system must be avoided and continued to be replaced by rehabilitation. In recent years, there has been intensive debate about whether the juvenile justice system should focus its limited resources on rehabilitation or punishment to curtail the rising statistics in juvenile delinquency. It is my belief that the juvenile justice system should primarily focus on the process of juvenile rehabilitation as opposed to strictly punishment. This paper will include an assessment of law enforcement, court processes, probation corrections, and community services as well as the intervention programs currently available to increase the incidents of juvenile delinquency. In this paper the subject to examine is both sides of the spectrum and try to show that the process of rehabilitation, rather than just straight punishment will provide a more effective solution to the problem of juvenile delinquency. I will be examining some of the arguments that oppose the views of rehabilitation over punishment and attempt to prove that the arguments for punishment are not as valid as those for rehabilitation. This paper will also provide evidence to support the claims that rehabilitation is a more effective way to resolve some of the issues which that are apparent in the juvenile justice system. Juveniles who complete rehabilitation instead of being punished for their crimes...
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...Why Rehabilitation Karmella Moten Kaplan University The penal system today is a multi-million dollar industry, with about 1,325 state and 84 federal prisons the entire country has the capacity to incarcerate its criminal population. The past three decades will be remembered as a time of overwhelming imprisonment, because of the concerns with community protection reaching an outstanding high, with the firm drug laws and strict repeat offenders putting more people behind bars. Incarceration, however, is not the main objective of prisons; they also serve two important purposes, punishment and rehabilitation. Prisons have been designed and operated for years with these two objectives in mind; sometimes the punishment and the rehabilitation are separate from one another, most of the time they go hand in hand, the punishment for the crime and the rehabilitation to return to society. Punishment is the infliction of a penalty as retribution for an offense. There are several ways our correctional system punishes offenders today, ranging from confinement to capital punishment, confinement being the most predominant. This includes: tight living quarters, sometimes solitary confinement, strict house rules and minimal contact with the outside world, all of which can be draining on an inmate’s morale. The death penalty is the harshest punishment the court system can impose. It has come in many forms since its birth and has become very controversial in recent years. Though now called...
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...Abstract In today’s system, there are several competing theories for what approach should be taken to improve the correctional system. Certain strategies, such as punishment and rehabilitation, have different goals. These goals, in most cases, are different from each other. People all over prefer one strategy to the other, and compelling evidence can be brought into perspective for each. Aside form the usual, non traditional aspects and approaches to fixing the corrections system are also talked about today. This paper will discuss all elements of corrections theories, its goals, its effectiveness, and the rating of completion of academic and vocational programs offered to inmates in prison. Running Head: CORRECTIONAL THEORIES 3 Competing Theories Of Corrections In The Criminal Justice System In today’s day and age, many views and criticism take place of the Criminal Justice system. In specific, the correctional aspect of the system receives much of this criticism. There are two strategies particularly that come into play most often when speaking of corrections. These two strategies are punishment, and rehabilitation. Each of these strategies have its own set of goals and its own set of skepticisms from outsiders. On one hand, people may prefer punishment and its goals, and on the other some may solely believe in rehabilitating inmates. Each approach has it benefits, as well as its faults, just like anything else. Most...
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...Punishment Research Paper Craig Hart March 25, 2012 SOC/120 When it comes to American society there are four types of punishment. These types of punishment are retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation and societal protection. Punishment in its concept is favorably perceived as a retributive practice. Our society uses these four forms of punishment attempting to lower crime rates in our society. Some of these types of punishments could be considered harder than others however each one has its own distinction. Retribution according to the dictionary is the act of punishing or taking vengeance for wrongdoing, sin, or injury. I think that the phrase “an eye for an eye” and “a tooth for a tooth” is a very good definition of how retribution depicts peoples need for justice in our American society. When people have gone through an experience of crime or pain, they want some sort of closure or retribution to satisfy their morality. An example of retribution is in our courts system when murders get convicted and sentenced to one life behind bars for every life that was taken. People who believe in retribution believe that there is no rehabilitation or any help to change the criminal just that the criminal must serve the time sentenced. As stated by Gerard V. Bradley (2003) the adoption of retribution as the philosophical basis for punishment therefore provides a powerful, multi-faceted justification for beyond that proffered by the alternatives. Retribution certainly...
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...Punishment versus Rehabilitation Paper Punishment versus Rehabilitation Paper Punishment versus Rehabilitation The criminal justice system has four objectives. They are deterrence, punishment, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. Of these four deterrence, punishment, and incapacitation typically work together. Anytime a person commits a crime, punishment and rehabilitation are needed to address the problem swiftly and effectually. (Punishment vs. Rehabilitation: A Proposal for Revising Sentencing Practices, 1991). When the offender moves from prison to a step-down unit as they get closer to his or her release, they tend to have other issues other than drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and this is what causes recidivism. Research has shown that many prisoners in super maximum units experience extremely high levels of anxiety and other negative emotion. When released, often without any "decompression" period in lower security facilities, they have few of the social or occupational skills necessary to succeed in the outside world (Rehabilitate or Punish, 2003). Craig Haney, Ph.D. states, "This is what prison systems do under the emergency circumstance, they move to punitive social control mechanisms. But it's a very short-term solution, and one that may do more long-term damage both to the system and to the individuals than it solves (Rehabilitate or Punish, 2003)." Throughout this paper, I will be a discussing the strengths of punishment, and how it deters the offenders...
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...Juvenile Rehabilitation Shelly Stanko CJS/240 February 26, 2012 Farrell Binder Juvenile Rehabilitation In the previous few decades, the United States justice policy has become more punitive. In particular, in the 1990s legislatures all over the county passed laws under which an increasing number of young people can be charged in criminal courts and incarcerated in adult prisons. Certainly, in nearly every state today, youths between 13 and 14 can be prosecuted and penalized as adults for an array of crimes including non-violent offenses (Kristin, 2009). Punishments have become more severe even in the juvenile system. Generally, it is believed that the rising anxiety among citizens concerning the threat of juvenile crime has propelled this tendency and that members of the public favor this legislative tendency toward severe punishment. However, it is unclear whether this opinion about the right solutions to youth crime is precise. On the other hand, different surveys have found the public favors tougher policies regarding youth crime and punishing juveniles as severely as adults. However, a thorough review of sources of information about public views indicates that the perception that the public favors punishment for youths is largely based on either opinion surveys that pose few simplistic questions or publicized crimes like school shootings. It is possible that analysis of public views...
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...Punishment versus Rehabilitation Paper Punishment versus Rehabilitation Paper Punishment versus Rehabilitation The criminal justice system has four objectives. They are deterrence, punishment, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. Of these four deterrence, punishment, and incapacitation typically work together. Anytime a person commits a crime, punishment and rehabilitation are needed to address the problem swiftly and effectually. (Punishment vs. Rehabilitation: A Proposal for Revising Sentencing Practices, 1991). When the offender moves from prison to a step-down unit as they get closer to his or her release, they tend to have other issues other than drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and this is what causes recidivism. Research has shown that many prisoners in super maximum units experience extremely high levels of anxiety and other negative emotion. When released, often without any "decompression" period in lower security facilities, they have few of the social or occupational skills necessary to succeed in the outside world (Rehabilitate or Punish, 2003). Craig Haney, Ph.D. states, "This is what prison systems do under the emergency circumstance, they move to punitive social control mechanisms. But it's a very short-term solution, and one that may do more long-term damage both to the system and to the individuals than it solves (Rehabilitate or Punish, 2003)." Throughout this paper, I will be a discussing the strengths of punishment, and how it deters the offenders...
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...Punishment Versus Rehabilitation Isabel Nevarez University of Phoenix AJS/504 Nicholas Russo August 17, 2015 This paper, I will discuss the issues of punishment versus rehabilitation. I will point out issues on how punishment and rehabilitation affects deterrence of crime, how it affects victims and their family. I will also discuss how it affects offenders, the impact it has on society, and the fiscal impact upon society. Punishment and rehabilitation helps the inmate in different ways. This will show both pros and cons to punishment and rehabilitation. Punishment versus Rehabilitation The criminal justice system uses two objectives, these are punishment and rehabilitation. Society looks at these two with high prospects but the question is will the justice system live up to these expectation? The justice system and the community have beliefs on punishment and rehabilitation and how they should or should not work. Each one of these objectives will be addressed. Deterrence of Crime Deterrence theory comes down to if an offender commits a crime the benefit should outweigh the crime itself, if not, the offender will think twice before committing another crime. The deterrence theory does not explain criminal behavior. To prevent crime from happening again the criminal justice system use punishment, but the punishment should outweigh the potential crime. Crime has been a part of society for centuries. The most common form of punishment for the offender is to be put...
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...Punishment and Sentencing Brian Krail CJA/234 11/20/2011 Punishment and Sentencing Crimes against morality and individual rights have existed since the dawn of man as well as the need to punishment those crimes. Public consciousness and sentiment have evolved over time and greatly influence the goals of modern-day punishment criminals. The legal and correctional systems tend to fall in line with this morals and concepts of their respective era. While threat of prison and punishment may be deterrence to crime, the goals of punishment and sentencing can be placed into the categories of rehabilitation, retributions and incapacitation. Through the classification of crimes and prisoners, the modern-day correctional system emphasizes a hybrid mix of these objectives based on the severity of the crime and susceptibility of the criminal. Incapacitation as a goal or strategy in punishment and sentencing is best focused on those offenders who commit crimes at very high rates. By taking a large slice of out of the life of a career criminal, the punishment has prevented, in theory, the number of crimes that individual, would have been committed if that while in society. Since the 1980’s, the United States has increasingly taken a this approach which has led to increased sentences for the majority of offenders also leading to prison overcrowding. The effectiveness of this strategy is often debated although many of not most studies conclude this strategy does provide...
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...Punishment verses Rehabilitation Kevin Atkinson University of Phoenix AJS/502 Steven Cook March 30, 2015 The purpose of this paper is to compare the effectiveness of punishment compared to the effectiveness of rehabilitation, as well as their effects on the victims, offenders, social society and fiscal society. The criminal justice system actually has four objectives. Two of them are punishment and rehabilitation. These are the two objectives that society has the highest expectations of and the greatest interest in. Both the criminal justice system and the public each have their own opinions on how each of the objectives will or will not work. These two objectives are normally paired together, however no system relies on incarceration for a short time and then rehabilitation for a lengthy period of time. Both punishment and rehabilitation are primary focuses among correctional facilities, it is up to the facility which it chooses to put as its primary. The most common form of punishment is incarceration. Their primary goal is deterrence of crime. Deterrence can be categorized into three areas; special, specific and general deterrence. Rehabilitation has been proven...
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...theories that have been created over the years to help explain the relationships between criminal behavior and punishment. The theories of corrections have no doubt changed and shifted over the years, the more people began to understand the rationale behind criminal behavior. Several centuries ago, criminal behavior was once thought to sin guided by the devil or evil spirits, and most often was punished by hanging, beheading, or burning the offender. Then, around the time of the American and French revolutions offenders began to be seen more as highly rational beings who intentionally chose their own courses of action (Schmalleger, 2012). Contemporary sentencing stems mainly from the Classical School theory. This theory stated that criminality, rather than being caused by evil or some higher beings, was actually the result of the bad choices people make of their own free will. The other competing theories of corrections besides the Classical School, prevalent in today’s prison system are retribution, deterrence, restorative justice, and rehabilitation. According to the Classical School theory, the punishment should fit the crime equally. Meaning, that the punishment a person is given should equally fit the seriousness of the crime committed, and not be more extreme such as hanging or burning someone. Someone who steals should not be burned at the stake, because the punishment does not fit the seriousness of the crime. The need for punishment is still there, but it is just...
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...is continued there will be consequences or punishment. Punishment is used to keep control or order so that everyone, no matter the circumstance will be protected. Punishment is divided up into four types: retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, and societal protection. Since every crime or wrong doing is not created equal and almost every person reacts to the different types of punishment differently, the four types of punishment can be distributed according to the person and the crime. Retribution is the oldest form of punishment used. Retribution is described as an act of formal vengeance by which society makes the offender suffers as much as the suffering caused by the crime. For example: if a person kills another person, the dead person’s family suffers a greatly. Therefore, the murderer is most likely to punish by death as well. This form of punishment, in my opinion, is contradictive. If the crime one person commits is wrong, doing the same to that person is also wrong. This form of punishment does not help any of the persons involved, nor does it teach those who experience the crime through the media or hear say a lesson. Retribution is confuses all that it encounters and only make matter worst. Deterrence is defined as the attempt to discourage criminality through the use of punishment. Deterrence is another form of punishment used to persuade people to not engage in criminal activities or wrong doings. This form of punishment brings attention to all types of people that...
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...Punishment vs Rehabilitation Alana Plummer AJS/502 The way our society is set up it is expected for the criminal justice system to either punish or rehabilitate an individual that commits a crime. Punishment is a condition to refer to any change that occurs after a behavior that reduces the likelihood that that behavior will occur again in the future. Rehabilitation is a treatment and training to an offender so that he or she is made capable of returning to society. There are differences between the effectiveness of punishment compared with the effectiveness of rehabilitation of convicted offenders in prison and under community supervision. Punishment and rehabilitation both are effective with the deterrence of crime, effects on victims and offenders, society and the fiscal effect on society. Deterrence Deterrence is the act of preventing a particular act or behavior from happening. In the criminal justice system deterrence is used to prevent an individual from committing a future crime. Punishment can be an effective deterrence when an individual is sent to jail. Prison is a form of punishment. Prison is a temporary solution while the offender is incarcerated. The highest form of punishment in the criminal justice system is capital punishment. The death penalty is used to deter people from committing crimes. Capital punishment is defined as a form of putting one to death because of a crime a person has committed. The seriousness of the crime determines the punishment...
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...Objectives of Punishment Sherri Porter Introduction to Corrections December 11, 2011 Amanda Eicher Axia College of University of Phoenix Objectives of Punishment There is a set of beliefs that a majority of the members of society share and make into laws. These are what are considered right and wrong in a community. They use these to base what is acceptable and not acceptable in their society. The people who can not abide or break these laws must be punished according to the severity of the crime they committed, which is determined by the members of society. There are fire categories of punishment and the objectives that they are meant to achieve. These five categories are Fines, rehabilitation, retribution, deterrence, and incapacitation. The sum of money ordered by the court to be paid to the state by the offender is called a fine. They are quick, cost-effective, and flexible, create minimal disruption, and appropriate for many offences. They tend to be more biased and effective toward the poor and therefore do not seem to deter the rich from committing the same criminal offense again. Rehabilitation is trying to change how an offender views the crime that they committed. They have rehabilitation faculties all over the world and some even have weekly meetings to help people stay on track. The most famous of these are Alcoholics Anonymous which helps people with a drinking problem stay sober. You also have a Narcotics Anonymous...
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