...Juvenile Delinquency December 3, 2014 Juveniles in The Adult Prison Children as young as 14 years old have been tried as adults and are sentenced to die in prison without considering their age and the factors that led the individual to commit the offense. Society believes that a juvenile should be tried as an adult because it will help them understand the consequences of their actions, however, children and teenagers that commit crimes are too young and they don’t have the mental ability to understand the consequences of their actions. These juveniles are not aware of what they are going to face behind the adult’s prison bars. According to the National Juvenile Justice Network, it states, “ 200,000 youths are tried, sentenced, or incarcerated as adults every year across the United States.” Studies have shown that juveniles that are sentenced to adult prisons are more likely to commit crimes again after being released from prison. Juveniles are more likely to be sexually assaulted, abuse, neglect, suicidal, and depressed in adult prisons. The adult prison has shown failures to rehabilitate these juveniles. Laws like the Felony Murder rule has to shown to be cruel and unusual punishments towards teenagers and children. Society does not bothered to look into factors such as the juvenile’s brain, mental disability, and their living environment that causes them to commit the crime. “Children are five times more likely to be sexually assaulted in the adult prisons than in juvenile...
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...from the outside world. Each prisoner was held in a complete solitary confinement. Prisoners did not have any contact with other convicts, and guards were not allowed to communicate with prisoners. They were required to work while in their cell. They were also allowed to read the bible, but no other entertainment such as, letters, or magazines were permitted. In contrast, the western New York prisons, Auburn and Sing Sing, did not believe in solitary confinement unless for punishment or control. Unlike the eastern state penitentiary, inmates in the western prisons spend the majority of their times in the company of other inmates. However, no prisoner was allowed to speak to another prisoner. This rule of silence is one of the most important restrictions in the Auburn prisons. In Fact, Elam Lynds, warden of Auburn prison, believed “that convicts were cowards and dogs and ought to be treated accordingly” (Foster, 2005, p. 28). In an effort to cause humiliation, He also described inmates as a giant caterpillar with their stripped uniforms walking in silence while placing one hand on the shoulder of the men in front of them. Guards were instructed to use force to maintain order. These punishments varied based on the social acceptance and different believes. For example while probation, is a modern sentencing, its concepts have been in effect for centuries. Judges were often hesitant to sentence females and juveniles to prison in fear of the physical punishment that one could...
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...6/28/13 CCJ/HIS 4700 History of Corrections The earliest forms of the American Correctional Systems were similar in many ways with those practiced in England. Up until the 1780s, punishment by imprisonment was unknown in Europe or the European colonies. Punishments for criminal behavior tended to be public events which were designed to shame the person and deter others; these included the ducking stool, the pillory, whipping, branding, mutilations and the stocks (woodfin.org 2013). Corporal punishment was inflicted almost exclusively on the lower classes, since the rich were usually able to pay fines instead. At the time the sentence for many other offences was death. Colonialists never considered the possibility of rehabilitation; their aim was to frighten the offender into law abiding behavior. Unlike today where prisons are viewed as instruments of punishment, this has not always been the case. The common jail dates back hundreds of years, but was used solely as a means of detention, a temporary place for the prisoner until acquitted, fined, or subjected to corporal punishment (Schamalleger, F. 2010). Pennsylvania was determined to be different from other colonies. Founder William Penn brought his Quaker values to the new colony, relying on imprisonment with hard labor and fines as the treatment for most crimes, while death remained the penalty only for murder. In 1790 Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Jail became the first prison by the Pennsylvania Quakers. In the...
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...Introduction The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) is the principal federal program through which the federal government sets standards for juvenile justice systems at the state and local levels. It provides direct funding for states, research, training, and technical assistance, and evaluation. The JJDPA was originally enacted in 1974 and even though the JJDPA has been revised several times over the past 30 years, its basic composition has remained the same. Since the act was passed in 1974, the JJDPA focused solitary on preventing juvenile delinquency and on rehabilitating juvenile offenders. Since the original enactment of the JJDPA in 1974, the periodic reauthorizations have been controversial, as the Act's opponents have sought to weaken its protections for youth, reduce prevention resources, and encourage the transfer of youth to the adult criminal justice system. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act follow a series of federal protections, known as the "core protections," on the care and treatment of youth in the justice system. The four "core protections" of the act are, the Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders (DSO), Sight and Sound separation, Jail Removal, and Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC). The "DSO" and "Sight and Sound" protections were part of the original law in 1974. The "Jail Removal" provision was added in 1980 in response to finding youth incarcerated in adult facilities resulted in "a high suicide...
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...norms of society. Because of this need, the development of prisons were constructed to house the individuals, so they can serve their time away from free individuals. Prisons are an intricate part of our history, starting from the late 1700’s up until now our system continues to redefine itself based on the needs of society. I will explore the evolution of punishment, prison system and how prison labor impacts over time. Punishment can be defined as the correctional goal with emphasis on inflicting pain or suffering. (Seiter, 2011) Punishment is used as a form of social control, it is viewed, that, a person will refrain from wrongdoing if the consequences impact their freedom. Since the ancient times of the Code of Hammarbi, banishment, and beheading punishment has been a part of how our culture deals with offenders. We can trace back punishment to the colonial days where punishment was based on community opinion and punishment was publicly displayed to ridicule and deter others from such behavior. This type of punishment started to transform into a more organized structure because of enlightened political philosophy, a more humane approach was sought. Incarceration became the vehicle in which the American justice system dealt with deviant behavior. Sir Alex Patterson once said, “You cannot train a man for freedom under the conditions of captivity”. The first prisons in the free United States were recognized as penitentiaries to signify their prisoners as religious sinners...
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...and food in many of the prisons in the state of Michigan. Alongside, there is a serious issue of overcrowding (Spence, 2014). It can be clearly stated that despite huge flow of public money, Michigan prisons are failing the inmates with overcrowding, deprivation of water and food and abuse. Food issues Food issues are vital in prison and there can be serious consequences. Denial of food and water to inmates, particularly those serving solitary confinement is extremely inhuman and such practice should be stopped. However, there several reports that confirm this practice (Morrison, 2013). There are reports of mentally ill patients being denied food and water for a prolonged period (ACLU, 2014). The prison meant for women in Michigan (Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility) is accused of brutality as the employees starve inmates in solitary confinement. They are also subjected to odd cruel punishments as reported by American Civil Liberties, Michigan. Many accounts from witnesses’ show that prisoners are made to undergo solitary confinement and are not even given water. One of the inmates made the initial report regarding these abuses after she was locally hospitalized for symptoms indicating severe dehydration (Morrison, 2013). Alongside, low quality food in prison is also a grim issue. Aramark, a food service company under the contract of MDOC makes a lot of money...
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...The Prison System Robert B. Weight II CJS/200 January 19, 2011 Ronald Rucker Even though the system has worked for 220 years, the American prison system is in danger of complete failure on its current course of development because overcrowding, low budgets, and changes in public sentiment are quickly placing the penitentiary system in an inoperable state. The evolution of the current prison system in the United States has had many subtle changes that have lead to the current crisis, but the system has been set up to fail since the beginning. There have been supporters and opponents to the prison system. There have been social movements that have created major adaptations in society’s idea of how prisons and prisoners should be handled. In the end, society faces the issue of not being able to sustain current sentencing practices and maintain the prisons through the increasing prison populations. (Norman Johnston, 2010) In 1790 sweeping reform went through Pennsylvania to change the jail system. Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush led the effort to change the old and corrupt ways of the penal system (Norman Johnston, 2010). The first prison was built in 1790 as a wing of the Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Gaines, 2006). This prison operated on the premise that crime was caused by idleness, so the best method of treatment for a criminal was silence and isolation to force reflection on the criminal’s wrong doings and work...
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...As the President of the Juvenile Case Disposition Commission, it is my job to make recommendations to the Governor, Legislature, and the Courts of the State of Old York concerning juvenile issues. Recently, there has been a national discussion about juvenile cases. Some have argued that the system is too easy for juveniles to abuse while others believe that society does not do enough to take care of the juvenile population. In the case of a young man named Kalief Browder, the argument of society not taking care of the juvenile population is the concerned issue. On May 15, 2010, Browder, sixteen at the time, was returning home with a friend from a party near the Bronx. Several squad cars pulled up on Browder and his friend while shining a spot...
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...Juvenile Justice; Don’t Send The Future Away The day I got locked up was a bad day. When I got out i thought it was over not knowing it’s a whole court system I had to go through. I was 16 at the time so I got tried as an adult. I sign my plea for two weeks of probation later. Is the question “are juveniles getting a fair justice?” According to Nicole Scialabba during a single year, an estimated 2.1 million youth under the age of 18 are arrested in the United States. Since the 1980s there has been growing concern about crimes committed by young people. Juveniles should not be tried as adults because young offenders are at risk sent to adult prisons, they are more likely to commit crimes and they lack understanding of the crime they committed. Juveniles should not be tried as adults because they will be sent to an adult prison. An adult prison will have an extremely destructive effect on the juveniles. “Young prisoners are also at a disadvantage because they are not as mature (mentally and physically) as older prisoners (Scott). It is saying that automatically going in a adult prison they are already not safe. Compared to adults they are small. The adult prisoners are physically bigger than juveniles so...
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... we call juvenile criminals, but, every action has a consequence and to deal with these unlawful adolescent we have the Juvenile Justice Department. The juvenile justice system is a network of agencies that deal with juveniles whose conduct has come in conflict with the law. These agencies include police, prosecutor, detention, court, probation, and the Department of Juvenile Corrections. But, when young offenders commit a series of crimes or even serious crimes, they are waivered into Adult court where they will be subject to any punishment available. Some cases of Juvenile’s being tried as adults is not fair. Some people would disagree about their charge. Some pros of Juveniles being tried as adults are, Attacking juvenile crime lowers the overall crime rate and allows us to live in a society that is much safer. A juvenile who knows that they will be punished for their crimes is far less likely to commit them. Other juveniles who may be considering committing a crime will also view the harsh punishment of their peers as a powerful deterrent. A crime is a crime no matter what, even if it is the littlest crime. A juvenile who is tried as an adult could end up being scared straight, which will make them from not continue to break the law. Spending a few nights in jail around hardened criminals can often be the wake up call. A juvenile offender needs in order to realize the error of their ways and make the necessary changes to their lifestyle (Should juveniles be tried...
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...CUSTODIAL AND NON-CUSTODIAL MEASURES The Prison System Criminal justice assessment toolkit 1 UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME Vienna CUSTODIAL AND NON-CUSTODIAL MEASURES The Prison System Criminal Justice Assessment Toolkit UNITED NATIONS New York, 2006 The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations, the Secretariat and Institutions of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Belgian 2006 OSCE Chairmanship concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. This publication has not been formally edited. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE ISSUE ..................................................................................... 1 2. OVERVIEW: GENERAL AND STATISTICAL DATA ......................................................... 5 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 3.1 3.2 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 7.1 7.2 OVERVIEW OF COUNTRY AND PRISON SYSTEM.............................................. 5 PRISON POPULATION ........................................................................................... 6 PROFILE OF PRISON POPULATION..................................................................... 6 QUALITY OF DATA ......................................
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...Ethical Treatment of Prisoners By: Melisa Johnson Soc120: Introduction to Ethics and Social Responsibility Instructor: Nikolas Larrow Roberts October 8, 2012 Ethical treatment of prisoners sometimes seems to have a grey area, among society and sometimes among those sworn to take care of them, the correctional officer. “There has never been a question about the stress associated with caring for individuals who have tremendous animosity towards you.” (The ethics of caring for those who hate you, 2006) A correctional officer is held to a higher standard than the average public. Correctional officers at all times are expected to be respectful, and impartial to all prisoners. Regardless of personal beliefs about a prisoners charges or an individual prisoner, correctional officers must be an outstanding role models for others they are around. Dealing with prisoners correctional officers cannot become too friendly; they must maintain fair and impartial judgment. Correctional officers still must remember they are prisoners. There is thin line between be friendly towards prisoners and making prisoners incarceration a living hell. National Prison Association founded in 1870, is the oldest association developed for those who work in the corrections profession. The association had its first meeting in Cincinnati Ohio. The then governor of Ohio, Rutherford B. Hayes (later became president of The United States), was elected as president of the association. The association developed...
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...Jail and Prisons Jail and prisons have played a huge role in our history. While at times we might not think about it, jails and prisons are a huge reason why America isn’t in utter chaos. Over the years jails and prisons have grown to get to the level they are today. What was once an unsanitary, careless, and at times cruel prison or jail is now a more sophisticated well developed correction center that are meant to shape the behavior of an offender and rehabilitate the offender. Jails are a place where criminals are taken and separated from society, because they have committed a petty crime, a serious crime or have committed a murder. The jails are intended hold defendants while they await their trail. The inmate has no access to the outside of the jail and no access to the benefits a free citizen has. Those who have a bail set but do not bail out are also held at the jail as well as those inmates being transferred to the county jail from a state jail for either a bench warrant or just in need of a temporary housing unit until they arrive at their true destination. The jail makes the life for many inmates horrible so they won’t be back again; unfortunately many offenders come back after the first offense. It’s a place for inmates to take a hard look at their life’s to change them around before they have to face prison time but some that are sentenced to a year or two are allowed to carry out their time in jails now. Jails however have grown to become more than just a...
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...Drug Addicts Need Rehabilitation Not Incarceration Drug addiction is a dependence on an illegal drug or medication and unfortunately causes an intense craving for the drug. These cravings can be so extreme that it causes users to find any means possible to get the drug which can easily lead to criminal activity and charges, which ultimately leads to time spent behind bars. Jails and prisons within the United States are already overpopulated, and drug addicts are just adding to the already extremely high numbers. In order to help alleviate this problem there needs to be some changes made with the way addicts are dealt with. Some serious thought needs to be given as to why the justice system chooses to incarcerate addicts instead of sentencing them to court mandated rehabilitation centers. By doing this, the addict would be forced to face the real issue which landed the individual in the situation to begin with, the addiction. Addicts need to be offered some sort of rehabilitation, whether it is inside or outside, only offering incarceration with no rehabilitation should not be an option. Without the addict dealing with the addiction head on, there is a slim chance of becoming productive members of society and a greater chance of making another appearance behind the prison walls. When it comes to whether addicts should be offered treatment or not, and if so where, whether it be in prison or outside, if they should be offered any at all, opinions vary quite drastically. Many people...
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...Francisco Lara CJR 240 March 1, 2011 History of the Prison System Prison is an institution for the confinement of persons convicted of criminal offenses. Throughout history, most societies have built places in which to hold persons accused of criminal acts pending some form of trial. The idea of confining persons after a trial as punishment for their crimes is relatively new. During the 15th century in Europe, the penalties for crimes were some form of corporal punishment like whippings for less serious crimes and execution or enslavement for more serious offenses. In early 16th century England, vagrants and petty offenders were committed to correctional institutions known as workhouses. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the government transported convicted felons to the English colonies. The punishment was thought of as the hard labor to which the prisoners were consigned. It wasn't until the 17th century that the idea that persons convicted of crimes could be punished by confinement and released after a period of time. During the 17th century, England and other European countries like Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands began imprisoning debtors, delinquent juveniles, minor misdemeanant, and felons. Early jails were mostly dark, overcrowded, and filthy. Prisoners were herded together indiscriminately, with no separation of men and women, the ...
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