...“Prisons versus rehabilitation centers” is an ongoing debate worldwide, and the answer to this question is far from clear. Drug addiction is said to be a brain disease that affects behavior, the brain’s anatomy and chemistry. These brain changes interfere with your ability to think clearly, control your behavior, and feel normal without drugs. While under the influence of drugs, some people commit acts that they would not normally do. So does that mean a person addicted to drugs should not be held accountable for their actions? Rehabilitation offers to change a person’s negative lifestyle habits into positive ones, by correcting the behavior of offenders through treatment, education, and counseling. For that first and second time nonviolent, simple drug possession offenders, drug abuse treatment in a rehabilitation canter can be effective. The same cannot be said for a repeat drug offender and a person under the influence of drugs that commits a criminal offense. People are sent to prison for committing crimes. Why should a drug abuser committing crimes be any different? Drug offenders should be held accountable for their actions and sent to prison. Prisons detour recidivism, as well as, provide specialized services and programs to meet the needs of the offender. Drug addiction is a problem in our society, and it is spread in almost every country over the world. People who are addicted feel an overwhelming, uncontrollable dependence for the drug, and will continue...
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...Problems within the Criminal Justice System In the United States Abstract: This research paper explores some problems faced within the criminal system justice in the United States. Larry J. Siegel’s book “Criminology” gives us a history of the criminal justice system, how it operates, and some of the problems we experience with this system. Some of the problems detailed in this paper include the right to equal justice; which he explained the different kind of judgment that people receive based on their race, gender and class, the criminal justice system spends more money on criminals instead of improving technology for the police apprehending them, the criminal justice system lacks of sentencing disparity, reliance on eyewitness and modern technology can lead to conviction of innocent citizen, and finally the rehabilitation model which is set up to educate criminals and eventually let them free because of the belief that they are changed people and have been rehabilitated. According to the definition from the text “Criminology”, the term criminal justice system refers to “the components of government charged with enforcing law, adjudicating criminals, and correcting criminal conduct” (Siegel, 2009, p. 558). According to Siegel, the criminal justice system is essentially “an instrument of social control: society considers some behaviors so dangerous and destructive that it either strictly controls their occurrence...
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...Reflective Paper Ethical Treatment of Prisoners Johni K. Anglin SOC 120 Cornell Horn January 28, 2013 Ethical Treatment of Prisoners Societies Forgotten One may ask."What represents ethical treatment of prisoners?" What's more, does it make a difference as to what the prisoners crime is as to what kind of treatment would be considered ethical? For example, should a terrorist be treated differently than a thief? Additionally, who is to decide what kind of treatment of prisoners, regardless of crime, is ethical and what is not? What standard determines ethical versus unethical? Who really concerns themselves which such questions? Is ethical treatment of prisoners related to profitability in our country?"It is argued that Plato was right in claiming that justice is more profitable, more rational, and more intrinsically valuable than injustice (Velasquez 1996). Certainly mistreatment of the least among us is injustice. If so then the question may then become, "What is justice?" To be sure, it seems that there may well be more questions regarding the ethics surrounding treatment of prisoners than solid answers. For these reasons, it is necessary that the ethical treatment of prisoners be examined. I submit that we, as a society, are only as good as the treatment that we mete out to the lowest of our population. Do certain sectors of society like having a "prison-class" of criminals so that perhaps their transgressions against society may go unnoticed In order to successfully...
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...The Jurisdiction of Rights Allotted to Prisoner of War Shane Smith Abstract The jurisdiction and control of prisoners of war have historically been left solely to the military forces that held them captive; the application of rights and treatment being guided and controlled by various treaties and conventions signed by governments. This straightforward, conventional process was, and is, undisputable and logical in its application when it is applied in a conventional ‘civilized’ war; there is room for improvement, but it works. On the contrary, when fighting an unconventional war, with non-state sponsored combatants, the policies need to be reassessed. The Jurisdiction of Rights Allotted to Prisoner of War Our history shows a pattern of war making that is clearly defined, easy to follow, and reasonably undisputable: declaration of war, combat, surrender, treaties and or rebuilding. During the combat phase enemy combatant prisoners are taken, either by force or surrender, and both sides can agree that this is a better alternative to killing. With the exception of prisoner exchanges, these prisoners are held until the conflict is completed. At that time the general prisoners are released and those accused of war crimes are tried. Note that this is not policy, just a general pattern, but it works for a conventional war, a war where the losing side surrenders and both sides announce a cease fire. The problems arise when fighting an unconventional war, such as...
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...ENG 105 Why Rehabilitation Works and Imprisonment Does Not The drug epidemic is something that has affected many families all over the world. Drug abuse puts a lot of stress on parents, brothers, sisters, and grandparents – anyone who is part of the home (“Alcohol”). Along with the drug epidemic comes the criminal activity to obtain the drugs. Our nation’s prison population has exploded beyond capacity and most inmates are in prison, in large part, because of substance abuse: 80% of offenders abuse drugs or alcohol; nearly 50% of jail and prison inmates are clinically addicted; approximately 60% of individuals are arrested for most types of crimes test positive for illegal drugs at arrest (“Alcohol”). Although the current system emphasizes putting addicts in jail, it would be more beneficial for them and society to enter into inpatient rehabilitation. The relationship between drugs and crime is very complex. At the most intense levels of drug use, drugs and crimes are directly and highly connected. Serious drug use can amplify and prolong preexisting criminal activity. There are essentially three types of crimes related to drugs: Use-Related crime: These are crimes that result from or involve individuals who ingest drugs, and who commit crimes as a result of the effect the drug has on their processes and behavior. Economic-Related crime: These are crimes where an individual commits a crime in order to fund a drug habit. These include theft and prostitution. System-Related...
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...even though slavery has been long abolished, systemized inequalities still exists. There is a strong existence in employment opportunities, educational systems, public assistance, and jury selections across the country. Without taking a closer look, one could easily believe that the prison system is designed to rehabilitate those who have had trouble with the law. However, there is a question as to whether those who are truly rehabilitated have access to equal opportunities when released from correctional facilities. One can further question whether those persons are given fair...
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...death penalty upon learning that it discriminates against blacks. These interracial differences in response to the framing of arguments against the death penalty can be explained, in part, by the degree to which people attribute the causes of black criminality to either dispositional or systemic forces (i.e., the racial biases of the criminal justice system). he conventional wisdom on public opinion toward the death penalty in the United States, as summarized nicely by Ellsworth and Gross, is that people “feel strongly about the death penalty, know little about it, and feel no need to know more” (1994, 19). As a consequence of these feelings, the authors argue, attitudes tend to be relatively crystallized and, therefore, unresponsive to question phrasing or arguments that are contrary to an individual’s belief. We must wonder, then, why views of the death penalty vary so dramatically over time and across contexts. Gallup surveys document a...
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...An effective system of inmate discipline is very important when running a prison or jail. Usually, mentally ill inmates have had few or no protections against discipline routinely applied to their non-mentally ill peers. Arising from recent class action lawsuits challenging the quality of mental health care delivery in the nation’s prisons, prison mental health professionals have been called on to play an increasing role in the inmate disciplinary process. Referral questions include whether an inmate is competent to proceed with disciplinary proceedings and whether mental illness may have contributed to the rule violation. Prison mental health professionals participating in inmate disciplinary proceedings must therefore be familiar with relevant clinical, legal, and ethics issues. Little has been written in the psychiatric literature, however, examining this important role for prison mental health professionals. After first reviewing core legal and constitutional concepts, the author presents the results of a nationwide survey examining the role for mental health professionals in the inmate disciplinary process. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to provide a comprehensive review of this subject. Most prison systems have procedures for punishing prisoners who violate prison rules and for removing inmates from the general population for disciplinary or safety reasons. (For the purpose of this article, the terms “prisoner” and “inmate” will be used interchangeably...
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...Enhanced Interrogation Enhanced Interrogation, also known as torture, has been around all around the world in many instances. The most notable use of enhanced interrogation was after the terrorist attack on 9/11. The U.S. uses locations known as black sites outside of the country for their enhanced interrogation. The question on whether enhanced interrogation or torture should be allowed arises when these methods work or when they fail. Although enhanced interrogation works sometimes, we, as a country, should not use it because it is a violation of Article 5 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. The failures of enhanced interrogation outweigh the successes of it heavily. Considering this fact, CIA members water boarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, suspected mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, 183 times. With that being said, the odds of enhanced interrogation being successful are not any that should be notable to accept. The amount of times that enhanced interrogation has failed compared to the amount of times it has succeeded implies it is not in favor to be continued using. Even in the first torture scene of the movie Zero Dark Thirty, the torture done on the terrorist does not work except after countless times he endured the suffering. An example of enhanced interrogation failing in reality is in Chomsky’s article when he notes that under the Bush administration “when [the detainees] kept coming up empty, they were told by Cheney's and Rumsfeld's people to push harder.” The CIA...
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...Capital Punishment Is No Resolution For Juvenile Offenders Juvenile Delinquents Should Not Have To Worry About Capital Punishment Tkemia S. Gibson 1000 Huntington Mews. Clementon, New Jersey 08021 Juvenile Delinquency Capital Punishment 2 Introduction/Abstract….. page 3 Judicial System…… page 5 Juvenile versus Adults…… page 6 Rehabilitation……. page 8 Conclusion……. page 9 Reference page… page 11 Capital Punishment 3 Introduction/Abstract In today’s society our judicial system has been trying to use rehabilitation, treatment services, and reformation to aide our youth in place of Capital Punishment. Capital Punishment was done away with on March 1, 2005. When dealing with medical research and therapist teams the process has become more opened to helping juveniles to overcome any negative behaviors in the legal system. Capital Punishment 4 Capital Punishment over the years has always been one of the most controversial topics that stay in communication with our legal system. In committing murder as a child, it is hard not to become judgmental in thinking that a child knows right from wrong. When thinking of a teenage child committing murder at times you may think do they really realize what they have just done and do they even know the consequences. My position is juveniles who commit the act of murder should not have to suffer the resolution of capital punishment because they are still children and their brains are not...
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...Chapter 1 Questions 2. Classical conservatism views versus a liberal’s view are very different. When it comes to social welfare issues, such as healthcare, conservatism believe in traditional American values. for healthcare conservatives believe in a free market, where healthcare is not controlled by the government. Where as liberals believe in equality in which everyone received the same healthcare controlled by the government. As for Medicare, conservatives believe in a reformed plan in which this receiving it have options rather than all receiving the same treatment. Liberals oppose privatizing Medicare and support obamas views to preserve it. When it comes to drug abuse, conservatives tend to be against the loosening up on the penalties and legalization. On the other end, liberals view legalization as a way to improve our economy and loosening up on punishment for any type of drug abuse. Neo-conservatives are Conservatives with less strong views and tend to fall on the more moderate side of the spectrum. Sometimes these neo-conservatives even have a few liberal views on certain issues, especially when it comes to domestic policy. Looking at the issues addressed earlier, they tend to have the same views except less strong feelings on the need to change them. Neo-liberals are liberals who share a few conservative views. Hardcore Liberals tend to be modern and progressive where as neo-liberals show these characteristics but also some conservatism views such as free markets...
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...Human rights have been a controversial issue because it is very difficult to draw the boundary between the rights of the individual versus the rights of a group. At the same time, it is accepted that while all humans are entitled to protection of natural, basic rights, there are always limits on these rights. The best example is the generally accepted principle that when one infringes on the rights of another (for example murder), they forfeit their own claim to such rights. These people are condemned to different levels of punishment according to the Law. Here comes my topic for today: Prisoners should Be Used for Medical Experiments Without Consent. In this debate, I will define “prisoners” as those who are sentenced to the death penalty in the United States. The “medical experiments” are limited exclusively for the purpose of the development of vaccines and cures for pandemic diseases (example is the Measles vaccine or Tuberculosis vaccine which saved millions of human lives). Under our definition, this House should allow medical experiments on prisoners without consent under the supervision of U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Prisoners who are sentenced to death should have without consent, under the supervision of U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to have medical experiments conducted. It is realized that most medical experiments are cruel, so why not scope medical experiments for vaccine development only, and only when facing the threat of a...
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...Should juveniles be tried as adults? Does it depend on the crime committed? If so, what should be the determining factor(s) in deciding to transfer juveniles to adult courts? Case Assignment 4 September 5, 2011 Violent crimes committed by juveniles have fluctuated over the years. The children of today are subjected to violence in popular songs, television shows, and even computer games. Parents’ having guns accessible to children and the society the child lives in all play a part in the destruction of our youth. Juvenile offenders are now facing tougher punishment for their actions. When a child kills, does he instantly become an adult? Or does he maintain some trappings of childhood, despite the gravity of his or her actions? These are the questions plaguing the American legal system today, as the violent acts of juvenile offenders continue to make headlines. The Juvenile correction system is about one hundred years old. It was created in the 1800s on the philosophy that children are inherently different from adults and it is the state’s responsibility to protect and rehabilitate young offenders. Until the inception of the youth justice system, children were tried in criminal courts along with adults. Movement for juvenile justice reform was informed by the 16th century educational reform movement in England that perceived children to be different than miniature adults, with less than fully developed moral and cognitive capacities. As early as 1825, the Society for...
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...behind bars and are often regarded as "unworthy" in the general community. This paper will identify the ethical issues and problems prisoners face in the areas of harsher punishment and abuse, and how utilitarianism and relativism plays a vital role in resolving some of the ethical issues in prisons. Imprisonment as punishment for crimes was first used during the sixteenth century in Europe. Prior to that, criminal correction usually consisted of enslavement or swift physical punishment such as whipping or execution. According to Michael Hardy (1998) prison was conceived as a more humane response to criminal behavior. Europeans established colonies in America in the seventeenth century and they continued the practice of imprisoning those convicted of crimes (Hardy, 1998). During the colonial era, the number of Americans in prison made up a small, barely noticeable segment of the population. Today, this has changed dramatically. According to statistics from the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice, if incarceration rates continue unchanged, 1 out of every 20 Americans alive today will be imprisoned at some time in their lives. This is due in part to new crime laws such as “three strikes and you’re out” and tougher sentencing for drug-related offenses (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009). The question that needs to be addresses is, has the government ensured a universal, consistent, ethical protection for prisoners and are they provided with what’s needed to assure a fair...
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...Policy Development Natausha Crespin CJA/464 November 3, 2014 Kim Chapman Policy Development Domestic violence can be described as any form of deliberate coercion, bodily harm, sexual assault, or any other form of violent behavior committed by an intimate partner. Domestic violence has plagued all walks of life despite the age, race, religion, or background. Violence against an intimate partner is frequently followed by psychological abuse and controlling behavior relating to the methodical blueprint of power and control. Domestic violence comes in many forms but not always seen by the naked eye. Domestic violence constitutes forms of physical abuse, psychological abuse or even death that can be seen by other family members possibly causing a continuous cycle of abuse for generations to come. Facts and Statistics It is hard to grasp the notion that somewhere in the world every nine seconds a woman is being beaten or assaulted. On average, 85% of victims of domestic violence are women and 1 in every three women will endure some form of domestic violence in their natural life. Sadly enough only one fourth of all victims who have been physically assaulted by an intimate partner will actually report it to the police, implying that official statistics will never justify the full scope of the problem. The average age of a female victim who is at the greatest risk of harm by an intimate partner is between 20 to 24 years old. Domestic violence is...
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