...Community Corrections or Incarceration Are community corrections a better solution than incarceration? Michelle Brooks ITT Technical Institute Community Corrections or Incarceration Abstract In this research paper will read about different subjects and topics that pertain to incarceration and community corrections. The incarceration rate is going up in the United States while at the same time community corrections is slowly fading away because of limited support from the local communities and government officials within each state. In this research I hope to find out those community corrections has more to offer than incarceration. In conclusion incarceration is not the right way but community corrections will be. Community Corrections or Incarceration Table of Contents Abstract Introduction Background on Community Corrections Background on Incarceration Effectives of Community Corrections Effectives of Incarceration Programs dealing with Community Corrections Programs while Incarcerated Theory Interview with Mr. Sharron Wilson Result Reference Page Community Corrections or Incarceration Introduction Community Corrections is a better solution than incarceration because it offers many different alternative programs for several different types of offenders. Incarceration also offers similar programs...
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...Alternatives to Incarceration For the country to save money, they have adopted other alternatives to deal with juveniles that are found on the wrong side of the law. These methods are meant to ensure that the juveniles are rehabilitated into better members of society while at the same time using a cost effective method (Lankford, 2012). For several years the United States has sought to have other methods that serve the same purpose as incarceration that are just as effective. These are methods that have been used and tested over the years that will work to the advantage of the government. There are different underlying historical and economic reasons behind the quest for alternatives to incarcerating offenders in jails and prisons. The main historical reason that has led to seeking...
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...Juvenile Sentencing Alternatives to Incarceration David Schuster Oakland Community College Abstract There are many different ways to punish a juvenile for a crime that they have committed. The most common is incarceration, otherwise known as jail or prison. This option has many disadvantages. I will explore the different aspects of incarceration: how it affects the juveniles, and if, over all, it is an effective way to punish young criminals. I will then present several alternatives to incarceration, now being used, such as: community diversion, counseling, education, behavior management, probation, as well as other methods that not only punish the juvenile, but also provide an opportunity for rehabilitation. For this paper, when talking about incarceration and community alternatives as sentencing options, I intend for them to be applied to the not as serious juvenile crimes. Status offenses, minor in possession, breaking and entering, and minor burglary charges would fall into this category. However, I think for more serious, violent crimes there is less discretion as to punishment options, and therefore most community alternatives may not apply to them. Keywords: Incarceration, community alternatives, juvenile delinquents Juvenile Sentencing Alternatives to Incarceration Incarceration for juveniles in this country is largely based upon our criminal justice system for adults. As Jeffery Fagen (2010) states in his article, there are many similarities between...
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...Justice Policy I N S T I T U T E Treatment or Incarceration? Treatment or Incarceration? National and State Findings on the Efficacy and Cost Savings of Drug Treatment Versus Imprisonment by Doug McVay, Vincent Schiraldi, and Jason Ziedenberg January 2004 Justice Policy Institute 4455 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite B-500 Washington, DC 20008 v 202.363.7847 f 202.363.8677 www.justicepolicy.org POLICY REPORT J u s t i c e P o l i c y I n s t i t u t e Table of Contents Introduction: The national and local problem of drug imprisonment 3 Methodology 4 Finding 1: Treatment can be less expensive than a term of imprisonment 5 Finding 2: Treatment can be cost effective 6 Finding 3: Treatment can reduce substance abuse and recidivism while building communities 9 Finding 4: Promising treatment models exist in Maryland and around the country 11 Maryland: Break The Cycle The Correctional Options Program (COP) Drug Courts: Maryland and the National Perspective California’s Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act (SACPA) 11 12 13 14 Conclusion: Drug treatment can be more effective than cycling people in and out of prison 18 Endnotes 20 About the Authors Treatment or Incarceration? was primarily authored by Doug McVay, former research director for Common Sense for Drug Policy, a non-profit dedicated to expanding...
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...Mayeux agrees with Gopnik’s ideas about incarceration, and she hopes that many people will read his argument. Gopnik strongly believes that America’s criminal-justice system is not properly punishing criminals. He reports that criminals with minor offenses should not be so harshly punished, suggesting that the justice system should eliminate mandatory sentences and that a judge should decide the criminals sentence by using common sense. The author also supports his argument by describing how being in prison is like locking oneself into their bathroom and living there for the next ten years, and by pointing out that in prisons, “more than seventy thousand prisoners are raped each year” (Gopnik). Clearly Gopnik is trying to get as much attention on the...
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...Rationales of Incarceration as Punishment and Alternative Methods The Government has several theories to support the use of incarceration as punishment. Which can be divided into two main categories: utilitarian and retributive. The utilitarian theory seeks to discourage “deter” future crimes by punishing the offender. The retributive theory seeks to punish offenders because they deserve to be punished. If one looks future into the reasons we punish criminals, one can find a number of justifications for using punishment. "Most criminal justice scholars agree [though] that there are four primary justifications for criminal punishment; retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation.” (The drug trade, 2004-2005, p. 206) The first rationale is deterrence which is let’s use this person as an example so they and others will not commit a crime. I feel the main reason we use incarceration is to punish the offender and to maintain order in society. Some believe that when you punish an offender it will deter them from a lifetime of future crime as well as others in society. You have to ask yourself does incarceration deter crime. The short answer is both yes and no. Some will learn from their mistakes and not do it again and others will not care. Some believe that deterrence is useful in deterring convicted offenders from committing other crimes and will deter others in society from committing crimes. If a person knows that they will be punished if caught committing...
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...Competing Theories of Corrections Ruth Cushman American Intercontinental University March 11, 2012 Competing Theories of Corrections Correctional theories are series of interrelated propositions or assertions that attempt to describe, explain, predict, and define criminal behavior. There are many different 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...
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...programming today is at a level of effectiveness that exceeds previous expectations. Jurisdictions throughout the United States there are other programs that utilize research-based programs to educate, train and motivate offenders. Gone are the days of haphazard implementation of programs that sounded good, but often just occupied time for the offenders. The past evolution occurred for many reasons (Corrections Today, 2010). One of our biggest wake-up calls was the claim made about 30 years ago that, nothing works in corrections, in terms of rehabilitation. Although this widely publicized statement was removed from its context for some less-than-honorable purposes, it did in fact bring some attention to the conundrum that many prisons were not effective as change agents for offenders, but rather seemed only to serve the purpose of separating problems from society (Corrections Today, 2010). 7,225,800 adults were under correctional supervision (probation, parole, jail, or prison) in 2009 (U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2010). While this singular purpose was acceptable to many citizens, the more visionary leaders, both inside and outside of corrections, understood that the only good thing that could ever result from the perpetuation of criminal behaviors was job security for those of us in the criminal justice field. Early efforts to increase the effectiveness of programs were creative, not always successful. However, the fact that was beginning to gauge success was in and of...
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...Alternatives to Incarceration Community based correction is a program which is supervised to deal with people who have been convicted or are facing conviction. It is a non-incarcerated system of corrections. Late eighties and early nineties have brought a new revolution in the justice system. Parole and probation have always been a way of community correction, but with technological advancement and considering the psychology of convicted people, correction programs have widened to accommodate work releases, day fine programs, electronic monitoring, home confinement, community service, half way houses, boot camp prisons, restitution, check-in programs, mediation, curfews, restorative justice centers, drug checks, alcohol checks and other methods where there is a certain level of trust between the offenders and the people involved. The objective of this essay is to compare and contrast characteristics and goals of halfway houses, day reporting centers, and drug courts. Their similarities and difference in regards to incarceration will also be discussed. Halfway houses, also called “community correction centers” or “residential reentry centers” are used mostly as an intermediate housing option to help a person return from prison to the community after he has served a prison sentence (Bayens & Smykla, 2013). Sometimes, though, halfway houses can be used instead of prison or jail, usually when a person’s sentence is very short. For example, halfway houses may be a good choice...
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...tried the reduction of testosterone but that did not work out for him. I believe that castration should not be ruled as sentencing for sex offenders because for female offenders the sentencing of castration would not work. Another is most sex offenders are still sexually violent predators. Also not many states would like the idea of castration being a sentencing. Female offenders would not be affected as much as male offenders with castration and state/federal law should not discriminate sex. The law should be affecting both sexes so that both sexes would receive the same punishment. Incarceration is, in my belief, the best punishment for sex offenders right now. Incarceration is both fair to female offenders and male offenders. In the case of David Wayne Jones, Mr. Jones was ruled to still be a sexually violent predator. Therefore, this sentencing would not be as effective as incarceration. Mr. Jones voluntarily castrated himself but the question of “Did he do it for a lesser sentence?” pops into the picture. In my belief, it should not be consider as a result of a “plea barging” because many sex offenders would take that easy way out. Not many states would agree that castration should become a punishment or sentencing. Like the death penalty, not many states have that punishment while others do have it. A lot of people would have opinions about castration and this will raise problems in the United States. In conclusion, castration would not work out in any State but...
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...that homicide in return for homicide is barbaric as it resembles eye for an eye and tooth for tooth justice of medieval times and uncivilized. France and Germany have completely done away with death penalty and reported lesser crime rates. Many studys' conducted in US and some other countries where death penalty is still in force have proved that, it doesn';t have a deterrent effect on crime rate and more than death penalty, it's rigorous imprisonment for life that has more deterrent effect than death penalty. Incarceration for life proved to be more effective in preventing repetition of the same or other crimes by the same convicts than that of death penalty. In countries, where death penalty has been abolished less crime rates have been reported. Apart from incarceration for life, solitary confinement and shaming the person through social boycott etc are other options. For crimes of rape and acid attacks also, incarceration for life and the above two suggested alternatives could be considered as viable alternatives to death penalty in addition to confiscating the entire property of the criminal and paying it as compensation to their victims. Educating the guilty regarding the barbaric and heinous nature of their crimes and making them feel ashamed for their crimes and their crimes' lethal and traumatic impact on the minds, limbs and lives of their victims through reformist approach and making them truly...
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...Americans must call for reform in the immoral and impractical practices of the meatpacking industry. Additionally, Sinclair elaborates on the audience's deduction further into the text when he states,"The Meat would be shoveled into carts, and the man who did the shoveling would not trouble to lift out a rat even when he saw one--there were things that when into the sausage in comparison in which a poisoned rat was a tidbit." In essence, Sinclair further exposes the unsanitary methods of the meatpacking industry and also indicates that there are much worse hazards that enter average meat than dead poisoned rats. Later on in contemporary-society, Barack Obama presents alternatives and possible solutions to America's massive incarceration through secondarily-effective ethos by establishing intelligence and expertise on the matter at hand. For instance, Obama clarifies his thesis to his audience when he states, "Now I want to spend the rest of my time just laying out some basic principles, some simple ideas for what reform should...
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...discretion and leeway in this system and can give the offenders instant or gradual sanctions if the offenders fail to meet the standards of the program given. To help keep the offenders compliant the courts can offer fewer drug tests, fewer court dates, and even the possibility of reduced or completely dismissed sentences if they programs are fully completed. Drug courts are proven to keep offenders from repeating their offences and the overall reduction in recidivism rates on these charges. There is research being done today that shows this treatment method could reduce drug related crimes even though it doesn’t show to reduce the demand for drugs in the country. These programs however when combined with treatment, can be a way to stop incarceration rates for low level, and non-violent repeaters from swelling up the jail population to its current all-time highs. The US congress passed a grant program in support of the growing drug court system, these grants are...
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...services including good schools, community hospitals and health clinics, or workforce development programs allows a community to have lower crime rates because the community functions through methods of prosperity. Programs such as criminal justice interventions including police initiatives, probation, parole, or prison are set in place to prevent future crimes from taking place. Over the past four decades, the United States has become increasingly reliant on incarceration as the major “tool” for reducing crime and increasing public safety. As a result of this action, the prison population has skyrocketed, rising a staggering 500% with the...
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...Introduction The prison system in America has been a constant issue of mass-incarceration, a lack of rehabilitation, and a rate of reentry that far exceeds that of any other nation, yet this problem’s escalation has done little to bring it to the platform of reformation. The prison system has cost American taxpayers billions of dollars, and a majority of these citizens are completely unaware of the needlessness of the costs with which they are burdened. With 2.2 million people incarcerated in the U.S., Americans cannot afford to continue to turn a blind eye to the economic issues presented by the current prison system (Council of Economic Advisors 3). Due to prison growth, an increasing incarceration rate, and a lack of rehabilitation and...
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