...AND SEKONDI PRISONS. REV. FR. DUAH 2014 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background of the Study Since ancient times till now, no clan or society has existed without crimes and offenses of some kind for which society inflicts punishments (Dobb, 1994). In pre-colonial Ghana, different traditional societies had their own various ways of meting out punishments, deterring and rehabilitating offenders and deviants. In these societies, the socialization of the people and sanctions meted out to offenders were both in accordance to the customs, values, belief systems and traditions of the people. Power and authority rested on the chiefs and traditional rulers as well as heads of clans and families to punish culprits of various offenses and offer rehabilitation services. According to The Library of Congress Country Studies (1994) there was no prison system in the traditional Ghanaian society in the colonial era and advent of western education and culture in Ghana. The Ghana Police Service was established and mandated to provide the security needs of the citizens by protecting lives and properties. The judiciary or law courts of Ghana were also given the mandate to provide fair trial and justice to offenders arranged before them and those found guilty were given various punishments ranging from fines to custodian sentences in jail to serve as a deterrent to others. In the mid-nineteenth century, the British council of merchants established a network of harsh prisons in forts such as Cape Coast...
Words: 1595 - Pages: 7
...Abstract This paper is written in response to an assignment set by Ashworth College. The student is asked write a paper on the budgetary pressures and cuts faced by all levels of government, and explain how to justify to the tax-paying public an increase in expenditures on prison treatment and rehabilitation programs. To respond to this assignment, the student undertook desk research, wrote and submitted this paper. Keywords: prison treatment, rehabilitation programs, cost, expense, investment Introduction: The context for extra spending Many sections of the United States government over the past several years have experienced severe budget cuts due the Great Recession. Some education departments have experienced double digit percentage cuts, leading to layoffs among both faculty and administrative personnel. Hospitals, public transportation, and many other government departments have experienced layoffs, working hour reductions, cuts in pay, and cuts in resourcing. With these cost-reduction measures imposed in many government departments, it would be difficult to persuade the tax-paying public that anything currently deserves an increase in spending. If most parts of society must cut back on budgets and services, why should the public tolerate extra spending to help those who have actively broken the law? Many would argue that preference should be given to extra spending for law-abiding citizens. This paper explores how to justify to the tax-paying public...
Words: 1484 - Pages: 6
...during prison time as well as after inmates have been released from prisons. Due to that Canadian corrections have slowly taken more time into their programs and treatments to help the inmates rehabilitate themselves and be able to get back into society in a better state than what they had arrived in. Overtime there have been many facilities available in order to help inmates with certain behavior issues and severe issues. In this paper I will be covering the different types of inmates and how each of them is treated with different programs. Incarceration rate has slowly been going down and there have been more treatment programs to help the offenders rather than just punishing them. Once again, in this paper, I will thoroughly explain how this is done with different types of offenders including; Women in gangs, impaired offenders, offenders who have been diagnosed with HCV (hepatitis C or AIDS), and sexual offenders. Not everyone will be getting treatments or put into programs in prison. Majority of the people are the ones who have a higher risk of danger when being put back into society; however, to prevent this, programs have been available in Canadian prisons. As you read on in this paper you will find out the different programs and how they treat the different offenders in prisons. Main purpose of this paper is to show and establish the different kinds of programs that Canadian prisons have available and what they do in order to help the inmates get in a better state. This is...
Words: 2968 - Pages: 12
...The paper of punishment versus rehabilitation 504 9/7/2015 William Miller The paper of punishment versus rehabilitation With the judicial system, of the United States several tactic methods of punishments use punishment with retribution, rehabilitation, public safety continues with prevention and fiscal. With the United States criminal justice, the system feels that punishment is better for retribution methods. In the current society, the criminal justice uses four methods; of punishment, it will stop the crime from happening. Certain individuals, within the community, think that these punishments are harsh on people although each punishment obtains their distinctiveness. The punishment also rehabilitation its efficiency Many individuals feel that rehabilitation has taken a back seat, to take charge of criminal activity at this current time. The process obtains punishment, will be a prison sentence as a general role. It is a certain way begins overpopulation within the prison, will have a specific impact on the rates criminal activity. Because of the specific way in the United States, the inmate’s population has an increase in amount two million individual in the corrections system. Within the 25 years earlier creates a large sum of research literature, which said the general cause to criminal conduct the certain discovery of the research thinks. That people concept to stop criminal activity will have to obtain the...
Words: 1823 - Pages: 8
...Discussion………………………………………………………………...10 8. Bibliography………………………………………………………………16 9. Appendix………………………………………………………………....17 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In summary, the cost of housing an incarcerated inmate does affect the budget of the United States. Whether, the inmate is sentenced to life imprisonment or the death penalty. The facts in this research paper leans heavily in favor of life imprisonment as a cheaper form of punishment verses an inmate being sentenced to death row. The judicial system and politicians have formed several alternatives to assist our country with the ability to lower the cost of housing an inmate in our prison system. For example, the United States detaining systems are concentrating more on issuing a fair sentence to nonviolent offenders, such as, substance abusers and prostitutes. They realize that the majority of the inmates are in need of drug rehabilitation and have a mental illness. Also, the research shows that women offenders are the most affected with drug addiction and substance abuse. They also have the greater risk of recidivism and mental illness, due to, the drug addiction and substance abuse. The judicial system formed an alternative called “sex courts” to address the situation with female prostitutes. The alternative addressed the need of therapeutic rehabilitation (drug treatment and mental health counseling), instead of, incarcerating the...
Words: 3383 - Pages: 14
...Cindy Vargas GS 1140 Unit 2 Research Paper 1 The issue that I want to bring to the table is that our prisons in the United States are filling quickly with repeat offenders. If there was a way to rehabilitate the prisoners why not take it? It would appear from the research that I’ve done that our prison system is geared more towards punishment than rehabilitation. Throughout this paper I will discuss the program I think we need to help reduce the overcrowding of prisons and the return of previous criminals. The Department of Justice data shows that around 730 in every 100, 000 people are incarcerated in the U.S. We currently have 2.2 million people behind bars equal to the size of Houston, Tx. (Natasha Lennard, 2012). My proposition is to adopt the Israeli rehabilitation program into our justice system. Israel is a small country of a population at about 8 million people. This small country has 32 prisons and only estimated 18, 000 people incarcerated. Their recidivism of repeat offender rates are amongst the lowest in the word (Matt Lebovic, 2012). At Hermon prison in Galilee still has the same security measures that you expect from a prison. The way that they treat the inmates and the way the inmates interact with each other is what makes this program so special. The inmates aren’t called inmates they are called “residents”, they walk around the prison as if were a college campus. The unrestricted access to each other is what helps them integrate back into society. They...
Words: 750 - Pages: 3
...Joycene Harrell CRM-430 Term Paper Week 5 Draft Summary for Prison Rehabilitation and Counseling Programs I chose to focus this term paper on the various programs offered to prisoners as part of their rehabilitation for introduction back into society. In today’s world there are many who believe that every one can be rehabilitated. The question should be asked; “does rehabilitation really work for everyone?” I will provide statistics on the success and failure rate, as well as which programs are most beneficial to prisoners. Whether rehabilitation and counseling works or not, something has to be done to assist prisoners in order for them to lead a normal life upon their release. I will discuss some of the many programs offered by various states ranging from “Pets in Prison” to obtaining college degrees. I will explain the various types of counseling offered to sex offenders, pedophiles and murderers. Those are a few topics I feel should have special interest in the counseling/rehabilitation area. I am sure most would agree that prisoners should receive some type of counseling and rehabilitation, but where do you draw the line on the rehabilitation services offered? Should the money from taxpayers be used to fund certain types of programs, how does the prison system decide who gets to participate in which programs, and how can counselors and judicial boards ensure there will be no regression? Those are just a couple of questions that will be answered...
Words: 3656 - Pages: 15
...Rehabilitation Paper Zahra Howard CJA 234 Professor King June 14, 2014 Rehabilitation Paper Each day in the United States, the correctional system supervises over six million of its residents. Approximately two million people are in prison or jail, while four million are on probation or parole. With so many people under its control, a central policy issue is what the correctional system hopes to accomplish with those it places behind bars or on community supervision. A simple response might be that the purpose of these correctional sanctions is to punish the criminally wayward. Since the inception of the American penitentiary in the 1820s, however, corrections has embraced as an important goal the transformation of law breakers into the law-abiding that is, rehabilitation or treatment. At times, the goal of reforming offenders has been dominant; at other times, its legitimacy and usefulness have been challenged and its influence on correctional policy diminished. But even today, after a period in the late 1900s of prolonged advocacy of getting tough with criminals, rehabilitation remains an integral part of the correctional enterprise and continues to earn support among the public in the United States. To begin, probation refers to adult offenders whom courts place on supervision in the community through a probation agency, generally in lieu of incarceration. However, some jurisdictions do sentence probationers to a combined short-term incarceration sentence immediately...
Words: 1177 - Pages: 5
...Prison Assignment This assignment is a research and reflection paper on some aspect of the prison system. You have some choice of what focus you would like to take. You can do one of the following options: 1. If you enjoy history you can research a historical prison. 2. You can compare the prison system in Canada with the United States, or another country. 3. Lastly you can create your own perfect prison system. With this option you would consider such things as: * how big would the cells be and what would be included in them? * what activities would the inmates be allowed to do? * what rehabilitation programs would your prison have? * would you use solitary confinement and if so under what circumstances and for how long? * what would be the key purpose of putting people in prison and for what crimes would you use prison? This paper should be approximately 2 pages double spaced and organized with an introduction, conclusion and several body paragraphs. Be sure to cite your sources using the MLA (EasyBib can be used for websites). The paper will be evaluated based on the following criteria: Content – a thorough analysis of your topic with sources referenced /20 Communication – clearly written with proper grammar and spelling /10 Total /30 Some issues you may consider including: 1. The Ashley Smith case or how to deal with mentally ill inmates who are suicidal? 2. The use of prison...
Words: 272 - Pages: 2
... untrustworthiness, and fear of liability for negligent hiring, among other things. Employers use of criminal history background checks over the past decades and they are less willing to hire ex-offenders that any other advantaged group. Their willingness to hire ex-prisoners varies according to the industry and position, the type and severity of offense committed by applicant and work experience since release. Employers are not always consistent in what they say versus what they do when it comes to hiring former offenders and prisoners Jail is a synonym for prison, especially when the facility is of a similar size as a prison. As with prisons, some jails have different wings for certain types of offenders, and have wok programs for inmates who demonstrate good behavior. Prison policy was driven for much of that 20th century by a hope that the staff in the environment would rehabilitate prisoners and fit them for a more productive life on release. It the 1970’s a series of studies showed that this aim was not being achieved,...
Words: 10043 - Pages: 41
...seclusion from family and friends, and the insecurity of what life holds after prison contribute to the inmate’s mental health. Inmates whose judgment is altered or impaired by depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other severe mental illnesses are impacted more severely by the tribulations of prison life. Inadequate mental health services is also something mentally ill inmates face, this absconds them undertreated or mistreated. Numerous prisoners do not receive proper psychotropic medication due to the lack of mental health services and care, further impairing their capability to function. The security mission of prisons tends to overlook mental health considerations. Prison rules and codes of demeanor teach staff about security, safety, supremacy, and power. Coordinating the needs of the mentally ill with prison regulations and goals is almost impractical. Factors of the sources and effects of the concern between prison and mental illness will be observed in this research proposal. Reforms will be provided to improve mental health requirements and defend the rights of the increasing population of mentally ill prisoners. An indication of the causes for the increase of mentally ill individuals in U.S. prisons as well as the tension between prison operations and inmates with mental illness will also be presented. The intention of this research is to take a Looking at the characteristics that address the pros and cons of...
Words: 4562 - Pages: 19
...imprisonment on individual and state levels, describing the impact of the United States prison system psychologically on prisoners. Other articles I have found on the internet have cited this article frequently, many who seek to reform the prison system have used this article against the consequences of the prison system, especially on youth. * Matsuda, Kristy. “Impact of Incarceration on Young Offenders”, https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/227403.pdf, U.S Department of Justice, 27 April 2009, Web. 24 November 2014. Matsuda discusses the impact of incarceration on youth, basically what my article is about, in a research paper for The U.S department of Justice. The paper utilizes Californian inmates, age 16-25 males, released between 1998 and 99, based on information obtained from the California department of corrections. * Fagan, Jeffery; Kupchik, Aaron. “Juvenile Incarceration and the Pains of Imprisonment.” http://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1017&context=dflsc, 29 March 2011, Web. 24 November 2014 This article compares the mindset, psychology, and incarceration...
Words: 1063 - Pages: 5
...Criminal justice programs around the world face various challenges especially in rehabilitating the behavior of inmates within correctional facilities. The purpose of this research paper will be to assess the various issues that exist in rehabilitative programs within prison systems. Basically, rehabilitation programs are used to correct and rehabilitate criminal offenders so that they can emerge as useful members of society once they complete their prison sentences. Some of the rehabilitation programs that are commonly used to reform inmates include counseling, health and fitness programs, transcendental meditation, academic programs and religious programs. These rehabilitative programs are usually based on the assumption that criminal behavior in most suspects is caused by some contributing factor such as a history of violence, psychological or mental disorders. Such an assumption does not refute that some criminals make their own personal choices to break the law but rather it argues that these personal choices are usually caused by certain factors which contribute to criminal behavior. Rehabilitation programs are therefore based on such perspectives where the various correctional programs are designed to deal with criminal enforcing behavior. For example counseling programs could focus on the behavior that led to the criminal offender committing the offense while educational programs could focus on how to change negative behavior to positive behavior. Correctional programs...
Words: 2134 - Pages: 9
...Sentencing Paper Sentencing is really important in the criminal justice system. There are many reasons for sentencing in the United States. Sentencing is the result of punishment from the court. The major reasons for punishment is retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, compensation, and reform. The type of punishment for crimes has been debated by different leaders and law makers for centuries. The punishment for reform is intended to help the offender and society to change the wrongdoer a chance to contribute to society. The punishment for deterrence is intended to benefit society by preventing offenders that would-be from committing a crime. Punishment to extract compensation is intended to benefit the victim of the offender. Finally, retribution is the only object for punishment that is primarily intended to harm the offender. Individuals are sentenced to prison because they broke the rules and would have to serve their time. There are different sentencing guidelines for state and federal prisons. When a person has either pleaded guilty or has been found guilty of a crime, a judge has to decide a sentence that the offender must receive. Sentencing is imposing a criminal sanction by a judicial authority. Each year there are thousands of criminals that appear before a judge or judges to be sentenced for their crimes committed. Sentencing descriptions are primarily for felony offenses, or those that are punishable by less than one year of...
Words: 1115 - Pages: 5
...SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COURSE: BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEM (B.I.S) PROJECT PROPOSAL PROJECT TITLE: INTEGRATED NIGERIA PRISONERS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DATE: 29/01/2013 PASSPORT NUMBER: SUPERVISOR NAME: SUPERVISOR SIGNATURE …………………………………………. PROJECT TITLE Integrated Nigeria Prisoners Management Systems INTRODUCTION Prisoner identification is an integral part of any prison system, but with so many prisoners lodged in the Nigeria Prisons, the authorities found it increasingly difficult to keep tab on the prisoners, so necessary for an efficient jail system. The primary goal of prison management is to incapacitate inmates while providing rehabilitation and programs; however the goal of maintaining control within the prison system takes precedence over rehabilitation and treatment (Craig 2004, 92S). The activities of the Nigeria Prison’s services in terms of records keeping has for a long time been a huge problem to the service as there are no proper facilities in place to ensure that they are able to store and retrieve information on prisoners very quickly. Prison system models provide conceptual clarity regarding the complex workings of the prison system as well as the strains on and dilemmas of each system (Steele and Jacobs 1975). Record keeping are still done using big old files which have to be shelved once that file is full and then replaced with another and so when the need comes to get information on prisoner’s, they...
Words: 1042 - Pages: 5
