Premium Essay

Prison Environment

In:

Submitted By thumper88
Words 1001
Pages 5
The Punishment Philosophy
Clay Stake
CJS/220
January 15, 2012
Tony Sanders

The Punishment Philosophy

After the conviction process has ended, the sentencing phase has five punishment philosophies the courts can impose. Deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, retribution, and restoration are all punishment philosophies that have the same goal to prevent crime. Judges impose sentences that fit the crime, but must be reasonable to the public and not violate the United States Constitution. Judges may also decide to impose sanctions like fines, probation, home confinement, or even the death penalty. Sentencing and sanctions can be used to rehabilitate criminals, deter crime, or even plea bargains. No matter what the philosophy or the sanction of the sentence, the result is that past behavior can be used to predict future behavior.

The five punishment philosophies start with deterrence. Deterrence is a known penalty for crimes committed. For example, the three strikes law was imposed to deter criminals from committing crimes or face extended incarceration. Deterrence was designed to have certainty of a punishment, celerity or swiftness of that punishment, and the severity of the punishment. This philosophy is assuming that all people will consider the consequences of his or her actions before they act. This also means that people will learn from the punishment of the innocent.

Incapacitation is the removal of criminals from society. Prisons are the most common form of incapacitation because it confines criminals away from society. If criminals are incarcerated, they can not commit crime. Incarceration is designed to keep criminals off the streets, makes criminals pay for crimes, and deters criminals from committing more crime when released. This is not a full proof process, and there are some drawbacks. Although removing criminals from society is

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Prison Environment

...Prison Environment Dana Garlington CJS/230 June 29, 2012 Douglas Brinkley Prison Environment A prison environment is a place where inmates are physically confined and deprived of a range of personal freedoms (Foster, 2006). The prison environment influences the institutional management and custody by the growing population and the gangs within the facility. Overcrowding aggravates the natural conflicts that rely within the prisons walls which then escalate violence. When working with criminals on an ongoing basis it may cause corruption to occur with inmates within the institution, allowing drugs and weapons into the facility can degrade performance. The internal environment of a prisons primary influence towards management and custody include the following: the inmate social culture, the prisons physical environment, and prison staff culture. The external environment interacts with the internal environment that influences management and custody by the following: the civil service department, which makes the rules for employees, employee organizations, and unions, which represent their member's interests, rehabilitation advocates, such as those sponsoring particular behavioral science, educational, or religious interventions inside the prison. Prison environment changes can be in the rational and economic view, in which material rewards controls are provided in the direction people are in need of it. Some secure custody methods include counting inmates to know their...

Words: 330 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Prison Environment

...Prison Environment Prison Environment The prison environment is confined, cramped, and really dangerous. There are certain codes that the majority of the prisoners go by in prison. You have prison codes, or rules, and inmate codes, rules that they must go by. If an inmate breaks the prison rules then the person who broke the rules will be properly reprimanded. If an inmate breaks the codes set up by other inmates then they can be subject to retaliation from other inmates, which can consist of getting beat up, seriously injured, or killed. You have absolutely no privacy in prison and most people have to share their cells with one or more other inmates, due to overcrowding in the prison system. The prisoner’s toilet and beds are within inches or feet of each other and they all have to take showers together. A prisoner has only certain places they can be when incarcerated, which are their cell, the yard, lunch room, shower, and common housing area. (Foster, 2006). Many different cliques are in the environment based on race or gang association. These groups can influence the management and custody in a variety of ways. The management and the daily interaction with the other prisoners must be handled with respect and sensitivity to the race factor. They have come up with stragies to combat prison gangs, which are isolation of gang leaders, segregation, labeling members for intelligence purposes, deprogramming, and the placement of these members in high-security prisons...

Words: 526 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Prison Environment

...Prison environment is most likely bleak and dreary. I wouldn’t know as I’ve never been to prison or jail, however, I would imagine from what I’ve been reading that it is not the most positive environment. A prison will have a warden, who is the person in charge of the organization of the prison and well being of everyone working or living there (Foster, 2006). There are also prison guards who run the facility in its day to day functions. The prison environment influences institutional management by helping them to decide how to handle certain circumstances within the facility. If the facility is doing well, then the institutional management can handle other things that need to be done besides helping the inmates solve negative problems or conflicts that arise daily. However, if there are a lot of conflicts and other issues arising in the prison, then the management must come up with ways to make the environment a more positive place and figure out why certain inmates are having problems. Prisons have a lot of problems because the inmates quite obviously do not want to be there. It is also difficult for inmates because they do not get to choose who they are roommates with, nor are they in control of anything. Depending on the level of security inmates cannot go to the bathroom, read, eat, or exercise without the permission or say so of the prison guards. So from this the environment and morale can be quiet low. With there being so many different types of inmates in a prison it...

Words: 485 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Prison Environment

...Instructor Date Prison Environment A prison environment is a place where inmates are physically confined and deprived of a range of personal freedoms. It is a cold and unfeeling place to be. There are many levels of conflict and tension (Foster, 2006). The prison environment influences the institutional management and custody by the growing population and the gangs within the facility. Overcrowding aggravates the natural conflicts that rely within the prisons walls which then escalate violence. When working with criminals on an ongoing basis it may cause corruption to occur with some of the inmates within the institution that ends up allowing drugs and weapons into the facility degrading its performance. The internal environment of a prisons primary influence towards management and custody include the following: the inmate social culture, the prisons physical environment, and prison staff culture. Then the external environment interacts with the internal environment that also influences management and custody by the following: the civil service department, which makes the rules for employees, employee organizations, and unions, which represent their member's interests, rehabilitation advocates, such as those sponsoring particular behavioral science, educational, or religious interventions inside the prison. Prison environment changes can be in...

Words: 384 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Prison Environment

...citations and references since WritePoint capability in this area is limited. Thank you for using WritePoint. Prison Environment A prison environment is a place where inmates are confined away from society. There are rules in prison that inmates must obey. Inmates are in a cell that has a sink and toilets about feet from were they sleep so in prison there is no privacy. The prison environment influences the institutional management and custody by the growing population and the gangs within the prisons walls which then escalate violence. Prison environment changes can be in the rational and economic view, in which material rewards controls are provided in the direction people are in need of it. The need of the environment needs to be addressed in prison. To maintain custody the procedures and management must protect the integrity and safety of the prison and inmates. Therefore the environment can be improve by given the inmates something to work towards [The preferred spelling is "toward"] like a hobby, education, or a work release program. Some secure custody methods include counting inmates to know were they are, having double gates to control the traffic into prison, the control of illegal imports, searches of inmates from...

Words: 371 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Hiv Positive Women in the Prison Environment

...to prison. Women commit crime and are incarcerated under different circumstances and reasons than men. Their criminal behavior can be attributed to drug abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse and poverty. Women who are admitted into prison facilities are disadvantaged from the very beginning; prisons are calculated and planned for our male counterparts because in history men have made up the proportion of our high prison populace. It is hard to meet the needs of women prisoners when the facilities are not custom-made for them. Prisons for women should be geared with programming to help these women deal with obstacles they are facing in their daily lives. But because there are fewer women in prison, the health services that are given to them are typically nominal as compared to males. One of the biggest problems for women in prison is that they are disproportionately affected by human immunodeficiency virus commonly known as HIV. There is a tangible need to address the problem with HIV positive incarcerated women. (Reyes, 2001) Female prisoners make up about five percent of our overall prison population but as time has passed their numbers have increased at a rapid pace. In countries where substance abuse is high and drug laws have become harsher, we can see a correlation between women and imprisonment. About one in a half million will be incarcerated each year worldwide. Our prison system is already overburdened; we are admitting women to overcrowded and understaffed prisons where...

Words: 2647 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Life in Prison

...Life in Prison Cody Cotten CJA/383 December 21, 2010 Chet Madison Jr. Life in Prison When an individual is introduced to the prison life, after violating rules and laws, he or she must come to terms about the journey he or she are about to take behind bars in prison. No one can save them, or do their time for them, and a majority of their freedom has been stripped from them either temporarily or permanently. Prison life deals with all walks of life and is not discriminative toward any race. In this paper I will discuss my perspective on prison life, policies I would enforce an inmate’s need for respect, changes on correctional policy, and why people commit crimes.   I have learned many things about prison life. I have in fact changed my perception of what I thought prison life was like. Prison is in fact a fight for survival where the stronger inmates will abuse the weaker inmates. Not only survival from inmates, but from a few corrupted correctional officials as well. When entering prison, one must be perceived as a tough individual to avoid being abused or bullied by other inmates. In addition to other inmates, there are some correctional officers that bully and abuse certain inmates for many reasons. This also gives reason for inmates to hold a sturdy ground while incarcerated. S.D. (2003), currently, prison administrator’s house inmates together based on their desire for violence, misconduct, and escape. The idea behind this is that grouping dangerous...

Words: 1847 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Prison Structure: Musicambia

...The prison structure described in the article is very similar to high school. They are both intimidating and make people feel uncomfortable. In both situations it is also very easy to get into the wrong crowd and lose focus. However, some people are able to find outlets and safeguard their future. One very important and popular outlet for people is music. Music programs like the one discussed in the article, Musicambia, can change lives and improve a person’s future. Music programs and opportunities offer a safe place to be creative and escape the intimidating environment. Prison structure and high school are very similar. Neither of the two have the most welcoming environments. They are both very intimidating and people may not feel comfortable...

Words: 434 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Women In Correctional Facilities Essay

...living in a five-star palace. Since prisons are blocked off from the public with high security and complete isolation, the gruesome conditions are left solely for the inmates to face, particularly women. Unsanitary, unbearable circumstances in women’s correctional facilities today remain something that unfortunately the public is unaware of. Whether for something minor, such as disorderly behavior, or major, such as manslaughter, the females are all under the same roof. Sexually transmitted diseases, rodents, overcrowded cells, and sewage overflows make women’s correctional facilities anything but lady-like...

Words: 1676 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Sdfasdf

...utilitarian thinking, society recognized three additional goals: deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. The relative importance of these goals became tied to conservative, liberal, or radical ideology. In assuming management of a prison, wardens are responsible for perimeter security and maintaining an orderly, secure internal environment. Wardens often regard themselves as administrators, rather than leaders. As wardens become more educated, the formal structure of modern prisons is likely to resemble a large, private organization with an established hierarchy and defined responsibilities. When governments confine people, they assume certain responsibilities toward them, including provision of constitutional living conditions, thus avoiding law suits and court interventions. Other management issues, such as classification, custody, and control, are also a high priority for modern prisons. During the last several decades, there has been a move toward professionalization in—moving from custody to control to care. Achieving scientific, uniform, and successful administration of public punishment through professional development is the goal of the American Correctional Association. In this professionalization effort, issues such prison health care, privatization, and diversity of incarcerated populations are the frequent focus of correctional studies. This Week in Relation to the Course This week, you focus on the functions, policies, and procedures of corrections...

Words: 860 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Introduction in Criminal Justice

...How would you define prison environment? Prison environment is cramped and confined and a dangerous environment. There are many inmate customs, etiquette or rules to abide by, or a convicted individual may be subjected to physical harm or death. The most obvious characteristic of the prison environment is the absence of privacy. The absence of privacy is a deliberate punishment, lavatories are within the individual cells are within three feet of the individual’s cellmate. It is difficult if not impossible for an inmate to be completely alone during incarceration, there are only three places an inmate can be at any time, his or her cell, the common housing area, or on the yard (Foster, 2006). How does prison environment influence institutional management and custody? There are many cliques in the prison environment generally separated by race or gang affiliation. These cliques influence the institutional management and custody in a variety of ways. General management and daily interaction of inmates must be respectful and sensitive to the race factor. Strategies were developed to combat prison gangs, these strategies include; segregation, isolation of gang leaders, jacketing or labeling and categorizing gang members for intelligence purposes, deprogramming, and placement of gang members in high-security prisons. Special corrections officer response teams were formed to manage inmates. These teams are known as Special Operations Response Team or SORT teams (Foster, 2006)...

Words: 608 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Jail and Prison Paper

...Jail and Prison Paper John Quackenbush CJA/204 March 11, 2013 Steve Nance Jail and Prison Paper In order to keep the public’s streets safe all offenders must be sentenced and sent to prison, jail, or some rehabilitation program where the offender can better him or herself. However, it must depend on what kind of crime the offender committed. If the offender was selling drugs, he or she is sentenced to a federal prison, but if he or she where to be receiving threats because he or she witnessed a drug deal while dealing he or she is sent to jail for protection. Jail and prison have always had bad reputations of violence occurring inside the facility. Therefore, those who are let out early on good behavior are ecstatic to be out of such chaotic environment. Upon being released the individual will be placed on either probation or parole. Both probation and parole have law enforcement professionals who will supervise the newly reintegrated individual while he or she is trying to get his or life back on track. Parole and probation officers often encourage the individual to enroll into school or start a new career. There are three security levels of prisons and there are two types of prisons. The two types of prisons are Federal and State prisons. Federal prisons hold individuals who commit federal crimes such as smuggling drugs. State prisons hold individuals that are convicted of crimes of the State. The three levels of security of prisons are minimum, medium, and maximum...

Words: 1001 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Mental Health In Prison

...punishment in prison. For example, solitary confinement, as previously discussed, results in adverse psychological effects. Locking a mentally ill prisoner in a dark room for twenty hours a day will worsen their sanity and increase risks of suicide and recidivism if or when released. This is completely unnecessary and harmful when what many prisoners need is mental health treatment. When they do not receive it, their condition will worsen. When put in an inhumane environment, their mental health will deteriorate. It would be a more effective method of management to implement psychotherapy or behaviour modification as a form of treatment for these offenders to target the root cause of their crime, which will minimize the likelihood of them reoffending. This has been studied and discovered to be true, as Vanderbilt...

Words: 1474 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Criminology

...Johnson Correctional Officers' Experiences Summary Hello, we are Team D. Team D is a group of four members Jimmy Bolden, Deshonda Council, Michael Mosley, and Mahasolin Robinson. We see that this class have four questions to ask Team D. Deshonda Council will answer question 1 (How does the prison environment influence the way you ensure security and custody in your prison?). Michael Mosley will answer question 2 (What methods of secure custody do you use in your prison?). Mahasolin Robinson will answer question 3 (How do you ensure professionalism among the corrections staff?). Jimmy Bolden will answer question 4 (Do you work for a private or non-private prison? How do your daily work experiences differ from those of others according to the type of prison you work for?). 1. How does the prison environment influence the way you ensure security and custody in your prison? To ensure security and custody within our prison system, we as correctional officers handle maintaining and upholding the custody plus the safety of each inmate and the correctional officer that is in our prison system. As correctional officers, we are there to protect the integrity and safety of the prison system. In our correctional facility, the prisoner are classify according to their security needs such as, escape risk, prior records, and those who may have already spent time in and out of the penal system. Within our system, we have to watch constantly each inmate personal and body language...

Words: 1233 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Prisons

...Jail and Prisons Archie Parks CJA/204 November 27, 2011 Ross Thompson Jail and Prisons Introduction Prisons and Jails play an intricate part in the criminal justice corrections system. They are responsible for housing and rehabilitating some of the United States most dangerous criminals. This paper will explain the different types of prisons explain prison concepts and discuss why jails are important in the criminal justice system. In addition, prison strategies for dealing with violent behavior and the role parole plays in the strategic handling of inmates. Types of prisons There are four types of prisons within the United States Criminal Justice system. Each of the four types are stated below: 1. Local Prison: Local prisons within the United States criminal justice system are commonly referred to as Jails. Jails are used by cities to detain persons who have been accused of committing a crime while awaiting trial when bail has not been granted or cannot be paid. County Jails can detain prisoners for up to 18 months. 2. State Prisons: State Prisons are prisons who maintained by the state and used to house criminals who have been convicted of violating state statutes. State prisons are maintained and managed utilizing funds from the state budget. 3. Federal Prisons: Federal Prisons are used to house criminals who have been convicted of violating federal laws. Federal prisons are maintained by the Federal Government and are maintained and managed using...

Words: 1271 - Pages: 6