...UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COUNSELLING SERVICES IN GHANAIAN PRISONS: A STUDY OF ANKAFUL 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...
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...disparate number of minorities in prison populations is a concern for many who believe this disproportion is due to a systematic bias in the judicial system. While many factors may contribute to this overwhelming discrepancy, I contend that the disparate number of minority populations in prison is an accurate portrayal of how crime is committed in the United States. In order to understand the cause of this disparity, I will delve into the arrest rates and sentencing statistics that attempt to show why minorities are incarcerated at a higher rate, and why they're incarcerated for longer periods of time, than their white counterpart. These two focal points, arrest rates and sentencing statistics, I believe, are the best for gathering data, considering it is where the justice system both begins and ends. Though many may think that there is a racial bias concerning the disparate number of minorities in prison working against minorities, an article entitled, “Are Blacks and Hispanics Disproportionately Incarcerated Relative to Their Arrests?” provides impressive data to oppose this claim. This article boasts being one of the first studies to include the Hispanic ethnicity in their data, which other studies omitted from, or never incorporated into, their findings, making this study much more reliable in terms of determining the cause of the referenced disparity, and more accurate in comparing the races involved. The disparity in prison populations, according to this article, reflects...
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...Conflict Diagnosis Paper CJHS/430 Conflict Diagnosis Paper Deaths in the prisons are on the rise in the recent years and the major cause of these deaths are mostly suicide and I this review I will focus mostly on diagnosis on suicide related deaths in the United States. The research in the past has also been criticized for focusing mostly on the static variables like the demographics. In the United States, suicide is more common in prisons compared with the general populations as a whole. Each year it is approximated that the number of prison suicide is 200, and it is the third leading cause of death in prison behind aids and natural cause. Many suicides are seen as accidental deaths. Some workers fear reporting suicide-related incidents for fear of cases being brought against them. Somebody dying in the hospital after attempting suicide may not be reported as deadly occurred at the prison. The homicide rate in local jails nationwide hovered around 3 inmates per 100,000 between 2000 and 2010, according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Violent, troubled individuals are concentrated in prisons and jails. “The violent prisoners exert pressures on the most vulnerable inmates who end up succumbing to health related problems or they result to suicide.” (Theodore, Max, & Mitch, 2009.) The populations or individuals that are vulnerable to these pressures should be identified, and this is an essential first step towards resolving the problem. However, it...
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...what goes on behind that wired fence. We find that some people that are convicted of crimes that they did not commit. Some people would rather turn their heads to what actually happens in a prison institution, because they feel it is no concern of theirs. Innocent women and men face a disaster in life when they find their selves incarcerated in such facility as these. The treatment in prison facilities toward prisoners with health issues or those who develop health concerns that head officials should take control over. Prisoners receive neglect in many different ways that may end their lives. In my essay, I will share with you the life of a man in prison and the treatment that he received from correctional officers. Every prison environment makes it hard to assure minimal standards for ethical research and voluntary informed consent and privacy. Privacy for those who are in these facilities has many concerns to family members who are looking in from the outside. Health issues and concerns for inmates and neglect that occurs in correctional facilities have been concerns that continue to go unnoticed. The state seems to under staff in some areas of managing inmate’s health problems. There are many who may go unattended of their health issues causing drastic or even death in the process. A prison system update yearly would help to protect prisoners and their health issues. Denying them access to medical attention is also unethical as this can result in a death. This could have been...
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...Mentally Ill in Prison PSCH/610 Mentally Ill in Prison Abstract The increase in incarcerated individuals with mental illness in the preceding decades has made the prison system a prevalent mental health provider even though they are not prepared or equipped for such task. Prison life is tough on an individual’s mental health; overcapacity, lack of privacy, violent behavior, lack of activity, inadequate health services, 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...
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... Course Project: Managing the Prison Environment Objectives Back to Top The Course Project is designed to provide you with an opportunity to research a topic of interest related to some aspect of correctional administration. This project is an effort to allow you to fully explore issues related to either correctional officials or prison inmates. This project incorporates all TCOs. Guidelines Back to Top The course project is worth 320 total points and will be graded on APA formatting; quality of research topic; quality of paper information; proper use of text citations; proper grammar, punctuation, usage, and sentence structure; and the deliverable components for Weeks 1, 2, 5, and 6. There are four components to the Course Project. • title page, topic discussion, and a list of three references • annotated outline • annotated bibliography • Final Paper Requirements • APA guidelines must be followed for all course component deliverables. • At least six authoritative, outside references are required for the annotated bibliography and the Final Paper. • All DeVry University policies are in effect, including the plagiarism policy. • The Final Paper isdue in Week 6of this course. • The Final Paper must be 8 to 10 pages of text in length, Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced, include a cover page, introduction or abstract, body of the report, summary or conclusion, and a works cited page. • Any questions about this paper may be discussed in the weekly Q...
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...need to be spread or creating awareness to a wide range audience, that’s where the media people will come up with a campaign and send out the messages through verbal communication. However, this paper will be discussing the media campaign on HIV/AIDS. The word AIDS is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus called HIV. However, this particular disease can damage your immune system and HIV interferes with your body’s ability to fight the organisms that cause disease. On the other hand, this paper will show the campaign description in a very clear and organize way in which will give a brief view on the facts of the campaign surrounding. Furthermore, this paper will be discussing on the research and analysis of the strength and weaknesses of the media campaign on HIV/AIDS and also what are the success and failure in and out of that particular campaign. This part is essential because it provide a lot useful information on the media campaign on HIV/AIDS. In addition, the last part of this paper will consist the conclusion and recommendation of the campaign on HIV/AIDS. The part conclusion is basically the sum up of all of this paper on media campaign from introduction to research analysis and when comes to recommendation is where this paper will discuss on how will we able to improve on the campaign in the future in the sense of goals, strategies or even tactics. (G. Pirozz, 2013) 2. Campaign Description HIV and AIDS is one of the...
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...through learning. However, the kind of education received within the United States Prison Systems is actively doing the opposite. The oppressed inmate populations are ultimately being exploited for cheap labor in order to support a capitalist society that they do not benefit from. This paper will argue that the education being withheld from prison inmates is both cultural and educational imperialism. This paper will also argue that the Prison Industrial Complex is intentionally exploiting inmates to contribute to a capitalist labor market instead of receiving education they are entitled to in order to be rehabilitated, reduce recidivism, improve their lives and ultimately better benefit society. Incarceration in the United States is the main form of punishment, rehabilitation, or both as a consequence of felony and other criminal offenses. The United States is the world’s leader in incarceration with 2.2 million people currently in the nation's prisons or jails. This means a 500% increase over the past thirty years (The Sentencing Project.org). These trends have resulted in prison overcrowding, and billions of dollars being spent to house inmates, and supervise them on probation and parole after they are released, ultimately to return to prison as a repeat offender. Instead of an increased amount of funding and expansion of educational programs to keep up with the increase in inmate population, there has been a rapid increase in budget cuts, and educational opportunities are...
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...In this paper, I will discuss reducing rates of recidivism. Not everyone agrees that the United States’ incarceration rate is an issue that needs to be solved. Even though, the United States (US) has more inmates than any other country in the world with 2,239,751 inmates at the end of 2011, reflecting twenty-five percent of the world’s imprisoned (Kelly, P., 2015 and Walmsley, R. 2013). As funding for prison systems become burdensome for governments sometimes, alternative methods are sought, or despite all odds, the system continues. The consensus of public opinion may never fully support reducing prison populations. One aspect that effects incarceration rates that can be perhaps universally agreed upon are the reduction of recidivism rates....
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...Ciara S. Lawrence April 17, 2011 Research Paper (Draft) Professor Jeffries Introduction: HIV/AIDS is an epidemic that has become widely spread in the United States which has become a major public health issue around the world. There are around 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS and 400,000 new cases every year.[] In the U.S. today women make up more than 300,000 of the 1.2 million people with HIV/AIDS.[] Being that AIDS is the leading cause of death in black people throughout the U.S.. Black people make up 13 percent of the population, but 65 percent of new HIV/AIDS cases. Whereas black women are still dispportionate infected for more than sixty-six percent of HIV/AIDS cases in the country with a rate of infection fifteen times higher than white women and four times higher than Latinas. Considering the aforementioned, it is not difficult to conclude that most of the new cases pinpoint a major disparity between black women and women of other races. Cultural environmental and other factors that exacerbate the problem are high numbers of black men going to prison, the effects of the black church and the lack of government resources. In my research paper, I will identify the causes of HIV/AIDS and suggest solutions to prevent the spread of this disease among black woman. According to Mayo Clinic the definition of Human immunodeficiency virus is a virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in which the immune system in the body begins to fail causing...
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...Social Justice for Rape Survivors, an “At Risk Population” and Ways of Advocating for Them Emily R. Cazier North Idaho College Social Work 240 Kateri Ray Abstract This paper defines the “at risk population” of rape survivors in the United States. Sources for this paper were found through peer-reviewed academic papers and articles, websites for organizations that advocate for victims of sexual assault and rape, and legislative bills from the state of Idaho. This paper also seeks to define the social justice issues, legal and political issues, and advocation for these victims on the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of society. Keywords: rape, rape victims, and advocating Social Justice for Rape Survivors, an “At Risk Population” and Ways of Advocating for Them Definition of the “at risk population”: The definition of rape and survivors of rape varies around the world and especially differs from state to state within the United States of America. In the advocacy community, victims of sexual assault are generally referred to as survivors because they have survived a horrible event. (Cazier, 2013) For the purpose of this paper and in keeping with that belief, I will also refer to these individuals as survivors. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network) the general definition of rape in the United States is, “forced sexual intercourse, including vaginal, anal, or oral penetration. Penetration may be by a body part or object.” In order for the term...
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...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...
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...How can the police or prison or probation service be seen to be effective? Critically examine measures used and explore alternatives. Introduction: Imprisonment and jailing has been an effective way to protect the society from corrupt people and individuals with criminal tendencies. The theory behind imprisonment is to isolate the wrong-doer from the society as the person can be harmful and dangerous to other people, and also stop him from enjoying civil liberties, thus enhancing the sense of deprivation and lack of freedom as a punishment to deter him from repeating the crime in the future. Although this may sound an ideal way to deal with criminals, the ground realities are quite different from the expected results. As no solution is perfect and without flaws, the same goes with this problem of handling criminal behaviour and controlling uncivil citizens, thus increasing problems inside the prisons and penitentiaries. Prisons hold a complete new world inside them. As the most dangerous people from all over the country or province/state are collected in a single space, the chances of different mishaps and unwanted happenings are increased a hundred fold. Therefore, the prison service or probation service should be capable of handling such situations. Furthermore, the prison service should competent enough to prevent any incidents from happening at all. Containing any undesirable situations, preventing jailbreaks, controlling prisoner riots, thwarting murder attempts...
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...Canadian prisons have always been lacking the needs of offenders and programs to help them. Till now they have the same problem; however, they have been improving and meeting the needs of the offender’s population in a slow manner. Many incidents have occurred 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...
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...Scholarly Commons 2007 Biomedical Research Involving Prisoners: Ethical Values and Legal Regulation Lawrence O. Gostin Georgetown University Law Center, gostin@law.georgetown.edu Georgetown Public Law and Legal Theory Research Paper No. 976413 This paper can be downloaded free of charge from: http://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/479 http://ssrn.com/abstract=976413 297 JAMA 737-740 (2007) This open-access article is brought to you by the Georgetown Law Library. Posted with permission of the author. COMMENTARIES Biomedical Research Involving Prisoners Ethical Values and Legal Regulation Lawrence O. Gostin, JD U NTIL THE EARLY 1970 S , R. J. R EYNOLDS , D OW Chemical, the US Army, major pharmaceutical companies, and other sponsors conducted a wide variety of research on prisoners—a captive, vulnerable, and easily accessible population.1,2 During that time, approximately 90% of all pharmaceutical research was conducted on prisoners, who also were subjected to biochemical research ranging from testing diet drinks and simple detergents to studies involving dioxin and chemical warfare agents.3 From 1962 to 1966, for example, 33 pharmaceutical companies tested 153 experimental drugs at Holmesburg Prison in Philadelphia, including a Retin-A (tretinoin) study in which researchers did not seek informed consent and prisoners were not adequately treated for pain.4 By the mid-1970s, biomedical research in prisons sharply declined as knowledge of the...
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