...structures. In prison, unlike most environments, the stakes of adaption are high. Non-conformity does not simply lead to ostracism; it can lead to victimization or death. In many ways prisons turn our understanding of deviance on its head. In a world of persons whom society considers deviants, those who do not conform to the (deviant) rules of prison society are the deviants. In some ways, these deviants are more like the normal members of general society than the normal members of criminal society. This is not always true, of course, but in some cases does apply. It is not unusual, therefore, for individuals in such a situation to band together for safety and survival. However, some groups form more cohesive, complex organizations with their own set of rules that result in activities which move far beyond the simple need to survive in a hostile environment. These gangs often take advantage of their strength within the prison walls to create profit-making enterprises and to disrupt normal prison operations (Camp and Camp, 1985). Prison gangs present a threat not only inside the penitentiary but outside as well, because of their well-established connections with drug trafficking organizations and street gangs. What happens within the razor wire has an impact on society in general not only because most prisoners will eventually be released, but because resources that might have been spent on rehabilitation are spent on combating gang activities (Fleisher and Decker, 2001). Prison gangs...
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...he purpose of prisons has been changing throughout history. He went from being a mere means for retaining a sentence I expected to be a sentence in itself. In some countries (mostly democratic), a medium that had as objective the protection of society from that which could be dangerous to her while trying to reintegration, but also could be used as a means of political pressure in difficult times. Michel Foucault in his "Surveiller et punish" ( Discipline and Punish ) notes that its use as punitive punishment of crime, is a recent phenomenon that was instituted during the nineteenth century . Earlier, jail, only used to hold prisoners who were waiting to be sentenced (or not) effectively (punishment, execution or rejection). The prisoners were held in the same space, regardless of their offense and had to pay child support. The disruption was such that the same crime suspects could, with ease, change the version of events before processing. The application of justice at the time was in the public domain. It showed the torture to which they were subjected defendants and their executions. Michel Foucault mentions the large venues or the ship of fools, as particular examples of detention prior to the modern era. Contrary to the conviction that establishes a prison sentence on the offense, the prisons of the time served as a means of exclusion for all marginalized people (criminals, crazy, sick, orphaned, homeless, prostitutes, etc..) All were imprisoned, haphazardly, to silence...
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...rehabilitation will be discussed further. Rehabilitation has many definitions depending on the person that is defining the word. If someone wanted to give a simple definition they would define rehabilitation as something that make the criminal better. When being specific, prisoner rehabilitation can be defined as specific programs applied within the prison setting, whether inside or outside the prison, intended to put a halt to criminal behavior from the individual, which also is called desistence, which is defined as to stop or cease (Foster, B. 2006). According to the text the origin of prisoner rehabilitation comes from the early to mid twentieth century, in which social scientist, criminologist, social workers, and other prison administrative worker took theories from fields such as: sociology, psychology, and psychiatry and applies them to study crime and punishment and also to create a better prison environment for the prisoners (Foster, B. 2006). It has been stated that although prisoners are placed in rehabilitation programs there is still a good chance that they will end back up in prison (Foster, B. 2006)., which affects the prison because it says that the punishment that he or she received was not harsh enough for them to realize that committing a crime is wrong. Prisoner rehabilitation affects...
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...Galvez 1 Brian Galvez Professor Khan Sociology 15 The Shawshank Redemption An important theme in Frank Darabont’s film The Shawshank Redemption is hope. The film demonstrates that hope is a good thing and shows the consequences in having and lacking hope. It is important that Darabont’s film showed the theme of hope as it us also important in our lives today because having or lacking in hope affects people personally, nationally and worldwide. In our everyday lives we are presented with cases of people having hope through our own or someone we knows personal experiences and on the news. In most cases, hope is portrayed in a positive light as it helps people get through tough situations. The film makes its viewers think about how having or lacking hope can effect out lives in reality and makes them conclude that having hope is a good and important thing. In The Shawshank Redemption demonstrates how hope is an important thing to have. We are introduced to Andy du Frense, Red Redding and their fellow prison inmates. Throughout the film Andy has a peaceful and positive disposition and this is because he has hope. Whilst having a conversation with Red, Andy talks about his dreams of what he is going to do with his life when he gets out of prison. Red responds negatively, claiming that “hope can drive a man insane”. Andy replies saying “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best thing and no good thing ever Galvez 2 dies”. This demonstrates that Andy has hope. A consequence of Andy’s...
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...Da’Vaughn Hawkins Introduction of Sociology 29 October 2015 Written Assignment #3 Crime and Deviance With the rise of crime rates in the last couple of years, people are wondering if locking up the criminal and throwing away the key would be effective for social control. What these people fail to see is that by just throwing away the key, you aren’t actually helping that person to strive for and become anything better. The thing that would be more effective than throwing away the key is if all prisons today had programs designed to help better the lives of the criminals after prison and help to possibly lower the recidivism rates of those criminals. These programs should be designed to help make criminals marketable so they could compete in today’s society. Ultimately prison should start giving people hope for a new beginning. Every prisoner in prison for a felony wonders how they could do better for themselves after being released from prison because of the simple fact that after prison it’s very difficult to get back into the workforce because you have a felony on your record. We as a society needs to come to point in time where we recognize prisoners as humans, and give them the same opportunities because some prisoners are just people who made a mistake so while they are in they are in the hands of the prison they should be given the tools needed to be successful after prison. For example, at the Eastern New York Correctional Facility there is a program sponsored...
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...Writing Assignment (Part 4): Race, Incarceration, and Recidivism Nicholle Harris SOC 100 - Intro to Sociology Professor Deborah White June 15, 2014 Writing Assignment (Part 4): Race, Incarceration, and Recidivism Racism in this country directly impacts incarceration and recidivism; specifically for African American males. This is an age old issue in our country that continues to propagate itself. Our society strips away the rights of felons and they become life-long criminals. The implications of incarceration, recidivism and race directly creates quality of life issues for a large percentage of people in the country. There are several sociological concepts that apply to this theory. Poverty leads to higher crime rates. People with lower social classes are more likely to be targeted by the police. The Drug Policy Alliance (n.d) explains in the article “Race and the Drug War” that law enforcement has a “focus on urban areas, on lower-income communities and on communities of color” (para. 1). This type of targeting creates a negative view and disrespect for authority; as a result, it is more likely for crime to be committed. Macionis (2010) states that “race is closely related to social standing, which as already explained, affects the likelihood of engaging in street crimes. Many poor people living in the midst of wealth come to perceive society as unjust and are therefore more likely to turn to crime to get their share.” (p. 232). Higher crime rates...
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...abuse rehabilitation and job training programs, as ordered by the court. It is the probation and parole officer's main goal to keep offenders from repeating past crimes or violating parole and ending up returning to prison. Convicted criminals are often placed on probation in lieu of prison sentences. Individuals who've completed their prison sentences often get placed on parole after being released. While on probation or parole, convicted criminals are required to remain drug free, refrain from committing crimes, and adhere to other requirements. Parole officers have similar responsibilities as probation officers, but parole officers monitor released prison inmates, while probation officers assist individuals serving probation sentences rather than prison sentences. Parole and probation officers are responsible for supervising people serving parole and probation sentences. While serving probation or parole sentences, some offenders are required to wear electronic anklets to keep track of where they spend their time. Probation and parole officers assist the people they supervise obtain vocational training and drug rehabilitation counseling. Probation and parole officers typically hold bachelor's degrees in criminal justice, sociology, psychology, social work, or correctional counseling. Officers employed by federal government agencies are required to acquire 2 years of relevant work experience. Legal jurisdictions require most probation officers...
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...1.Mary carpenter was an English educator and juvenile rehabilitator, who strongly advocated reformatories for juveniles and houses of corrections for the idle. She was a powerful influence in New South Wales into the 20th century. She stated, “treatment should be according to the individuals need rather than being controlled by the offense he or she committed.” Stress was on the quality and adaptability of the offender. The movement advocated what could be seen as preventative justice that attempted to condition offenders against further offenses. 2.Inalienable rights are rights that inherent to being a human. They cannot be taken away and are considered the basis of human life. They are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and are not granted nor conditional. 3.On 5March1770 a group had gathered a round a British sentry stationed in front of the Custom House. Being that he was alone, he feared for his life and called for reinforcements. Six additional men showed up, and soon after shots were fired by the British soldiers that left three people dead and fatally wounded two others. John Adams and Josiah Quincy were called to defend the British soldiers and accepted. Although their own lives were now in danger they believed strongly that no man should want for competent counsel in his defense, and that the soldiers were innocent until proven guilty in the courts. 4.Social Darwinism arose during the civil war years and produced a fascination with laissez faire economics...
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...about how he thought he would escape some of the effects of being in the prison life, since he was only doing “participant observation,” but that it got under his skin anyway. This is the chapter where he most talks about his life outside of the walls of Sing Sing and the tolls it takes on him and his family. He notices that he is being mean to his family because of his vulnerability sometimes. He began to question whether he could mentally continue the remainder of time he had planned to spend as a correctional officer, detailing many of the pains he had and conflicting thoughts on the matter. The hostility from a simple attempt to correct a prisoner he said could easily spread to other inmates, and in doing so to him as well trying to deal with the control of power. He gave examples of the prisoners giving out extra food to other inmates, and how even though it was not a serious situation he was taking great strides to prove he was the one who tells them what to do, exhausting himself in the process. Conover also discusses the prison sociology and some of the “untouchable inmates.” This included a man who “smelled”, several transgender inmates, and others treated deplorably by even the other inmates. He goes on to describe some of the violent acts he has seen or heard about in prison as well, which he says are reminders of where you’re really working. He said how so many of the angry exchanges in the prison seem to go unresolved. He himself had witnessed abusive officers assaulting...
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...The Value of Community Corrections Sharvon P. Woodard Professor: Tiffani Davis Introduction to Sociology January 29, 2012 Society defines community corrections as a set of penalties and sanctions given to people convicted of crimes that are unrelated to imprisonment. Community corrections frequently come in the form of probation or commuted sentencing from a parole board, often upon release from prison. Examples of these penalties include residence in halfway homes, monitoring by reporting centers, work release programs, house arrest, and general community supervision. Community corrections programs serve the purpose of monitoring behavior of the convicted criminal, evaluating the likelihood of recidivism, holding criminals accountable to monitoring standards, establishing rehabilitative programs that serve a positive socializing function, and contributing to financial efficiency goals of the community. The type of corrections program is typically adjusted across a range of factors, including supervision, rehabilitation, and counseling. Each of these interests has the long-term goal of reducing the risk of future criminal activity and keeping the community safe. The most properly functioning community corrections programs streamline punishments with the needs of the criminal based on active assessments and risk awareness (Belenko & Taxman, 2011). The idea is that these personalized programs will ultimately be more helpful than a simple stay in local penitentiary...
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...justice system is probation as well as parole. Probation is the release of an offender from detention , subject to a period of good behavior under supervision. An individual may be granted probation as an alternative to prison and sometimes may be given probation after incarceration. Parole on the other hand is the release of a prisoner temporarily or permanently before the completion of a sentence , on the promise of good behavior. Parole differs from probation because anyone granted parole had to have served a prison sentence. The are similar in the fact that both probation and parole are a contract stating that if any of the requirement, rules or regulations are broken you will then be incarcerated. One of the alternatives to prison or jail that I mentioned was shock probation. Shock probation is a punishment ,which is imposed by the court in regards to releasing the offender back into the community under the conditions of the suspended sentence. Shock probation is mostly offered to first time offenders or non violent offenders. When given this sanction the judge in most cases believes that the offender is not dangerous and will be best rehabilitated in the community instead of incarcerated. . In shock probation, the offender is first sentenced to prison then after 30, 60 or even 90 days the offender is brought again to the...
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...These students are also more likely to end up in situations similar to their parents or in a struggle to provide for themselves successfully. John Hagan, the professor of sociology at Northwestern University, has worked with children of incarcerated parents and studied their future after their parent’s incarceration. He found that “almost no children of incarcerated mothers make it through college” and that “these people are now in early adulthood, and they’re really struggling” (Reckdaul). Students with incarcerated parents become unmotivated and less willing to work hard in school or other academic areas. These students feel that there is no point in trying and drop out, as they expect to follow in their parents’ path regardless. The incarceration of parents can cause children to lower expectations and set limited goals for themselves. As formerly stated, children with incarcerated parents generally do not finish...
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...Many offenders within the prison system, when released, must follow up with a parole officer. There can be many different conditions of parole placed upon the offender. The Parole Commission assigns these conditions of parole to assure that the parolee will live a life without crime or assist him or her to do so. The parolee may have to gain suitable employment, attend rehab, report to their parole officer at certain times or even wear a device that allows the offender to be monitored electronically. The parole system interacts or affects the Criminal Justice System in many ways. Are there ways to improve the effectiveness of this system? What does the future hold for this organization and its impact on the Criminal Justice System? History and Creation In June of 1910 there were three federal penitentiaries. Due to the enactment of legislation, federal prisoners began receiving parole on June 25th of 1910. The Parole Board, at this time, consisted of the warden and the physician of the prison and the Superintendent of Prisons of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Each prison had its own parole board. In May of 1930, however, a single parole board was established. This board consisted of three members that served full-time and were appointed by the Attorney General. In 1945, the board started reporting directly to the Attorney General. Then in 1948, two other members were appointed to the parole board due to the increase in the prison population. The parole board...
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...direction to the Juvenile Detention Center and community partners to enhance programming and services for juveniles. You will Interpret, implement, and administer local, state, and federal directives to ensure compliance and adequately provide services. Research and keep current on best practices for operation of the JDC. Prepare for and mange crisis situations related to juvenile behavioral and medical conditions to ensure the highest level of safety and security. Confer with Detention Superintendent daily regarding detention facility and staff operational procedures. This is only some of the duties this position does it has a lot more duties that they have to do. You have to have a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice, Psychology, Sociology, Education, or Behavioral Science. Prior experience working with juvenile aged persons in a juvenile detention, juvenile services, or juvenile probationary setting preferred. Master’s Degree in aforementioned disciplines including Public Administration, preferred. Strong knowledge of the principles, procedures, and federal, state, and local regulations related to juvenile detention. You need to have a considerable knowledge of budget, personnel, and policy administration. You have to have ability to manage stressful situations with a calm demeanor Ability to communicate effectively; to establish and maintain strong and collaborative working relationships with employees, other agencies, and the public; you have to prove excellent computer...
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...Who Distinguishes Evil from Illness? By age 30 Andrea Yates had been high school class valedictorian, captain of the swim team, an officer in the National Honor Society, graduated from the University of Houston as a registered nurse, wedded and had her first child. It seemed Yates’s ambition of fulfilling her life with all her hopes and dreams could not be diverted. The Yates family was very religious and Bible reading was an enjoyed pass time within the household. Around 1990, Andrea’s internal issues came to the surface with her self-mutilation accompanied by a suicide attempt, which was followed by a short admission into a psychiatric ward. When released her mood had stabilized from a newly prescribed anti-psychotic with her life looking up. This cycle, unfortunately, insisted on continuing on three separate occasions before Andrea was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and post-partum depression. Yates was warned that if she were to become pregnant again it was highly likely the episodes of psychotic behavior would resurface. She began to grasp the magnitude of her mental health and was readily taking her medications despite the begging and pleading from her husband for another child. Nonetheless, Andrea gave in and the pregnancy of her 5th child began in 2000. In the events of her newborn’s birth, discontinuation of her anti-psychotic, and the passing of her father, Andrea’s spiral into depression was more catastrophic than ever. June 20th, 2001, her husband went...
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