...The concept of the prison has existed for more than two thousand years. It probably goes back as far in time as practice of cannibalism, where victims had to wait for their turn in contributing to the chief course in the menu of their captors. Examples of prisons can even be found in the Old Testament when Joseph was incarcerated in Egypt. It was not until the 19th century that a clear shift occurred from corporal punishment to imprisonment. As societies prospered and the industrial revolution began, the formal prison system, as we know it today, developed. Throughout most of the world, the correctional system is administered by the state, and it is considered a key function that the government must fulfill: protect its citizens by guaranteeing the state of law while enforcing the judicial system. More than two decades ago, the United Sates and Great Britain began experimenting with privatization of their prison systems, outsourcing the management to private enterprises. Like most privatization issues, this topic has many supporters from the liberal economic philosophy, as well as many detractors that argue against profit seeking enterprises. The discussion promotes themes such as the ethical dilemma of the private sector “administering punishment”, selecting the correct metrics used to evaluate the performance of private sector versus public sector, disputes of what are “just and fair” services that the inmates are entitled to, among others. In the following essay we aim to bring...
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...Christine Venuti Themes in Modern History Prof. Matthew Shaughnessy November 9, 2012 Based on the history of prison labor in 20th century U.S. South, should local governments be allowed to privatize incarceration in their individual states? According to theologian James Crone and legal scholar Michelle Alexander, what are the socio-cultural ramifications of such actions? Back in the late 1800’s blacks were dehumanized and were made a mockery. James Crone, in his book, talks about how blacks or people of color would be lynched or would be threatened to be lynched just for walking the wrong way or giving a wrong look. The superior whites would hold events to watch a black man be hung and burned. Thousands of whites would attend including men, women, and children. Crone called it a family affair. Children would collect chopped off body parts as souvenirs and postcards would be made from pictures of the burning human and sent to relatives with quotes such as “this was our barbeque last night.” It was unjust to treat any human being that way let alone to treat just one race that way because they looked different. Mobs of white Americans would stop a black person and use violence on them just because they could and they knew they would get away with it. Lynchers were always mysteriously unknown to churches and police authority but very well known in the media. Whites turned the other way when it came to a black person back then. The lynching tree represented white power...
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...The concept of the prison has existed for more than two thousand years. It probably goes back as far in time as practice of cannibalism, where victims had to wait for their turn in contributing to the chief course in the menu of their captors. Examples of prisons can even be found in the Old Testament when Joseph was incarcerated in Egypt. It was not until the 19th century that a clear shift occurred from corporal punishment to imprisonment. As societies prospered and the industrial revolution began, the formal prison system, as we know it today, developed. Throughout most of the world, the correctional system is administered by the state, and it is considered a key function that the government must fulfill: protect its citizens by guaranteeing the state of law while enforcing the judicial system. More than two decades ago, the United Sates and Great Britain began experimenting with privatization of their prison systems, outsourcing the management to private enterprises. Like most privatization issues, this topic has many supporters from the liberal economic philosophy, as well as many detractors that argue against profit seeking enterprises. The discussion promotes themes such as the ethical dilemma of the private sector “administering punishment”, selecting the correct metrics used to evaluate the performance of private sector versus public sector, disputes of what are “just and fair” services that the inmates are entitled to, among others. In the following essay we aim to bring...
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...1) A. Privatization of Jails: Based on my research, the evidence is that the private sector delivers quality correctional services at lower cost to the benefit of taxpayers. Because the taxpayer wants to hold down the spending in corrections, and because prisoners need a place to be jailed and remained jailed, I support the privatization of jails. Pros: • Privatization lends itself for prisons to be run at lower costs. • Privatize prisons don’t have the red tape to cut through, therefore they run more efficiently. • Privatized prisons have a reason to make sure that prisoners get the help that they need which leads to better recidivism Cons: • Transparency into prison life is not guaranteed. • Could result in higher cost depending on contracted agreements for prison needs • Living conditions could be compromised B. Privatization of Public...
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...changed in a manner that only those that have true understanding of grace and mercy and forgiveness can understand such a judgement is not up to me or anyone and I will forever stand by that. • In the text, it states that “the (Supreme) Court has agreed that the death penalty can be constitutionally sustained only if its imposition is consistent with ‘evolving standards of decency’.” With so many juveniles committing heinous crimes, take a position and debate as a public administrator on whether you think the death penalty should be allowed for juveniles? Use the e-Activity case as a reference for discussion. I am against the death penalty for juveniles no matter the age. I can not face the possibility of doing an eye for an eye to the point of death for an individual that has further problems then what death can take away. I believe that their needs to be some type of alternative and will always be pro life but with reason to privatize or have prison ministries to help those that do not know that there are right from wrong. References: Szypszak, C. (2011). Understanding law for public...
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...The Prison System January 23, 2010 There is much to discuss when it comes to our prison systems. The history, the evolution of the system, and the manner in which prisons are operated, both in the past and today, each are important topics in the discussion of the prison system. The fundamentals of the prison system have progressed greatly over the years as well as the influence of the prison system on America. The development of privately operated prisons has added a political aspect to the imminent solutions of the problems within the prison system. The birth of the prison system stemmed from the need to find more humane and effective means of punishment for wrongdoers, or those who chose not to follow society’s guidelines. Before prisons existed, the majority of serious crimes were dealt with by capital punishment. The British criminal code, which was emulated until the Revolution, depended greatly on capital punishment. Although less severe crimes, which did not sanction the death penalty, were punished with fines or “sanguinary” punishments. Non-capital punishments in the early days of criminal justice were designed to terrorize and subject offenders to derision in hope that they would change their behavior. Jails existed but they were mainly used to hold criminals during pretrial proceedings. The realization that cruel vengeance did little to limit or prevent criminal activity in the 1700s further promoted the invention of the prison. The first penitentiary...
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...policies and perhaps become more centralist on taxation. An example of this is proposing a new taxation scheme where people who earn under ten thousand pounds a year are exempt from paying tax; also a bigger ‘crack down’ on people who earn a larger salary. Therefore this means that they would pay more tax. This signifies deviation from traditional conservative principles; this can probably be labelled as part of the modernization of the party since Cameron has become leader. Another way the party has deviated from traditional conservative principles is through education. In contrast with the traditional condescending view on education by the conservatives, under Cameron there has been a strong emphasis on the idea that everybody should be able to go to university if their ability allows them too. This supports labour’s policies on scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds and also attempting to establish more apprentiship jobs and work experience jobs to encourage young people who perhaps wouldn't go to university to learn skills that would...
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...To the attention of the Prison Governor North of England Sir, Following are some national scale statistics related to prisons’ performance and associated costs as issued by the Center for Social Justice in March 2009A. which I would like to use as argument in reply to your statement on Total Quality. - Prisons population has increased dramatically in the last decade, counting as of today about 83000 people; - Approximately three quarters of young prisoners under 25 and two thirds of all adult prisoners are reconvicted within two years of release; - Today, the annual public expenditure costs of running prisons and managing offenders is over £5 billion, which combined with £11 billion costs of re-offending as estimated by Social Exclusion Unit (in 2002), amount to an annual total of £16 billion. Relating statistics to your statements, I agree with you, “Total Quality is a myth” but I add “because people in charge fail to commit to it” Although not directly related to our business, I want to use these statistics as a means to show the impact of Total Quality culture as compared to traditional management style of prisons. A critical analysis instead, leads to the conclusion that prisons management and the correctional system is stuck in a closed cycle between overcrowding and failure to rehabilitate. This is part of a traditional prison management where more of the same, brings in turn more of the same, resulting in long term progressive loss, both financial...
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...more opportunities for crime. The increase in criminal activity showed the need for more social control, which resulted in increased punishment and severity, more policing and more inequality towards minorities. The shift in the social realm created the shift in the culture of crime control. Before the shift there was a mindset of rehabilitation and reintegration for inmates. There was a comradery and an understanding that there are individuals who need extra assistance. Forward focused punishment preceded late modernity, and was marginalized and removed in the wake of a more oppressive and retributive form of punishment by the state. This transition was justified by the public because they feared crime at every turn. More police, more prisons, more surveillance and still the media convinced the people that everyone was at risk of becoming a victim. Victims were publicized and the public believed they were in danger and that the state was protecting them. Criminologist focused on integration of social life to reduce vulnerabilities. They also followed the public opinion of us and them and viewed criminals as being bad and not needing to waste time trying to “fix” them. Wasting time and wasting money go against late modernity thinking. Wastefulness became the enemy of government and of business. Any parts of the state that were a waste were systematically defunded. Anyone who was dependent on those were left to fend for themselves and blamed for their inability to succeed. Troubled...
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...treatment, as a plethora of pre-modern techniques were devoid of caring intent, torturous in nature, or a combination of the two. The sixteenth century gave rise to the first lunatic asylums, institutions which centralized various, often barbaric attempts at mending the plague of mental illness (Butcher, Mineka & Hooley, 2007). Those asylums, which existed throughout the eighteenth century, pre-dated psychiatry, and can be most succinctly described as low quality prisons. The committed were frequently put in cages or shackles and locked away (Shorter & Marshall, 1997). Treatment was not even an incidental goal; the purpose of these institutions was to separate undesirables from the general population. While conditions were inhuman to say the least, this era was an important step in the evolution of psychiatric institutions and the civil commitment system. In the following centuries, reform came in waves due to both internal and external pressures (Payne & Sacks, 2009). In time, institutions began to shift away from prison-like to more care-focused as paternalistic moral treatment developed (Sciencemuseum.org.uk, 2015). While moral treatment was pleasant, it gave little respect for patient autonomy and made little progress toward actually improving the mental health of the committed. There were no cages or shackles, but rather an imposed state of perpetual tranquility. As time progressed the turn of the 20th century saw to even further advancements as psychiatry, institutions, and...
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...Create an economy built to last & built from the middle out. (Sep 2012) Restore the budget discipline of the 1990s. (Nov 2006) Cut the deficit in half over the next four years. (Jul 2004) Democrats reversed economic stagnation of previous years. (Aug 2000) Democrats must continue to lead Americans to prosperity. (Aug 2000) G.O.P. creates debt, Dems create surpluses. (Aug 2000) Democrats will eliminate publicly held debt by 2012. (Aug 2000) Policy should encourage home ownership & affordable housing. (Aug 2000) Democratic Party on Civil Rights Enable disability access; plus 100,000 federal jobs. (Sep 2012) Equal treatment under law for same-sex couples. (Sep 2012) Racial and religious profiling is wrong. (Jul 2004) Keep marriage at state level; no federal gay marriage ban. (Jul 2004) Strengthen some parts of Patriot Act and change other parts. (Jul 2004) Support affirmative action to redress discrimination. (Jul 2004) Police should have zero tolerance of racial profiling. (Aug 2000) Pass hate crime legislation including gays. (Aug 2000) Democrats lead fight for ERA and equal employment. (Aug 2000) Democratic Party on Corporations Auto manufacturers have paid back loans & drive the recovery. (Sep 2012) Transparency in corporate accounting. (Jul 2004) End corporate welfare as we know. (Jul 2004) Tax credits and investment support for small business. (Jul 2004)...
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...case for it will not be made again here. Basic notions will not be repeated in this paper. The majority of criminologists already accept the letdown of the current criminal justice system on certain accounts; problems have been solidly exposed and opponents of restorative justice have been constantly defending the need for their rationale. Perceived advantages are well-known and have been documented soundly. But this work attempts to look beyond the reform minded and optimistic spirit that most of the restorative body of thought (rightfully) carries. Certain less obvious aspects of the theory might be underconceptualized, overlooked or taken for granted. Taking the concern of some more critical authors that restorative justice processes ‘privatize’ conflicts as a starting point, it will be explored whether or not this privatizing potential actually poses a danger. Especially feministic authors have written about this angle and provide some important insights. By evaluating some of the arguments, it will then be decided what consequences it has in practice and concerning the logic of restorative justice theory and its concepts. Exploring and commenting on possible hiatuses is only going to contribute to the total...
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...Department of Economics Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts. Abstract Private ownership should generally be preferred to public ownership when the incentives to innovate and to contain costs must be strong. In essence, this is the case for capitalism over socialism, explaining the "dynamic vitality" of free enterprise. The great economists of the 1930s and 1940s failed to see the dangers of socialism in part because they focused on the role of prices under socialism and capitalism, and ignored the enormous importance of ownership as the source of capitalist incentives to innovate. Moreover, many of the concerns that private firms fail to address “social goals” can be addressed through government contracting and regulation, without resort to government ownership. The case for private provision only becomes stronger when competition between suppliers, reputational mechanisms, the possibility of provision by private not-for-profit firms, as well as political patronage and corruption, are brought into play. 1 What kinds of goods and services should be provided by government employees as opposed to private firms? Should government workers make steel and cars in government-owned factories? Should teachers and doctors be publicly employed or should they work for private schools and practices? Should garbage be picked up by civil servants or employees of private garbage haulers? Should the whole economy be "socialized"? Although these are age-old questions in economics, the answers...
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...Federal Pay……………………………………………………………….…..…..4 Federal Employees’ Health Benefits Program……………………………….15 Official Time for Federal Employee Union Representatives………….........22 Arbitrary Cuts in Civil Servants………………………………………………..26 Sourcing: Complying with the Law……………………………………….......31 Capping Taxpayer-Funded Service Contractor Compensation……………43 Transportation Security Administration and TSOs…………………………..46 Domestic Partnership Benefits……………………………..………………….49 Employment Non-Discrimination Act……………………………………..…..55 Paid Parental Leave………………………………………………..…………..57 One America, Many Voices Act………………………………………….…....60 Department of Veterans Affairs…………………………………..……………62 Department of Defense……………………………...……….………………...71 Federal Prisons………………………………………………………………….90 Social Security Administration ……………………………………….…...…103 National Guard/Reserve Technicians ………………………...……….……108 D.C. Workers’ Issues …………………...……………………………..…..…117 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. ……………………..……...120 Another Manufactured Crisis: What’s Next in the Fiscal Showdown? Background At the beginning of January, President Obama signed a tax deal that restored higher Clinton-era rates to those making over $450,000, and funded an extension of unemployment insurance benefits to the long-term unemployed, extended for another year the $240 monthly transit subsidy, but did not extend the 2% payroll tax holiday. The deal also delayed until March 1 the sweeping across-the-board agency cuts...
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...[From August Harpers and Sojourners Newsletter] The Christian Paradox How a faithful nation gets Jesus wrong by Bill McKibben, Updated August 3, 2005 Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005. What it means to be Christian in America. An excerpt. Originally from August 2005 Harpers. Only 40 percent of Americans can name more than four of the Ten Commandments, and a scant half can cite any of the four authors of the Gospels. Twelve percent believe Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. This failure to recall the specifics of our Christian heritage may be further evidence of our nation's educational decline, but it probably doesn't matter all that much in spiritual or political terms. Here is a statistic that does matter: Three quarters of Americans believe the Bible teaches that "God helps those who help themselves." That is, three out of four Americans believe that this uber-American idea, a notion at the core of our current individualist politics and culture, which was in fact uttered by Ben Franklin, actually appears in Holy Scripture. The thing is, not only is Franklin's wisdom not biblical; it's counter-biblical. Few ideas could be further from the gospel message, with its radical summons to love of neighbor. On this essential matter, most Americans - most American Christians - are simply wrong, as if 75 percent of American scientists believed that Newton proved gravity causes apples to fly up. Asking Christians what Christ taught isn't a trick. When we say we are a Christian...
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