The Effectiveness of Prison Rehabilitation
The rehabilitation of prisoners is something that has been enforced in various ways under different prisons with different effects. Rehabilitation in prisons has also been modified throughout human history. Rehabilitation is meant to stop the patterns that made a person go to prison. The idea of prison itself is that it is meant to leave a lasting impression on prisoners whether negative or positive to not go to prison again. Rehabilitation is meant to correct a prisoner’s behavior without damaging a prisoner’s body or mental state. Today’s prisons rehabilitate prisoners but by a case by case limit because the conditions of a prison itself play a strong factor in how much a prisoner is rehabilitated and ready for life outside of prison.
The basis of this research paper is to what extent do today’s prisons help to rehabilitate criminals and prepare them for their lives beyond their incarceration? To first delve into this question the history of the prison system needs to be addressed. The history of prisons can be traced back to ancient and medieval times, with accounts of prison mentioned in Greek myths and The Book of Genesis in the bible. Over history, prisons experienced dramatic changes. Prior to the eighteenth-century prisons were regarded as a non-primary way of administering punishment for a crime. In the past criminals in Western tradition were sold into slavery or forced labor, publicly shamed, or were exiled and deported. Physical punishment was a common practice in the past and rehabilitation was not considered an option as was mentioned in the book, “The Oxford History of the Prison: The Practice of Punishment in Western Society,” by Norval Morris and David J Rothman. “The abandonment of an offender, confined and left to starve to death, shaded into another category of physical punishment: the punishment of the body, by death, mutilation or beating (Morris and Rothman 3).” The system of prison in the past was not conducive to rehabilitation since the primary focus was punishing a criminal physically. The idea of prison in the West did not come to prominence until the United States thought of it in the 1800s.
In the 1800s the U.S. brought about the process of rehabilitation. Rehabilitation up until the 1800s was a foreign idea throughout the globe. The idea of rehabilitation was brought on by Jacksonian reformers who saw prison as a place to teach inmates order and discipline. They believed prisons would transform inmates into law-abiding citizens. In the 1820s the model for prison life was isolation, obedience, and a steady routine of labor. These methods were similar to the methods implemented in the book, “Orange Is the New Black,” written by Piper Kerman. In the book, Piper Kerman illustrated her life in a women’s prison in the early 2000s. The book went into detail with its methods of rehabilitation which were effective at times and ineffective at times.
In the book, “Orange Is the New Black,” the tradition of transforming prisoners into law-abiding citizens was carried on. In the book, the implementation of higher education was given to help prisoners rehabilitate and become well adjusted to society. Getting a GED in prison was described by the author as being one of the only positive things in the prison system. “Some of these women had dropped out of school thirty years before and were finally getting one of the only positive things-one of the only measures of achievement-one can earn in prison(Kerman 154). Another rehabilitation program that was implemented in the book was taking care of puppies and drug rehabilitation. Both methods of rehabilitation differentiated from the early basic methods of rehabilitation. The conditions of prison though were a possible deterrence in the rehabilitation process of prisoners both in the novel and in the past.
In the novel, “Orange Is the New Black,” the harsh realities of prison were addressed. Much like earlier times in history prisoners were given limited freedom and were regularly neglected and abused by prison staff. Prisoners were described by the author as being dehumanized. “Clearly sex and power were inseparable behind prison walls. More than a few of my friends had voiced their fears that in prison I would be in more danger from the guards than the inmates(Kerman 55).” Upon arriving in prison the author was already informed that sexual abuse and abuse, in general, could be a problem that prisoners face from prison guards. These types of conditions were possible deterrents to the rehabilitation of prisoners. The abuse displayed by prison guards can show prisoners that crime is acceptable if you can get away with it. This is counterintuitive to the objective of prison, which is to deter prisoners from committing a crime again.
A counter-argument could be made that the overall process of prison is more advantageous than disadvantageous for rehabilitating prisoners. The amount of money that is spent on running a prison for example can be advantageous for ensuring a safer environment for prisoners and give prison guards less incentive to abuse prisoners. Also, the freedom given to prisoners to not be contained in one area can benefit their mental health and give them a sense of individuality and freedom that can somewhat replicate the freedom inmates had in society. In the book, “Orange Is the New Black,” the author described that she felt mentally clear when she was working or when she was exercising. “In the months before my surrender I’d drown my sorrows in wine and New York comfort food; now my greatest comforts were time alone on the icy track and lifting weights in the gym. It was the only place in the camp where freedom and control seemed in my grasp(Kerman 81).” The authors’ prison’s methods of rehabilitation involved allowing inmates the freedom to exercise. This could be beneficial to an inmate because they are able to practice their hobbies while being in an environment in which the only person they have to take care of is themselves. Prison can have a positive or negative effect on a prisoner’s rehab when they start to evaluate the positives and negatives of life in prison as compared to life on the outside. The time they get to themselves if they reflect and evaluate who they are can help them learn how to better adjust their behavior to help them become well adjusted to society.
More arguments could be made that being in prison is not counterintuitive to prohibiting criminals from committing a crime again since prison is partially designed to prevent specific people from committing a crime. Serial killers and thieves for example pose a direct threat to society and having them in prison can make society a safer place. There haven’t been any specific forms of rehabilitation that can prevent serial killers from murdering people and prevent thieves from stealing. This argument was supported by Noah Berlatsky in his book, “America’s Prisons.” In his book, Bruce Bayley, a former correctional officer, and deputy juvenile probation officer gave support for having prisoners incarcerated and stated the primary reason for having people in prison. “The primary reason we sentence individuals to jail or prison is to punish them for the criminal offense(s) they have committed against society. If there are residual, or general, deterrent effects on other members of the community, that’s great, but it’s not the primary reason we incarcerate offenders(Berlatsky 23).” In the case of incarcerating prisoners the effect, it has on other criminals seems to not be as important as punishing a criminal for a crime. This is according to the statement of a correctional officer and a deputy juvenile probation officer, which signals the attitude of the judicial system towards people that commit a crime. This attitude of wanting to punish a prisoner can strongly support the case that prison itself isn’t conducive to the rehabilitation of a prisoner.
Furthermore, the cost of prison which can be beneficial in rehabbing a prisoner can also lead to more prison cells and more people in prison. The statistics of people that are incarcerated in prison are staggering. Compared to China which is considered an oppressive country, people in the United States of America have 500,000 more people in prison than China despite the fact that China’s population is more than four times larger than America’s population. The book “Gates of Injustice: The Crisis of Prison,” written by Alan Elsner reveals that prison seems to be a strong part of American culture.“Today there are more Americans behind bars than working on farms or in higher education or on public welfare(Elsner 12).” The statistics suggest that American society has a high incentive for keeping people in prison. The economics of prisons can be a deterrent in rehabbing a prisoner since society itself has invested in building and maintaining prisons over more progressive things like higher education, farming, and public welfare. On the contrary, though rehabilitation can be rethought despite the United State’s economic inclination to incarcerate prisoners .
The process of rethinking rehabilitation can be introduced from the book, “Orange Is the New Black,” in which inmates either deliberately or not rehabbed groups in prisons. Much like regular society prisoners would form groups in order to feel protected and in order to find guidance and emotional relief in a hostile environment. Forming groups in prison can be a way of rehab since prisoners learn to form strong bonds with each other and learn to support each other no matter how difficult the circumstances might be. Social connections in prison were discussed in the book, “Governing Prisons, A Comparative Study of Correctional Management which was written by John J Dulio. In the book, he talked about how prisoners had their own society. “Inmate society is “analogous to other types of social organization,” a social microcosm” with its own language, leaders, laws, rites, and rituals (Dulio 16).” Inmates form their own little society it seems so that they can create a world similar to the outside world. The isolation in prison is forced and is much more severe than in the outside world and having bonds in prison is an unconscious way for prisoners to cope with their situation. This in a way can support the argument that prison life can be conducive to rehab since prisoners seem to find their own way of rehabbing.
Although prisoners can find their own ways of rehabbing it seems that rehab alone isn’t enough for criminals to stay out of prison. The statistics show that many people that start a life of crime tend to stay in a life of crime. In the novel, “Orange Is the New Black,” it was mentioned that one of the author’s friends would still return to her hard life selling drugs and in the story, it was also mentioned that the ghetto was an even bigger prison than regular prison. Statistics can also support the argument that prison itself doesn’t change people enough. The fact that prison has existed since biblical times proves that prison isn’t the best form of rehab for people that commit crimes.
In the book “Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison,” by Michel Foucalt the author delved into the complexities and failures of the prison system. According to the author there is a political issue with prison in which corruption doesn’t start behind prison bars but starts well before a criminal is sentenced. “If there is an overall political issue around the prison, it is not therefore whether it is to be corrective or not; whether the judges, the psychiatrists or the sociologists are to exercise more power in it than the administrators or supervisors, it is not even whether we should have prison or something other than prison. At present the problem lies rather in the steep rise in the use of these mechanisms of normalization and the wide-ranging powers which, through the proliferation of new disciplines, they bring with them (Foucault 306).” The primary issue with prison is that different people at different levels of the prison system are susceptible to abusing their power. If a prisoner is able to recognize the corruption that is displayed in the criminal system like the author of, “Orange Is the New Black,” was able to recognize with her case then that alone can alter a prisoners’ attitude into thinking that prison isn’t a place for rehab but is instead a place where people with higher status take revenge on people with lower status.
Based on the research the effectiveness of rehabilitation is dependent on various and contradicting factors. If the judicial system and prison system are closely examined then the foundation for which rehabilitation can take place is shaky. The corruptness in the prison and judicial system contradicts the purpose of putting people in prison. Although arguments are made that drug programs and education are effective methods of administering rehabilitation, the varying environments in different prisons can make the process of rehab more difficult for prisoners. Ultimately rehabilitation is only as effective as an individual prisoner’s will to change and the environment they are placed in.
Works Cited
Berlatsky, Noah. America’s Prisons. Greenhaven Press, 2010.
DiIulio, John J. Governing Prisons: A Comparative Study of Correctional Management. Free Press, 1990.
Elsner, Alan. Gates of Injustice: The Crisis in America’s Prisons. Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006.
Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish. Vintage Books, 1979.
Kerman, Piper. Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison. Spiegel & Grau, 2011.
Morris, Norval, and David J Rothman. The Oxford History of the Prison The Practice of Punishment in Western Society. Oxford Univ. Pr., 1998.
Hello . i see that you have good daily visits on your blog , try to join our trusted ad network and make more extra money and get weekly payment >>> https://cutt.ly/adnetwork
Hi there, after reading this amazing paragraph i am as well delighted to share my knowledge here with friends. Tommy Aldis Jarrid
Thank you for sharing the link. I will be sure to get back to you about joining the site and building my blog as well as your site.
What an exciting trip! Love the landmarks you chose to visit. How awesome! Berny Montgomery Morvin
Yes there are many dysfunctional parts of the prison system that need to be corrected. This article just touches on the basics.
Log in via Instagram, add your links and retrieve your unique URL. It literally takes 1 minute to get started. Camilla Palm Chapen
Thanks to you and Nancy for coming along on this trip! Hope your summer in CT is going well. Best, Cindy Jayne Jean Marr
Everyone loves it whenever people get together and share thoughts. Great site, continue the good work! Katti Raynard Brazee
You need to take part in a contest for one of the most useful websites on the internet. Dulcia Francklin Wasserman
So beautifully written! You led me on your journey through endless landscapes, winding roads, rainbows, raindrops, emerald green mountains, white castles. If I could but write in a Scottish accent, I might try to say, aa, Connemara, yer a bonnie lass to be sure. Caitrin Garrot Edd
Virality iPhone monetization burn rate seed money buzz social media. Handshake bandwidth venture responsive web design hackathon. Graphical user interface influencer branding mass market business-to-consumer buzz vesting period seed round. Partner network ecosystem stock freemium. Ilysa Conny Groark
Hi, Neat post. There is an issue together with your website in internet explorer, might check this? IE still is the market leader and a large portion of other people will omit your fantastic writing due to this problem.| Hyacintha Warden Paquito
Thanks, We will check with our tech. team.
As a Newbie, I am continuously browsing online for articles that can be of assistance to me. Thank you Charlotta Spencer Nisse
Terrific post however I was wanting to know if you could write a litte more on this subject? Willamina Yule Niall
Hello. This post was really interesting, especially because I was investigating for thoughts on this matter last Thursday. Amberly Mattias Inessa
I like it when people get together and share opinions. Great website, keep it up! Dasie Cedric Cleti
As a Newbie, I am always exploring online for articles that can benefit me. Thank you Jewelle Filippo Chard
Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful article. Thank you for providing this information. Avie Kelley Solly
Hello! I’ve been following your site for a long time
now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Huffman Texas!
Just wanted to tell you keep up the excellent job!
Thanks, Burton
Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up.
The text in your post seem to be running off the screen in Chrome.
I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I
figured I’d post to let you know. The layout look great though!
Hope you get the problem solved soon. Cheers asmr 0mniartist
Good one, I will share this with my Tech. guy.
Very quickly this web site will be famous amid all blog users, due
to it’s fastidious articles 0mniartist asmr
Thanks you are welcome
I absolutely love your blog and find a lot of your post’s to be what precisely I’m looking for.
can you offer guest writers to write content
for you personally? I wouldn’t mind creating a post or elaborating
on many of the subjects you write concerning here.
Again, awesome blog! asmr 0mniartist
What’s up it’s me, I am also visiting this web
page daily, this website is really nice and the people are actually sharing
pleasant thoughts.
It’s amazing to pay a quick visit this website and reading the views of all friends about
this piece of writing, while I am also eager of getting experience.
asmr 0mniartist
You could certainly see your expertise in the work you write.
The sector hopes for even more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid
to say how they believe. Always go after your heart.
0mniartist asmr
I think we don’t each other. But your word touch my ❤. Thanks, May God continue to give us compassion hearts.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I truly appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your further write ups thanks once again.
A person necessarily help to make severely articles I’d state.
This is the first time I frequented your web page and so
far? I surprised with the analysis you made to create this actual
publish amazing. Wonderful process!
WOW just what I was looking for. Came here by searching for and
Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Many thanks, However I am having issues with your RSS.
I don’t understand the reason why I can’t join it. Is there
anyone else having the same RSS issues? Anyone who knows the answer can you kindly respond?
Thanx!!
Try again let me know.
Today, while I was at work, my sister stole my iPad and tested to see
if it can survive a forty foot drop, just so she can be
a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now broken and she has 83
views. I know this is completely off topic but I had to share
it with someone!
I could not resist commenting. Perfectly written!
Appreciate the recommendation. Will try it out.
Keep on working, great job!
Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in truth was a leisure account it.
Glance complex to far introduced agreeable from you!
However, how can we keep in touch?
My programmer is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP.
I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses.
But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using WordPress on a
variety of websites for about a year and am nervous about switching to another platform.
I have heard fantastic things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all my wordpress posts into it?
Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated!
I am using WordPress for almost two years. I never find any problem with it.
scoliosis
You should be a part of a contest for one of the best sites on the net.
I am going to highly recommend this site! scoliosis
Thank you for the kind words sir. This is Emmanuel Limbe. What contest were you referring to?
I was recommended this blog by my cousin. I am not sure whether this post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my difficulty.
You’re wonderful! Thanks!
Thanks-a-mundo for the blog post.Much thanks again. Really Cool.
Amazing! Its truly amazing piece of writing, I have got much clear idea about from this paragraph.
Hey! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a group of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche.
Your blog provided us useful information to work on. You have done a wonderful job!
What’s up to every , for the reason that I am truly eager
of reading this website’s post to be updated on a regular basis.
It consists of fastidious information.
Thanks, I am trying my best
Hello! Do you know if they make any plugins to protect against hackers?
I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any tips?
I don’t know, I will check with my tech guy.
I’m truly enjoying the design and layout of your website. It’s a very
easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a developer
to create your theme? Great work!
Thanks for visiting us.
Thanks for the marvelous posting! I really enjoyed reading it,
you will be a great author. I will be sure to bookmark your blog and will often come
back very soon. I want to encourage yourself to continue your great job,
have a nice weekend!
Thank you for visiting our blog. you are welcome any time.
I always spent my half an hour to read this blog’s articles or reviews everyday along with a mug of coffee.
Wow, I hope there is a point you are very interested in.
Appreciate you sharing, great blog article.Really thank you! Really Great.
Hello there! This post could not be written any
better! Reading through this post reminds me of my previous room mate!
He always kept talking about this. I will forward this
post to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read.
Thanks for sharing!
I wish to hear from him to improve our work.
Hello just wanted to give you a quick heads up.
The text in your content seem to be running off the screen in Ie.
I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with browser compatibility
but I thought I’d post to let you know. The design and style look great though!
Hope you get the problem solved soon. Thanks
Good post. I learn something new and challenging on websites
I stumbleupon every day. It’s always useful to read content from other
writers and practice something from their web sites.
Thanks ASmr, please your opinion is very important to us.
Fantastic goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to and you are just extremely fantastic.
I really like what you’ve acquired here, certainly like what you’re stating and the
way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still take care of to keep it wise.
I cant wait to read much more from you. This is really a tremendous site.
Thanks.
I was wondering if you ever thought of changing the layout of your blog?
Its very well written; I love what youve got to
say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people
could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having
one or 2 pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?
Awesome suggestions. Thanks
My brother suggested I may like this web site.
He was once entirely right. This post truly made my day.
You can not consider simply how so much time I had spent
for this information! Thank you!
As I web-site possessor I believe the content matter here is rattling fantastic , appreciate it for your hard work. You should keep it up forever! Best of luck.
Thank you.
Excellent article. I am going through some of these issues
as well..
This website truly has all the information I needed concerning this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
Would you please try to add any suggestion or comment to develop an argument about the effectiveness of prison Rehab?
Keep on working, great job!
Thanks
Hi would you mind letting me know which webhost you’re utilizing?
I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different browsers and I must say this blog loads a
lot faster then most. Can you recommend a good internet hosting provider at a reasonable price?
Thanks a lot,
Go to http://www.click2website.com
An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a co-worker who has been doing a
little research on this. And he actually bought me lunch
because I stumbled upon it for him… lol. So let me reword
this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for
spending some time to discuss this subject here on your site.
Yes, He is one of the best contributors in this blog I can recommend, despite his busy schedule. I wished him good luck in his endeavor.
After going over a number of the articles on your web page,
I seriously appreciate your technique of writing a blog.
I saved as a favorite it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back soon.
Take a look at my web site too and tell me how you feel.
Thanx, your welcome any time.
Hello there! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice from
an established blog. Is it very hard to set up your own blog?
I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick.
I’m thinking about setting up my own but I’m not sure where
to start. Do you have any points or suggestions?
Many thanks
You can set up a blog in any flat form. The problem is, what in your mind to attract the audiences?.
No matter if some one searches for his vital thing, therefore he/she desires to be available that in detail, thus that thing is maintained over here.
Say, you got a nice blog article.Much thanks again. Keep writing.
Thanks, for sure we will.
Thanks in favor of sharing such a nice opinion, article is good, thats why i have read it fully
You are welcome any time.
This excellent website certainly has all of the information I needed concerning this subject and didn at know who to ask.
You got it,
Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact was a amusement
account it. Look advanced to far added agreeable from you!
However, how can we communicate?
I really like what you guys are usually up too.
Such clever work and coverage! Keep up the wonderful works guys
I’ve included you guys to blogroll.
Thank you, we appreciated
I value the blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Awesome.
Thanks a lot for sharing this with all of us you
actually understand what you’re speaking about! Bookmarked.
Please also seek advice from my website =). We will have a link alternate contract between us
Wonderful goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to and you are
just too great. I really like what you’ve acquired here,
really like what you are saying and the way in which
you say it. You make it enjoyable and you still
care for to keep it smart. I can’t wait to read much more from you.
This is really a terrific web site.
Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after checking through some of the post I realized it’s new to me.
Anyways, I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back often!
Excellent way of telling, and good paragraph to get data on the topic of my presentation subject,
which i am going to convey in academy.
That is a good tip particularly to those fresh
to the blogosphere. Simple but very accurate information… Thank you for sharing
this one. A must read post!
Now I am going away to do my breakfast, once having my breakfast coming yet
again to read more news.
Today, I went to the beachfront with my children. I
found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.”
She put the shell to her ear and screamed.
There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is completely off topic but I
had to tell someone!
My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find most of your post’s to be precisely what I’m looking for.
can you offer guest writers to write content available for you?
I wouldn’t mind producing a post or elaborating on a lot of the subjects you write regarding here.
Again, awesome web site!
Can I simply say what a comfort to uncover somebody that truly understands what
they’re discussing on the internet. You definitely know how to bring an issue to light and
make it important. More people need to look at this and understand
this side of the story. I can’t believe you are not more
popular given that you surely possess the gift.
Ahaa, its nice conversation concerning this piece of writing here at this
web site, I have read all that, so at this time me also
commenting at this place.
I am glad you enjoy reading.
It’s actually a great and useful piece of information. I’m satisfied that you just shared this helpful info with us.Please stay us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.My blog post – cunnilingus tips