Should Prison Inmates Be Allowed To Take College Classes

Prison reform has been an ongoing topic in the history of America, and has gone through many changes in America's past. Mixed feelings have been persevered on the status of implementing these prison reform programs, with little getting done, and whether it is the right thing to do to help those who have committed a crime. Many criminal justice experts have viewed imprisonment as a way to improve oneself and maintain that people in prison come out changed for the better (encyclopedia.com, 2007). In the colonial days, American prisons were utilized to brutally punish individuals, creating a gruesome experience for the prisoners in an attempt to make them rectify their behavior and fear a return to prison (encyclopedia.com, 2007). This practice may have worked 200 years ago, but as the world has grown more complex, time has proven that fear alone does not prevent recidivism. In the 19th century, Dorothea Dix, a women reformer and American activist, began lobbying for some of the first prison reform movements.

The inner moral compulsion to obey is what drives most social organizations. Sykes (2007) described several structural defects that occurred in the New Jersey State prison. Sykes (2007) argues that power in prison is not based on authority therefore prison officials have to find other means to get prisoners to abide by the rules and regulations. The ability to use force to maintain order on a large scale in the prison is an illusion. According to Sykes (2007), Certain privileges such mailing and visiting, personal possessions, time-off for good behavior etc. are given to the inmate all at once upon his or her arrival to the prison. As a result of these privileges given to the inmates upon their arrival, the prisoner have no real incentive

Even though the goals of this experiment were to study the psychological effects of prison on people, it did that and many more by showing how our behaviors can be changed through the roles we participate in. It was also learned that when playing a role most people have a normative conformity and this experiment as many ethical issues that have been discussed in this paper. Are we, as people, greater than the sum of our roles? Or are we truly defined by our roles, and our roles alone? These are questions that need to be reflected

They say three aspects of a thriving society are where we’re from, who we know, and how we think. On the flip side of that coin, these very same aspects can ironically be our undoing. That delicate balance can be the difference between a life in prison and a life dedicated to others. Yes, the sobering realities of life can be harsh but it can also shape and mold us into the people that we’re destined to be. In The Other Wes Moore, The lives of two young men are examined through three distinct lenses. How the environment, social capital (How we get ahead by the help of others and vice versa) and our mindset can dictate who we become in our lives.

One possible alternative route to the prison system could be a boarding school type system where convicts are required to participate in an educational program that gives them the knowledge and ability to be released and given the needs to go make something better of the life they have been given. This system where they are required to participate in educational training would come along side a strict rule system that would encourage them to make the decision to choose something better.

In the article, “How do prisoners typically spend their days”, the author states, “If they have no work assignment, they may have a class to attend or spend time in their bunks reading, writing letters, or listening to the radio. … Prisoners may spend evening hours attending classes, watching television, or playing dominoes.” These statements imply that convicts are never going to learn from their previous mistakes if these activities are considered their “punishment.” When prisoners get out of jail, it is likely that nothing major will have changed in their demeanor. Prisoners should be remorseful for breaking the law, not getting enjoyment from it. In the article, “Do prisoners have too much luxury/ too many privileges?”, the author says, “Not only do they have access to T.V.s, gym equipment and game consoles - Venables even has a guitar - the inmates are also paid to get an education.” How are these actions going to teach prisoners discipline? Prisoners should not receive this kind of treatment while in their detention center; prison is called “prison” for a reason.

Thesis: It is very important for the sake of Americans tax dollars that we change the way that prisons are run and increase the productivity of inmates so when they are released from jail they are ready to be a productive member in society and have the confidence to achieve new goals.

Few remember that not just the indicted are changed in the prison system-the authority figures become different, too. Thousands of people go to detention facilities and stay there from minutes to decades, but the authority figures stay there with every influx of new prisoners. The wardens, in particular, are a monumental part of the system. They regulate the prisoners causing them to adapt to situations, whether positive or negative. Samuel Norton, the warden in the adaptation of Stephen King’s Shawshank Redemption, is embodied by the atmosphere of the prison. He is an apathetic, selfish man who knows how to take advantage of those around him. In the acclaimed motion picture Shawshank Redemption, Warden Norton displays religion as an agent of socialization; stage-two of Kohlberg’s morality development; and resocialization of the prison system.

The government is the ultimate control of all prisons. They are the people who enforce prison law, fund prisons and organize them. Operations run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons are there to ensure every prisoner, a safe environment. The constitution is there to protect prisoners rights. The overall goal of the government is too, regulate prison systems and protect inmates/ prisoners. There is always room for improvement. Recently prison reform has been debated, as people are questioning the humane treatment of prisoners, and are curious here there tax dollars are going. The constitution covers various rights regarding prisoners to ensure their safety and wellbeing. The structure of all persons are controlled by the government, they run public, private, and state prisons. They also manage the overall budget and allocate certain money to certain needed programs for prisons. The government is so important when it comes to prisons as they are protecting the people behind bars and preventing them from being a burden on society and rehabilitating them. That being said, it is essential for the government to have control of prisons and monitor the status of prisoners to ensure total wellbeing. Overall, United States prison policy must be amended and enforced on various levels to accommodate for the ultimate mental and physical well being of prisoners.

A finding from a study done by the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that 67.8 percent of ex-convicts were rearrested. Two-thirds of them spent their time in prison waiting for the release, only to go back into that dirty old cell again. Why don’t they try to get a real job, earn their own living and cherish the second chance we grant them. Let’s step down from the moral high ground for a second. Often released prisoners lack the skills and knowledge to keep up with the pace of society. Competence obsoletes over time; in order to help rehabilitate inmates, 350 college degree programs were once provided in prisons all over the State. However, by 2005, the number has shrunk down to 12 programs in 12 prisons. Prison jobs and educational training have a waiting list of more than 10,000 people. Prisoners are unable to regain their life by better equipping themselves in time of custody due to the fact that the government fails to deliver education to inmates. This is what ‘institutionalization’ from Shawshank’s Redemption is about. After all the years behind bars, they have gradually become more dependent on the walls around them and rather stay in prison because they know the world and their lives are not the same as the ones the time they were jailed. In other words, they are hopeless to re-enter our society. Where else can they be, if not the prison? What else can they do, if not

I have never before visited a prison nor have I met a prisoner in my entire life. Why should I care about someone whom I would rarely see? But these inmates are our brothers and sisters who may have made bad choices, but don’t want their mistakes to hold them back. Throughout my life, my once miserable and hopeless circumstances were transformed by education, and I am certain that the same principle can be applied to anyone, including inmates, despite our differences in how we responded to circumstances. It is true that prison takes nearly everything away from them – even their hopes and dreams. But they have the time to correct past mistakes. In doing so, if they can learn from the worst time of their lives, upon release, they will enter the

On March 3, 1943, Henry, Joey, Smiley, and Tommy got locked up in San Quentin. Henry writes a letter to his family telling them about his experience being locked up in a cell that gave him the feeling of fear and loneliness. “Coming in from the yard in the evening, we are quickly locked up in our cells. Then the clank and locking of the doors leaves one with a rather empty feeling. You are standing up to the iron door, waiting for the guard to come along and take the count, listening as his footsteps fade away in the distance.” (Zoot Suit 1354). When Henry says “locked up”, he refers to him being left alone without any anyone or anything but himself. By saying that he is left with an “empty feeling”, Henry emphasizes how mournful it would have felt as he watches the guard close the doors on him, leaving him in an empty room that causes him to feel empty on the inside. This scene is one of Henry’s lowest point where he feels like no one would be there for him and there’s nothing he could do. Likewise, the story “What You Can Do after Shutdown” by Peter Malae mentions the topic of isolation. The narrator describes how one of activities that a prisoner in jail could do after shutdown is to talk to himself/herself in the restroom. “And if you’re the

The movie Bronson is a really good example of how prison is for some inmates. There are a lot of prisoners that feel that prison is home for them. They make a living of it and sometimes they refuse to be free and experience real life. Prison can be an escape from their problems and they find a way to work and be recognize during their time on the institution. Prison can have benefits from some prisoners, because they learn skills that can help them to find a job after they are done with their time. Bronson is a really good movie that has concepts that are discuss on the correctional theory class. Bronson is a very famous prisoner in Britain because of his violent acts. During the movie it shows different faces and concepts that describe most

2: However, government are trying to reduce, but it is helpless and a lot of reasons behind this poverty, poor, education, and unemployment.

Does it make sense to lock up 2.4 million people on any given day, giving the U.S the highest incarceration rate in the world. More people are going to jail, this implies that people are taken to prison everyday for many facilities and many go for no reason. People go to jail and get treated the worst way as possible. This is a reason why the prison system needs to be changed. Inmates need to be treated better. The government treats prisoners as if they are nothing in this world. The U.S prison system needs to be reformed by building new and better prisons and making it more humane and fair.