The United States Correctional System Essay - 830 Words

United States Correctional System The United States correctional system is put in place for the time after a conviction to punish the convicted as well as get them ready to reenter society as a productive member. Unfortunately, Langan and Levin (2002), statisticians with the Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that 67.5% of prisoners released from prison are arrested again within three years time. Obviously, there is some sort of breakdown in the correction area of the criminal justice matrix. Even though there is overcrowding in the current prison systems, the public needs to look at options to remove criminals from the system and give them every opportunity to remain productive members of society once they are released. The†¦show more content†¦The current United States correctional system rehabilitates offenders by offering counseling and programs to empower the offenders. The idea of rehabilitation has been used since the 1790’s, when the Pennsylvania system of imprisonment came into effect (Schmalleger, F., 2011). While this system provided excellent rehabilitation opportunities, it was mainly up to the individual to rehabilitate themselves. After that period came the Mass Prison era around 1825-1876 that made for rehabilitation time to be organized. This era in the prison system focused on group workshops, physical punishment and hard labor for enforcement, this left little time to reflect on the nature of the crime making it more punishment than rehabilitative. This has continued to the newest era of prisons, the just deserts era that started in 1995 (Schmalleger, 2011). There are several different rehabilitation programs offered to offenders today. Work programs, like the federally funded Workforce Investment Act, education, and checkups from the probation and parole departments all help to rehabilitate. The Workforce Investment Act, or WIA, serves approximately 450,000 offenders a year. The Prisoner Re-entry Initiative serves approxim ately 6,500. These are just a couple of the federally funded programs and how many they look to help that are overseen by the local governments departmentsShow MoreRelatedIssues in the Correctional Systems of the United States.1797 Words   |  8 PagesIssues in the Correctional Systems of the United States I have chosen to research the correctional system of the United States for many reasons. The first reason is that I believe this component of the legal system has the most problems facing it. Another reason is that this topic interests me and I would like to learn more about it. There are many important issues, challenges and problems within the United States correctional system that need to be addressed. I found it difficult to focus on justRead MoreEssay about The United States Correctional System780 Words   |  4 PagesTHE US CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM The US Correctional System has many different types of punishments, which are based upon the type of crime the offender commits. Murder, Rape and Identity theft are all crimes, crimes that carry different types of punishments. Some crimes such as murder for example have different levels that are based on it nature, first, second, and third degree murder are all three types of murder but carry a different punishment. There are some crimes though that does not carry aRead MoreCorrectional Facilities And The Correctional Facility1645 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The correctional facilities in the United States of America are composed of operators that own or manage correctional facilities and halfway houses. 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(2013) indicate that offenders in the United States, which consisted of men, women, and children, were all confined together in theRead MorePositive And Negative Impacts Of The Correctional System1514 Words   |  7 Pages Then and Now Paper 9/24/2017 Seminar in Corrections 4200 Katlyn Ford Valdosta State University â€Æ' Introduction The correctional system as a whole has a significant impact on the United States. From policy, incarceration, sexual victimization, and those who oversee correctional facilities it all takes a toll on the country. Simply stated, it is the butterfly effect seen in action. When one decision, action, or lack thereof is implemented there will either be positive or negative consequences. StatisticsRead MoreThe United States Corrections System990 Words   |  4 PagesThe United States corrections system is organized distinctive structures that retain certain similarities with the Chinese prisons system. 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