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Essay Subject: Discusses their contribution to the criminal justice system.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Discusses their contribution to the criminal justice system. Problems of overcrowding and escalating building costs that led to growth of the private prison industry. Advantages and disadvantages. Increase in jobs for local communities. Cost efficiency. Concerns regarding their performance, inexperienced staff. Failure of most private firms to deliver cost-efficient services. Paper Introduction: One of the most pressing problems currently facing the correctional system in American society is overcrowding. In 2000, the number of imprisoned American adults reached 1.86 million, making U.S. the top country in the world with the highest number of incarcerated individuals. Many prisons are stretched past their limits. For example, the Lancaster State Prison in California that is designed to house 2,200 prisoners holds over 4,000 in the minimum- and maximum-security sections. Overcrowding has triggered riots and violence among prisoners (Dungan, 2001, p. 2). Furthermore, the quantity and quality of services for prisoners have also declined with excessive numbers of prisoners (Green in Wilson, 1996, p. 2). More importantly, the stressful conditions of squeezing people into limited space have also resulted in cases of misconduct by correctional Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. We're #1: Population in prisons grows in US.In Associated Press [Online], 1-2. Even more importantly, the staff members have to bequalified in their fields of study in order to provide quality service tothe offenders. These facilities will enablethe offenders to transition gradually from a restricted environment to thereal world with its challenges. Robison, A. (2 1, August 9). For example, a program that is successful can have high rates ofrecidivism. Although the tough stance on crimehas led to the decrease in crime rates since 1993, many prisoners facelonger sentences for drug crimes and violent crimes than their counterpartsin previous years (Ho, 2 , pp. Although it offers many potential benefits, a rehabilitative programor policy is likely to meet with considerable political opposition frompoliticians. In Statewide[Online], 1-4. In addition, it is also vital for evaluators toconstruct a system of assessment that can verify the success of a programfairly. Even more significantly, thecounselors had received no formal training in the field of mental health orpsychotherapy (Miller, 1989, pp. California's overcrowded prisons. Therefore, a comparison wasnecessary to demonstrate the effectiveness of the family therapy program. As mentioned before, another factor that will limit the success of theprogram is funding. The problem of overcrowding in prisons is a result of an erroneousbelief that incarceration is the panacea for crimes. Therefore, it is time forpolicymakers to take a different approach by helping nonviolent criminalsreturn to society with the resources and skills that will enable them tosucceed in their community. 2-3). Many politicians have become disillusioned with the failuresof many rehabilitative problems over 3 years ago. [Online], 1-4.Available: www.fdungan.com/prison.htm [2 2, January 3]. Thus, these offenders will live in apositive environment that provides them with practical and psychologicalsupport in their endeavor to thrive within the community. References Dungan, F. 2). These options can take the form of acommunity resource center that not only provides a residence for theoffenders, but also a resource that helps them obtain and maintain theirjob within the community. 2). Two years later, Congress also determined that drug offendersshould be given harsh minimum sentences for possession of crack. In order to reduce the problem of overcrowding, housing alternativesshould be considered with the focus on rehabilitation and socialreintegration of nonviolent criminals. For example, in the3 -year "Cambridge-Somerville" study that began in the 193 s, researchersfound that each of the 32 boys who were assigned to ten counselors wasseen five times per year on average. (1989, March). the topcountry in the world with the highest number of incarcerated individuals.Many prisons are stretched past their limits. For drug offenders and addicts, a therapeutic facility should beprovided to accommodate and assist them in overcoming their substance abuseproblems and teach them life skills. Miller, J.G. By toughening laws andimposing harsh sentences, policymakers assumed that they would have beenable to deter potential offenders from committing crimes and repeatoffenders. Available:www.commondreams.org/headlines/ 42 - 1.htm [2 2, January 3]. By punishing nonviolent offenders in the harsh anddangerous environment of prisons with their prison subculture, the criminaljustice system will end up releasing hardened criminals who are likely toinflict more harm on society than when they first entered the prison. However, it is importantto note that these rehabilitative programs failed to produce positiveeffects because they did not provide adequate services. Available:www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v 1/n1469/a 4.html?229 [2 2, January 3]. Furthermore, extensive funding is need to pay for the variety of staffpersonnel such as nurses, doctors, counselors, psychotherapists andadministrative staff. However, without sufficientfunding, the program will not be able to attract the type of personnel whocan ensure the success of this program. The debate on rehabilitating criminals: Isit true that nothing works? (2 , April 2 ). Overcrowding hastriggered riots and violence among prisoners (Dungan, 2 1, p. Thus, policymakers and the public should not dismiss theprogram without allowing sufficient time to pass before evaluating theperformance of the program. In 2 , the number ofimprisoned American adults reached 1.86 million, making U.S. During thelast decade, Congress has also supported the states' crackdown on crime byincreasing punishments for repeat offenders (Robison, 2 1, p. In The Washington Post [Online], 1-7.Available: www.igc.org/ncia/rehab.html [2 2, January 3]. In The Wall Street Journal [Online], 1-4. Finally, another potential constraint that can undermine thesuccessful implementation of the program is the lack of immediate results.Because this program has an ambitious agenda of fully rehabilitating theoffenders and ensuring their successful re-entry into society, it may notseem to be as cost-efficient as traditional prisons that simply lockoffenders away. On the basic level, the offenders willrequire decent accommodations, food and resources such as computers. (1996, October 18). Through this approach that seeks toeradicate the fundamental causes of drug addiction, the chances ofrecidivist behavior would be significantly reduced. Ho, D. 2).Furthermore, the quantity and quality of services for prisoners have alsodeclined with excessive numbers of prisoners (Green in Wilson, 1996, p. 1-5; Robison, 2 1, p. 2). In 1984, Congress passed theSentencing Reform Act that eliminated federal parole and established theSentencing Commission to create firm sentencing guidelines for federalcrimes. 1-2; Dungan, 2 1, p. In order to ensure the successful implementation of theprogram, sufficient funding must be available to provide quality service tothe clients by qualified staff. US: Mandatory prison time is beingrethought. The problem of overcrowding has resulted from numerous causes.Because of the widely perceived failure of many poorly implementedrehabilitation problems during the 196 s and 197 s, many policymakersdecided to adopt a hardened stance on crime starting from the 198 s(Miller, 1989, pp. 3). Available: http://net.unl.edu/~swi/pers/prisons.html [2 2,January 3]. In many states such as California, the imposition of compulsoryminimum sentences, the stringent punishment of parolees who violated paroleand the implementation of the three-strikes law have further exacerbatedthe situation of prison overcrowding. With positive behavior and high performance,offenders will be permitted to have more freedom to leave the facilityduring the evenings and weekends. 2).More importantly, the stressful conditions of squeezing people into limitedspace have also resulted in cases of misconduct by correctional officersincluding illicit sexual activity with prisoners (Dungan, 2 1, p. The ultimate success of the program is dependent on thecapabilities of the various staff members to provide a positive andsupportive environment for the offenders. Wilson, D. Prison overcrowding. However, 93 percent of the control groupcommitted a new offense (Miller, 1989, p. 2). In a study that analyzed the effects of a family therapyprogram on hardcore delinquents, 6 percent of the group perpetratedanother crime after 15 months. This program is premised on the belief that nonviolent criminalsshould be rehabilitated. (2 1). For example, the LancasterState Prison in California that is designed to house 2,2 prisoners holdsover 4, in the minimum- and maximum-security sections. Essentially,the failure of the rehabilitative programs to produce positive resultsshould be attributed to the poor implementation of the programs, ratherthan the rehabilitative approach itself. Withthese rehabilitative housing alternatives, prisoners are given theopportunities to deal with their problems and develop life skills that willenable them to succeed in mainstream society. Although they have reduced crime rates, these policymakers havecreated a new problem of prison overcrowding. One of the most pressing problems currently facing the correctionalsystem in American society is overcrowding. In order to obtain funding from thegovernment, one of the primary tasks is to convince that politicians thatthey should give the rehabilitative approach another chance. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.