Incarceration refers to the confinement of offenders sentenced and convicted for a long term. In most countries, incarceration is the primary and severe form of rehabilitation and punishment for people with offenses like felonies. The department of justice performs the role of incarcerating and detaining individuals in the custody of the federal government. Detention is the short-term holding of people awaiting deportation or sentences for federal offenses. The critical functions of incarceration and detention are deterrence, rehabilitation, retribution, and incapacitation.
The strategic goals of incarceration aim to ensure quality inmates treatment in a secure environment; provide educational programs to facilitate the restoration of former detainees into society, and ensure enough prison capacity. Incarceration measures deprive individuals of their liberty mainly to minimize recidivism and protect the public against criminal activities.
Rehabilitation seeks to change a prisoner’s behavior to prevent future offenses. Prison administrators offer vocational work and training with other forms of programs that are available and appropriate to a person’s needs and deficits. The rehabilitation programs aim to prepare the prisoners for restoration to society to lead an independent life that abides by the law (Day, 2020). The services and activities delivered to the inmates are social, moral, spiritual, sports, and health-related.
Recidivism is a fundamental part of criminal justice, and its concept is integrated into incarceration’s core goals, such as specific deterrence, rehabilitation, and incapacitation. Recidivism measurement is done through analysis of crimes that led to rearrest of a convicted criminal within three years of their release (Loeffler & Nagin 2022). The relapse of individuals into criminal behavior is crucial in facilitating the desistance of criminals and evaluating prisons. People released from prison either desist or recidivate, although overlaps occur between the concepts through sanctions and intervention. Recidivism facilitates the running of the prison system through implementing policies that ensure proper treatment of detained individuals by providing quality services.
Deterrence frightens the public or individuals into avoiding criminal acts. General deterrence applies to the public, who are less likely to commit an offense because of fear of incurring the same punishment as the defendant. Specific deterrence applies to individuals who stop criminal activities after the judicial system has imposed sanctions on the defendant, thus preventing future crimes. The prison system encourages people to be law-abiding citizens to avoid incarceration.
Incapacitation refers to removing criminals from society to protect the public from crimes. Incapacitation includes house arrest, incarceration, and the death penalty. Retribution refers to the punishment of individuals for offenses against the public. Retribution involves depriving the offender’s right to freedom without restricting their human rights or imposing other punishments to ensure their debt to society is paid (Altman, 2021). Retribution enhances the public faith in the government and law enforcement agencies after an offender is adequately penalized due to the practical procedures of the judicial system.
The department of justice’s main task during detention is to provide humane, secure, and safe confinement of individuals detained while awaiting sentencing, trial, or a hearing on immigration status. DOJ is responsible for establishing and maintaining prison capacity through the collaboration of the local and state governments and the private sector to avoid overcrowding and ensure that serious offenders are confined for their sentences.
The most important strategic goal of incarceration is the rehabilitation of prisoners. The programs in correctional facilities aim to balance deterrence, incapacitation, punishment, and opportunities to ensure a smooth transition of inmates from confinement into society. The vocational training and education offered to seek to minimize prisoners’ idleness and equip them with the necessary skills to be self-sufficient in the community after their release.
References
Altman, M. C. (2021). A Theory of Legal Punishment: Deterrence, Retribution, and the Aims of the State. Routledge.
Day, A. (2020). At a crossroads? Offender rehabilitation in Australian prisons. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 27(6), 939-949.
Loeffler, C. E., & Nagin, D. S. (2022). The impact of incarceration on recidivism. Annual Review of Criminology, 5, 133-152.
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