One of the roles of the criminal justice system is to sentence offenders. Guilty offenders may be subjected to numerous penalties, including parole, incarceration, or death sentence. The method of a criminal sentence depends on the nature and the intensity of the committed crime. The methods used by the correctional system to punish offenders may be rehabilitation, incapacitation, deterrence, and retribution (Point Park University, 2019). Rehabilitation involves actions that are meant to reform offenders into law-abiding residents. Steps involved in rehabilitation are; training in prison, counseling sessions, and job skills. Deterrence is a method of preventing a crime by intimidating individuals about its penalties. The retribution method involves administering a penalty equal to the crime committed by the law offender. The incapacitation method involves taking the offender away from the public to stop them from committing further crimes or persuading others into committing such crimes. Restitution, as a method, prevents the future by punishing the offender financially (Henderson, 2021). The method involves the court ordering the offender to pay the victim for damages. It can be for physical injuries, loss of property, or as a fine that covers the costs of criminal prosecution and punishment.
Correctional systems utilize rehabilitation programs to reform offenders. The rehabilitation programs help inmates acquire acceptable social conduct to handle frustrations without committing unlawful behaviors. It is through rehabilitation that reoffending is controlled. One of the programs the correctional system uses to rehabilitate inmates is offering psychological/ counseling programs. The counseling programs help the offenders to admit their mistakes, embrace themselves and accept change in their lives. Chaplains are among the people who offer counseling to the inmates to help them handle challenges in their lives. Counseling does not only help the inmates to accept themselves but also regain back their self-esteem, thus preventing suicidal thoughts. Behavioral programs are meant to reform the offender’s thought process to alter their behavior.
The most effective method of reducing crime is rehabilitation. The method helps individuals change from criminals to law-abiding citizens. Through the program, lawbreakers accept themselves and the mistakes they have done and choose to reform. Reintegration programs are for specific criminals and are meant to reduce recidivism when integrated with proven values. At the same time, rehabilitation aids in reintegrating criminals into society after their punishment period are over.
Rehabilitation as a method of punishment seeks to reform an individual’s behavior. Rehabilitation programs include educational and vocational programs, treatment center placement, and counseling (Henderson, 2021). The courts often combine rehabilitation with incarceration, probation, or parole. Criminals are expected to partake in rehabilitative programs in combination with probation and in addition to incarceration.
Women in contemporary correctional facilities face many challenges. Some of these challenges result from their previous life before Imprisonment, while others result from Imprisonment itself. Women inmates experience victimization, unstable family life, school and work failure, substance abuse, and problems related to mental health. Social factors such as poverty, homelessness, and single motherhood contribute to the rising number of women in prison. Women inmates get separated from their children and their significant others. Obstacles created by correctional facilities make it hard for women inmates to maintain relationships with their close people. Pregnant women who give birth while in prison are rarely permitted to spend time with their children after birth.
In the contemporary era, women in prison also continue to experience sexual abuse and coercion. Within correctional settings, incarcerated women have disproportionately high rates of experiencing staff-perpetrated sexual victimization (Fedock et al., 2019). Moreover, only a tiny proportion of incarcerated women formally report their victimization experiences to correctional staff, and even fewer reports are thoroughly investigated by internal investigators and found to be substantiated. Women in prison are also at risk for infectious diseases, including HIV, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, and hepatitis B and C infections. Pregnancy and reproductive health needs are another neglected area of health care. Problems of pregnant inmates include lack of prenatal and postnatal care, inadequate education regarding childbirth and parenting, and little or no preparation for the mother’s separation from the infant after delivery.
To conclude, although rehabilitation as a method continues to be employed in many correctional facilities, there is a need for adjustment. Many prisons are still considered a place and a space for punishment, thus reducing rehabilitation and social reintegration to a detrimental position. Often, correctional facilities are violent, vulnerable, and precarious and contradict themselves with their institutional goals. Although some there are prisons with rehabilitation programs, few are effective. Therefore, rehabilitation must become the Centre of change in criminal behavior to positively influence the offenders’ abilities and capabilities. Further, the duties of the correctional service should not end in providing rehabilitation tools during the confinement period but should include post-prison programs.
References
Fedock, G., Cummings, C., Kubiak, S., Bybee, D., Campbell, R., & Darcy, K. (2019). Incarcerated Women’s Experiences of Staff-Perpetrated Rape: Racial Disparities and Justice Gaps in Institutional Responses. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 8(9), 088626051985053. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519850531
Henderson, R. (2021). The Purposes of Punishment. Ua.pressbooks.pub, 7(8). https://ua.pressbooks.pub/criminallawalaskaed/chapter/1-5-the-purposes-of-punishment/
Point Park University. (2019, January 28). Addressing Transgressions: Types of Criminal Punishment. Point Park University Online. https://online.pointpark.edu/criminal-justice/types-of-criminal-punishment/
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