CRJ303: Corrections: Prison Life and Strategies to Reduce Recidivism

Name: CRJ303: Corrections: Prison Life and Strategies to Reduce Recidivism
Brand: Arizona State University
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Author: Madison Taylor

This document analyzes prison life and discusses strategies for reducing recidivism rates.

Madison Taylor

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Prison Life 1
Prison Life and Strategies to Reduce Recidivism
Sandy Diaz (Echon)
CRJ303: Corrections
Instructor: Scott Axton
July 26, 2012
Analyze the experiences of prison life and evaluate strategies to reduce recidivism within U.S.
correctional systems. In your analysis, consider the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs, the
impact of prison conditions, and policy implications. Support your arguments with relevant
research and case studies. (Word Count: 1500-2000 words)

Prison Life 2
Prison Life and Strategies to Reduce Recidivism
Introduction
All societies in the world acknowledge the fundamental role that prisons and jails play in
ensuring that law breakers receive the punishment they deserve. At the same time, prisons offer
the offenders an opportunity to reform and become better people in the society. In the United
States, an estimated two million inmates are housed in jails and prisons of the country. Statistics
indicate that a large percentage of these prisoners are comprised of people who have been
imprisoned in the past, as well as, those who have not been inmates in the past.
The issue of prison conditions and the impacts they have on the future lives of inmates
has attracted significant interest in the American society. One of the most important trends in the
U.S justice system is that out of 600, 000 inmates that are released from prison each year, about
two-thirds end up being rearrested after three years (Chen & Shapiro, 2007). In this respect, the
objective of this paper is to discuss prison life and strategies that can be adopted in prisons to
reduce recidivism.
Analysis of the Purposes for Prisons in the U.S Justice System
The correctional facilities in the U.S are principally meant to ensure that the sentences
that have been prescribed by the Courts on offenders are implemented to the letter. Nevertheless,
correctional administrators in the modern correctional facilities have been enlightened in that
they recognize a broader responsibility and mission of prisons. Protecting the society from
criminal acts by offenders serves as the complete mission of corrections in the U.S justice
system. In order to accomplish this mission, prisons have to use a combination of strategies for
surveillance and control of offenders, in addition to rehabilitative and treatment services. At the

Prison Life 3
same time, inmates need to be incapacitated during the time which they are serving their
sentences. In a nutshell, prisons serve five main purposes geared towards protecting the society;
these are punishment, rehabilitation, deterrence, restitution, and incapacitation (Wilson &
Wilson, 2011, p. 383).
It is worth noting that, from the mid-1970s onwards, punishment became a highly
regarded function of prisons in the U.S while rehabilitation started being viewed as less
important (BENSON, 2003). Nonetheless, prison administrators have recognized that
punishment and rehabilitation must go together for levels of recidivism to go down. Moreover,
punishment only considers the crime that has been committed without giving much attention on
the circumstances or the factors that led an inmate to commit a particular crime.
This is where rehabilitation comes in, as it considers the needs and circumstances that
influenced an inmate to commit a crime, be they educational, psychological, economical, or
sociological. Prisons also serve to deter inmates and other individuals in the society from
committing crimes. Nonetheless, for deterrence to be achieved the punishment given must be
visible and the public must be convinced that the law will act with no partiality once a person
commits a crime (Smith, 2010). For example, people will not be deterred if criminals who have
committed serious crimes such as murder buy their way out through bribes.
Incapacitation comes in the form of restrictions that come about through incarceration. In
other words, once offenders are imprisoned, their freedom of movement is curtailed and thus
they have less or no contact with the outside world (Gleissner, 2010). Consequently, the society
is protected from any potential harm from the offenders. Restitution, on the other hand involves
giving offenders an opportunity to correct their wrong deeds or repaying their victims or society

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University

Arizona State University

Subject

Criminal Justice

CRJ303: Corrections: Prison Life and Strategies to Reduce Recidivism

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