Corrections Facilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corrections Facilities - Essay Example There is an argument on whether harsh sentences deter offenders from their criminal actions or turn them into more violent and hardened criminals. Incapacitation is another major objective of the correctional system all over the world. The corrections system, by locking up offenders, effectively keeps them off the streets. There is a general agreement that keeping offenders in prisons prevents them from preying on the society. Another goal of the correctional system is making sure that offenders pay a debt to their victims and the society as a whole. This is referred to as restitution. Offenders do this through performing public services such as picking up trash and also contribute financially directly to their victims. This form of punishment has in recent times been emphasized though it can prove difficult to carry out. Deterrence is another important objective of the corrections system. Many people believe that the threat of prison and other punitive measures deter would be offenders from carrying out criminal activities. However, hardened criminals do not seem to fear this threat but go ahead and involve themselves in crim inal activities. ... Rehabilitation seeks to help criminal offenders become upright citizens who can contribute to society in a positive way. Rehabilitating offenders will also ensure that they don't go back to their past criminal way after completing their sentence. Among the goals of the correctional system, rehabilitation is by far the most difficult task. This is so because of various reasons such as: The state of the prisons. Since a prison is designed almost exclusively for criminals, some convicted felons tend to become hardened rather instead of becoming good citizens. This is in contrast to the rehabilitative objective of the correctional system. Some people are considered to be inherently criminal. They have no interest whatsoever in reverting their old ways. (Rothman 29) Is the current system meeting the basic expectations The recent years has seen a sharp increase in the number of offenders being dealt with in the United States correctional system. According to the US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2007, there were over seven million either on probation, on parole or in jail or prison. This is at least 3.2% of the entire adult population. By mid 2008, 1,610,584 Americans were serving their time in jail or prison. (Bureau of Justice) This basically means one thing; the correctional system is not working effectively as it ought to be. Before we hurry to put the blame on the United States Justice System, it is important to note that that general trend is experienced in almost the whole of the rest of the world. There are heated debates nowadays on how to reform the correctional system and the justice system as a whole. The debates take wide ranging