Rehabilitation of the Felony Offender Essays - 1468 Words

In 2009 nearly three quarters of a million offenders were released from prisons and jails in the United States, and it is estimated that roughly half of them will reoffend within three years of being released and will return to prison (Katel 1005). Most of these individuals, who are non-violent, low-level offenders, have little education, job experience, limited social skills and a drug or alcohol dependence (May and Pitts 21). That coupled with the fact they have a criminal record, reduces their chances of finding suitable housing or a decent job. Like it or not this affects all of us in one way or another. As taxpayers, we pay the costs of the justice system, incarceration, and there is the issue of public safety. This problem is not†¦show more content†¦In fact, all this did was to promote violence among the inmates. In the 1900s, the courts stepped in and made major changes in the way prisons would operate. It was also becoming clear that incarceration alone was not the answer, and support grew for prisoner rehabilitation (May and Pitts 19-20). In the 1970s and 80s there was a large increase in crime mostly due to increased drug trafficking. By 1990, the crime rate in the U.S. had more than quadrupled. Tough on crime laws with mandatory minimum sentences were passed, and this put more offenders in prison for longer terms. This did result in the crime rate dropping, but by 2003, there were over two million inmates serving sentences in the U.S. jails and prisons. In 2007, 750,000 inmates were released back into society. At the same time, about 720,000 offenders (96%) were being admitted into the prison system, and it costs about 47 billion annually to run the prison system in the U.S. (Katel 1005-1008). Something has to be done as this problem is going to get worse not better. Our justice system is obviously broken and needs a major overhaul. I ask you, doesn’t it make more sense to try and successfully rehabilitate felony offenders when pos sible? Should we just keep building jails to hold all of these offenders or should we offer them a true second chance in society after their time has been served? Let us take the state of Pennsylvania for example. In the last thirty years the states inmateShow MoreRelatedFelony Offenders Can Be Rehabilitation1025 Words   |  5 PagesThe rehabilitation of violent offenders is very rare but is possible to the offenders that actually want to be rehabilitated. Contrary to the public opinion, people convicted of felony offenses can be rehabilitated, but they must determine their future path for themselves and not rely on the prison system to do all the work for them. Rehabilitation is a process and a department that should take the lead (Africa News Service 1 of 3 pages). Also, People do not think that offenders will return to theirRead MoreNo Point Of The Three Strikes Legislation1197 Words   |  5 Pagesorigin of criminology, there has been a constant swing back and forth between incapacitation and rehabilitation in regards to violent recidivating offenders. Some argue our streets will be safer with the criminals off our streets, while others want to teach the chronic offenders how to function and possibly contribute to our society. According to research, our approach needs to be a glass of rehabilitation with a splash of incapacitation. The goal of incapacitation is removing dangerous criminalsRead MoreEssay about The United States Correctional System780 Words   |  4 PagesTHE US CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM The US Correctional System has many different types of punishments, which are based upon the type of crime the offender commits. Murder, Rape and Identity theft are all crimes, crimes that carry different types of punishments. Some crimes such as murder for example have different levels that are based on it nature, first, second, and third degree murder are all three types of murder but carry a different punishment. There are some crimes though that does not carry aRead MoreAnimal Abuse: The Quiet Epidemic Essay808 Words   |  4 Pagesand a sentence of 0 days to one year in prison. The majority of offenders are charged with a fine and several days in prison. Studies have shown that cruelty to animals can lead to more serious criminal actions. Because of this, abusers should not just punished, but put through mandatory mental therapy and rehabilitation to prevent future offenses. The laws on animal abuse should also be increased from a misdemeanor to a felony in order to diss uade such cruel actions. Children who commitRead MoreMale And Female Felony Level Offenders1288 Words   |  6 Pagesthree-year study are adult male and female felony level offenders. My sample frame are all adult male and female felony level offenders being released from Ohio prisons to transitional living. My sample will be 100 male and female felony level offenders being released from a prison during the periods of January 1st, 2017-July 31st 2017 that complete a survey at every check in totaling 600 offenders in all (300 male and 300 female offenders). The offenders will participate in completing a survey atRead MorePunishment or Rehabilitation, that Is the Question Essay781 Words   |  4 PagesThe U.S prison system is used to both punish and rehabilitate offenders. The first thing that is done in that process is punishment. The punishment of offenders happens in several different ways. The first and most obvious way is prison life in general. The offenders are away from their family and friends so the effect of this punishment is not always immediately evident to the inmate. Sometimes they are not in a frame of mind to realize how having a family member in prison can damage the relationshipsRead More Three Strikes Law Essay1740 Words   |  7 Pagesinto a former pattern of behavior or a tendency to return to criminal behavior. Many studies have been conducted about criminals who begin with petty crimes (misdemeanors) that repeat the same crimes or graduate to serious crimes (felonies). The fear of repeat offenders and the increase of recidivism ignited the federal and state governments to seek harsher ways to protect citizens’ safety. Mike Reynolds a photographer whose daughter, Kimber, was murdered in1992 during a purse snatching incidentRead MoreThe Inefficiency Of Our War On Drugs Essay13 83 Words   |  6 Pagesuse to keep them in prison, and divert it to getting proper rehabilitation treatment. If we plan on lowering the drug abuse in America, we will have to dramatically change the way we go about fighting the war on drugs. In 2015 the US Department of Justice requested 8.5 billion dollars to be spent on staffing and maintaining the federal prison system. Of this money only 660 million was to be spent on reentry to society and rehabilitation programs (US Dept. of Justice). While this sounds like a largeRead MoreThree Strikes Law1327 Words   |  6 Pageslaw that borrowing its name from baseball. Which is the three strikes law, it imposed mandatory minimum sentences for individuals who have been convicted of three felony crimes that were committed on three separate occasions. According to Bazelon, the ideology behind the three strikes law is that individuals who commit more than two felonies are chronically criminal and therefore pose a threat to society. Three strikes law advocates, as a fair punishment and a benefit to society, thus view incarceratingRead More Juvenile Justice Essay1308 Words   |  6 Pagestried in adult courts be forced to serve time in adult prisons, where they are more likely to be sexually assaulted and to become repeat offenders. How much discretion should a judge have in deciding the fate of a juvenile accused of a crime - serious, violent, or otherwise? The juvenile crime rate that was so alarming a few years ago has begun to fall - juvenile felony arrest rates in California have declined by more than forty percent in the last twenty years. While Californias juvenile population