Prisons As Punishment or Whether They Are Term Paper

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Prisons as punishment or whether they are good for rehabilitation or rather perhaps neither are of a positive effect for the offender or have a negative effect.

Prison as a Punishment

There are many arguments for and against prisons many see the prison role as a way of helping to fight crime, for example many argue that as a deterrent it can force criminals to avoid prison by not committing crimes. However, this ideal was a theory that began as policy for governing penal centres in the early 1970's, since that time the prison populations have increased fivefold (Clear, 2002 and Blumstein, 1993).

Never the less the growth of the prison system is not being met with a decrease in crime, rather the opposite. The major increase of those being incarcerated and the lack of a reduction in crime needs to be discussed and looked at with some in-depth examination (Clear, 2002 and Blumstein, 1993).

There are many arguments that will pursue the debate that the idea of prison is a simplistic attitude as it does not give a full credence or allowance for any unintentional consequences that arise from the imprisonment (Blumstein, 1993).

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There are many unforeseen effects that although subtle form a combination of systemic actions that counteract any positive reinforcement that is introduced. On a wider scale any effects of imprisonment would need to be examined in more detail to further understand them and the limits of any crime prevention strategy utilized within the prison system (Felson, 1994).

It has been seen above that in many cases prisons do not help to deter crime, rather as noted crime has increased. Yet if prison populations have increased in size and crime rates have also increased what is happening to the cause such an increase?

In many ways the increase is not down to those prisoners who have been released re-offending, probably around 75% of those released do not re-offend it is the increase in the general population that is keeping crime rates high along with lower standards of living a in the poorer areas (Felson, 1994 and Freeman, 1992).

There are many ways that prisons are now trying to reduce crime and an increase in prison sizes. Rehabilitation classes and seminars are being held in….....

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"Prisons As Punishment Or Whether They Are", 28 September 2002, Accessed.17 May. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/prisons-punishment-whether-135663