Essay Example on Community-Based Correction: Decarceration for Prison Overcrowding

Introduction

Correctional systems are strategies administered by the criminal justice department to reduce crime rates. There are historical and contemporary correction systems with various goals and objectives. One of the old systems is the community-based method, adopted in the 1960s after prison overcrowding was declared a national issue. Also called decarceration, the technique was introduced to put criminals in societies where they served sentences. Notably, the offenders considered in this system were non-violent, and those who committed minor crimes. The idea behind the policy was that corrections were best done in the real world other than secluded areas such as prisons.

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One of the goals and objectives of the community-based system is to avoid prison crowding and reduce costs in constructing prisons (Caruana, 2018). The amount of money needed in building jails was high, and there were regulations concerning the number of prisons in a particular area. The factors motivated the use of these systems where offenders were corrected while in the community. The community-based system was also implemented for surveillance. It was done by allowing criminals to participate in community activities and assess if their presence is risky. For example, the officers determined if they violated the law of the land and societal expectations. Moreover, the system ensured community reentry to help criminals return to the community thriving and avoid related criminal behaviors.

An example of a contemporary state correctional system is Imprisonment. It is where offenders are jailed for a while, determined by the crime committed. The primary goal and objective of prison is retribution referring to punishment for the crimes committed. Here, the criminals are denied freedom of movement as a way to make them pay for the damage done in the society. Incapacitation is the other goal of Imprisonment, where criminals are separated from community members to avoid more harm. They are locked in jails, where the interaction with the community is prevented to ensure no opportunity to cause distractions. Apart from that, Imprisonment is done for deterrence or prevention of future crimes. It is assumed that in prisons, the people are corrected to encourage them to avoid breaking the law. Finally, the imprisonment functions as rehabilitation, where offenders are changed to become law-abiding citizens. They are educated on the need to adhere to the law and ways to prevent crimes in the future. Here, psychologists and social workers are highly involved, who ensure that the offenders are fit to return to society.

Criminal Justice Issues

Several criminal justice issues for corrections personnel and the constitutional rights of offenders relevant to punishment, rehabilitation, treatment, and supervision are evident. The rate of drug-related crimes has increased rapidly, leading to overcrowding in prisons. According to statistics, the offenses rate in the nation has reduced by 16% by drug-related offenses increased by 93.4% (Huebner & Bynum, 2016). The number is too high, while the prisons available in the nation are less. It has affected the treatment process because the inmates are not given the proper correctional measures in helping them become law-abiding citizens. For example, an excess number of criminals are put in jails, where the offenders form subcultures, making them more dangerous to the community than before. It is for this reason the United States jails population has increased by 340%. The rate of Imprisonment is higher than the release of inmates, making the rehabilitation process fruitless.

The other notable issue relates to punishment, where the police punish people based on their race other than law-breaking. 2015 data shows that about 987 people were killed by the police that year. 78% of the victims were armed with guns, while 10% lost lives unarmed. Moreover, 50% of the individuals killed were whites, while the number of the minority groups was uncountable. Racial biasness is evident here, were police prejudice the minority groups such as the African Americans. These populations are, therefore, likely to be punished or killed even when they are innocent while the real criminals are set free. It would, therefore, seem that the department is protecting society, but in reality, they punish the wrong people and, thus, do not practice justice. Racial discrimination has been a big issue in the nation, making it problematic to punish wrongdoers.

Criminal justice also faces issues related to the Constitutional rights of offenders. The US constitutional founders aimed at ensuring that privacy and liberty rights of offenders are respected and, at the same time, peace and order in the nation. The police department, therefore, has restrictions in their roles of gathering information and handling crime suspects. For example, the fourth amendment rights state that 'unreasonable searches and seizures' should be avoided. The law means that the police have to seek permission from legal institutions to conduct searches expected to gather evidence. The fifth and sixth amendment rights also state that people must be protected in times in investigations and trials. Besides, they are allowed to consult an attorney, and those with fewer resources are allowed to have a public defender. The rights and limitations would, at times, be problematic for police in executing their duties.

Impacts of Incarceration and Social Justice Issues

Incarceration or imprisonment and social justice issues are notable in both public and private correctional institutions. Considering the Federal Correctional Institution, Coleman, and the Borallon private Correctional Center, several impacts and problems are evident. Incarceration affects inmates psychologically, making it hard for people to become productive in the community. Data shows that half of the prisoners in the country have mental health illnesses, and about 25% of them develop significant diseases such as schizophrenia and affective disorders. Despite the knowledge, there have not been mental health care in the prisons because of the surrounding. The United States has the highest number of prisoners, while the correctional measures taken do not meet their needs. On the other hand, handling mental cases needs a lot of money, yet the amount allocated is little. Even though some inmates are imprisoned having Medicare, Medicaid, and other social securities, they are typically discontinued making it hard for them to access medical attention.

Incarceration also has impacts on the inmates' social life, especially on culture. As noted, the number of prisoners in the United States is too high, indicating that many prisoners are placed in a cell. On the other hand, people have different origins and culture, but when imprisoned, subcultures are formed. Some inmates are usually comfortable being imprisoned while others develop the willing to change so that they can return to the community. The people comfortable in the place, discriminate the rest to make them change. In this interaction, subcultures are formed, which in most cases, show bitterness and anger. After the release, the offenders experience issues relating to society due to conflicts in values and beliefs. The impact makes them engage in criminal behavior like drug abuse.

The Borallon private prison is expected to reduce incarceration rates by rehabilitating inmates who would reduce psychological effects. However, the implementation of such programs would make them have fewer customers, as the standard or return would reduce. Notably, the private sector aims to expand their businesses and not resolve the crime problem in the nation. The services, programs, and policies implemented in these organizations are, therefore, to attract more criminals other than reducing. The conflict of interest between the public and private prisons leads in incarceration issues like the development of mental illnesses. With the problem, it is expected that the rate of incarceration in the country will increase, and the psychological harm to inmates shall get worse. Therefore, incarceration impacts inmates negatively, where most develop mental illnesses affecting the reentry to the community.

Social justice issues are also evident in these institutions, especially on gender and color. Social justice relates to criminal prosecution in that fairness and equality is ensured from when one is suspected throughout the system. However, this has not been practiced due to prejudice and discrimination incorporated in the community. For example, the number of men in prisons is more significant than that of women. It has led to the assumption that men are more likely to commit crimes compared to women (Adams, Klinsky & Chhetri, 2020). It is a social injustice element, as conclusions should be made based on the case other than gender. The other social justice issue is on race, where the minority populations like African Americans are assumed to commit crimes more than the Whites. It is for this reason that New York police frisk and suspect the blacks more while the Whites are left. Therefore, social injustice in handling crimes is evident, considering gender and race.

Cultural Sensitivity and Diversity Awareness Issues Relevant In Prisons

Cultural sensitivity and diversity awareness issues are common in United States prisons. The aspects refer to considering culture while relating to inmates. It is said that culture determines how people interact, talk, and perceive things, among other things in society. However, prisons in the nation have not addressed this issue. Most of the correctional personnel are the Whites, while the African Americans and other minority groups make up the larger population in prisons. Due to prejudice integrated in the society, the Whites feel superior, finding no need to understand the blacks' culture while rehabilitating them. The lack of knowledge means that they less understand the blacks making it hard to understand them. For example, they less understand the reasons why the black prisons engaged in crimes. In the end, illegal rehabilitation programs would be administered due to the lack of cultural sensitivity.

Diversity awareness is also not practiced in the nation while handling prisons. People are different, indicating that their needs in the prisons differ. The prisons are overcrowded, making it hard for the correctional officers to consider the diversities. On the other hand, it is impossible to adopt a specific behavior or culture to all the prisoners. The cultural insensitivity and reduced diversity awareness has affected prisoners' lives while in prison and afterward. Not all the prisoners are usually willing to change their behavior and therefore live with 'a don't care' attitude. Such inmates are influential in convincing the rest to live in particular ways, to adapt to the prison hardships. The influence results in the development of sub-cultures, where the inmates forget their culture and modify the new behaviors (Adams, Klinsky & Chhetri, 2020). The aspects adopted do not adhere to the cultural expectations because it is influenced by anger and bitterness experienced in the prisons. When such people are released to the community, reentry problems are encountered, since some of these people get back to engaging in some illegal activities. Thus, the lack of cultural sensitivity and diversity awareness leads prisoners to adopt new cultures making it tough for them to live with society members after the release.

Methods of Alternative Sentencing Utilized In Correctional Sentencing

Alternative sentencing refers to where an individual convicted with a...