Essay Example on Prisons Rehabilitation Policy Manual

Introduction

Prisons should rehabilitate criminals and make them better citizens. Every prisoner has rights, and these institutions should ensure every prisoner's rights are defended. However, prisoners with special needs face a lot of challenges in these institutions. Some of these prisoners include minors, people with mental illnesses, the elderly and Muslims. Although there have been efforts to tackle these challenges in our prisons, a lot needs to be done to improve the state of these prisons. The governments' failure to address various issues in these facilities has contributed to an increase in the number of cases of prisoners' harassments.

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The Elderly

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of elderly prisoners across the country. The elderly can hardly to cope with the conditions in these institutions. Firstly, it is expensive to cater to the needs of the aging population. It is estimated that an aging prisoner requires a total of 68,270 dollars annually for upkeep which is twice the amount needed by the other prisoners (Skarupski, 2018, 164). Some of them are too old to attend to their daily tasks or even attend their medical appointments. These facilities are forced to hire extra staff members to attend to these inmates accosting them vast sums of money. However, there is a shortage of workers in some of these facilities, and this means some of them hardly get the services they require.

Secondly, the inmates are prone to chronic disorders like diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular disorders, and liver diseases (Skarupski, 2018, 160). Cases of mental health conditions are also common among these groups making it even more challenging to handle such inmates. These conditions have contributed to an increase in the number of suicide cases, anxiety, and depression.

Management

The government should provide enough funds to ensure they get all the services they require. Staffing is affected by numerous agency and facility factors (Thigpen, Beau Clair & Watson, 2008, p. 17). Firstly, the money should be used to hire enough workers who are knowledgeable enough to offer quality palliative care. The government should also focus on cutting the high cost of attending to the elderly in these facilities. The government could release some of these convicts especially those who are too old to attend to their duties. It could also release those with terminal illnesses as well as those who are less likely to survive. The government should establish a system that monitors the prisoners they release where members of the public help them to reform.

Mental Disorders

It is estimated that about twenty percent of the prisoners across the country suffer from severe mental illness (Konrad, & Opitz-Welke, 2018, p. 517). Some of the common mental illnesses include bipolar disorders, depression, and schizophrenia. These disorders have been attributed to the increase in the number of suicide cases reported across different prions in the country. The prisoners' conditions are prone to getting worse due to the victimization and harassment they face from the staffs and other inmates (Konrad, & Opitz-Welke, 2018, p. 520). Most prisons lack the facilities required to handle these patients. It is expensive to maintain prisoners with mental disorders, and one prisoner needs about one thirty dollars compared to eighty dollars for an ordinary prisoner for their upkeep. The cost of their medications has increased in recent years making it even more challenging. These patients should also be monitored because some of them are dangerous, and they could be violent risking the lives of other inmates. Moreover, most workers also fear handling these prisoners who could turn violent any time.

Management

The government can partner with hospitals where the patients could access these treatments. The prisons should also focus on following up of these prisoners after they serve their jail terms. Most of these prisoners end up being neglected in society after they are released. Neglecting these victims leaves them depressed and in most cases end up committing crimes due to lack of support from the members of the community.

Juveniles

There has been an increase in the number of minors who are sentenced to serve their jail terms in adult prisons. It is estimated that about two hundred thousand youths enter in the adult criminal justice annually and most of them are convicted for non-violent crimes (Rosellini, et, al. 2017, p. 737). These numbers have contributed to an increase in the number of cases of harassment reported across different prisons in the country. The federal government has come with laws that require the minors to be kept in separate prisons with the adults (Rosellini, et, al. 2017, p. 733). However, this has not been successful as most prisons continue to lock them up together with the other inmates. Cases of harassments are rarely reported, and the accomplices get away with these acts making it challenging to come up with a solution.

The juveniles in these facilities lose their freedom, and they can no longer access basic needs like education. Unlike, in the juvenile-detention facilities where the inmates can obtain education and other benefits, in adult prisons, the juveniles do not enjoy such privileges. This violates the Individuals Disabilities Act, which states that every minor has a right to accessing education. Children respond differently to these challenges, and this could be one of the causes of the increase in the number of juveniles committing suicide in these facilities.

Management

The government should establish separate facilities for the juveniles in these prisons. Separating the minors from the other inmates will reduce cases of harassment. Introducing counseling facilities will also help to rehabilitate the youths especially those convicted for corporal crimes and could be dangerous to the others. Mental support would help such inmates recover, and it will be easier for them to live with the other juveniles. Introducing schools in these facilities will be a good idea to ensure that every child acquires basic education. This way, they will easily fit in the society. Lastly, these institutions should investigate cases of sexual harassment by their staffs as well as other inmates and take action to those found guilty. This will be a good way to eradicate those responsible for such unethical acts, and it will be a warning to the other workers.

Muslims

Cases of discrimination among Muslim prisoners are higher compared to other prisoners. Mistreatment of Muslim prisoners is a violation of the Religion Land Use and the Persons Act which should protect every prisoner regardless of their religion (Ritzman, 2019, p. 3). Some of the challenges these inmates face include rejection from the other inmates and in some cases the prisons' staff. Muslims prisoners at times do not get the required services for their rehabilitation process. For instance, in some cases, they are not allowed to attend education courses, and this is a violation of the prisons' laws.

The religious rights of the Muslim prisoners have been violated by the laws put in place in these institutions (Robinson-Edwards & Pinkney, 2018, p. 60). For instance, prisons do not consider the dietary requirements of Muslims. They are also not allowed to wear as per their religion especially in the case of women who are not allowed to wear hijabs. In some cases, they are not allowed to access religious materials, and they are not allowed to observe religious festivals like Ramadan and Aid Ul Adha.

Management

The government should commit itself to address the issue of religious discrimination. One of the ways it can achieve this is by ensuring every inmate enjoys their religion rights regardless of the beliefs. Secondly, the wardens should be educated on respecting the prisoners' rights and ensure they are aware about their responsibilities (Thigpen, Beauclair & Watson, 2008, p. 20). It should also introduce counseling services to help the victims of discrimination to create openness between the prisoners and these institutions which will be crucial in reducing these cases.

Conclusion

All prisoners have equal rights, and no one has the right to discriminate or even harass them. However, the government has failed to create a conducive environment for the prisoners especially those with special needs. Some of the existing laws have not been upheld, and it is essential to ensure every prison adheres to the ones that are in place. It is therefore also important to ensure that every law is implemented in the jails before implementing new rules. The government should ensure there are adequate workers in these facilities. These workers they should be qualified to handle their duties in these facilities. There is a need to establish counseling services where the prisoners would get an opportunity to share the challenges they face. This will be an excellent way to get to know about the issues facing these inmates and establish the best ways to solve them. This way prisons will achieve their goal which is to rehabilitate and make the prisoners better individuals.

References

Konrad, M & Opitz-Welke, A. (2018). The challenges of treating the mentally ill in a prison setting: the European perspective. Future Medicine Limited, 517-524.

Ritzman, M. (2019). Workplace Bullying, Emotional Abuse, and Harassment in Corrections. Special topics and particular occupations, professions and sectors, 1-20.

Robinson-Edwards, S., & Pinkney, C. (2018). Black men, religiosity and resistance: Exploring Islam, and identity. Safer Communities, 17(1), 47-67.

Rosellini, A. J., Street, A. E., Ursano, R. J., Chiu, W. T., Heeringa, S. G., Monahan, J. & Bliese, P. D. (2017). Sexual assault victimization and mental health treatment, suicide attempts, and career outcomes among women in the US Army. American journal of public health, 107(5), 732-739.

Skarupski, K. A., Gross, A., Schrack, J. A., Deal, J. A., & Eber, G. B. (2018). The health of America's aging prison population. Epidemiologic reviews, 40(1), 157-165.

Thigpen, M., Beauclair, T., & Watson, B. (2008). Prison Staffing Analysis: A Training Manual with Staffing Considerations for Special Populations. https://nicic.gov/prison-staffing-analysis-training-manual-staffing-considerations-special-populations