Essay on Diverting Domestic Violence Misdemeanors in Florida Prisons & Road Camps

Introduction

Florida Department of Correction oversees operation in every private and state correctional facility in Florida. FDC manages about 143 facilities, which comprise of 34 work centres, 50 major correctional facilities, three reentry centres, two road positions, private prisons, training camp, and forestry camp ("Florida inmate records," n.d.). In this context, the focus shall be based on road camps and private prisons.

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Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Diversion

In Florida Department of Correction, Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Diversion is a program for an offender who wants to keep the family unit intact and reverse the cycle of domestic violence. In this program, a defender needs to complete a Batterer's Intervention program within 26 weeks, which includes substance abuse evaluation and other recommender treatment ("Florida inmate records," n.d.). Defendants needs have to enter a guilty plea to the affidavit to be eligible participants in the Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Program for eight months. When the program is completed, the defendants' request will be vacated, making the cases to be dropped. For that reason, defendants shall be allowed to apply in a separate proceeding to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to expunge their criminal records if deemed eligible.

Pre-Trial Intervention program

Florida Department of Corrections has a diversion program called the Pre-Trial Intervention Program (PTI). The ultimate goal of the program is to give first-time felony offenders a chance to prevent criminal conviction stigma by diverting cases from a trial court process ("Florida inmate records," n.d.). The program is most applicable to a defendant charged with a qualifying third-degree felony.

Benefit from diversion programs

PTI and Domestic Violence Misdemeanor has a lot of benefits to private prisons and road camp prisons. The two programs serve as a mix of the target population, which includes misdemeanors and defendants giving their prior criminal records. The two programs provide broader goals, which are not limited to recidivism and rehabilitation reduction. In terms of private prisons, PTI helps in reintegrating the defendant with society by instilling personal responsibility (Powers et al., 2017). PTI is cost-effective as the prison camps hold the victim accountable outside the costly court system. The two diversion programs relieve the two fields from the pressure of overcrowding and spend their energy and time on the crime consequences without losing focus on other offenses.

Pros and Cons of Privatized Correctional Facilities

The money spent by the government in a private prison for keeping inmates is lesser as compared to operating in an entire facility. Private prisons are responsible for funds required in daily meals, security, staffing, and operation that save government spending (Eisen, 2017). The contract facilities are used to house many inmates which reduce over-crowding in government-operated prisons. Thus, it helps the government to use fewer resources and employ fewer staff in managing prisons. Private prison helps in creating jobs to support the local economy by hiring administrative support, supply clerks, nurses, doctors, cooks, and guard.

One of the disadvantages of having private correctional facilities is less transparency. In a private facility, there several cases of corruption and bribery. As compared to public correctional facilities, private correctional facilities are less transparent since they have a drive of profit, which breeds bribery and corruption. The other disadvantage is inflexibility. Once the government signs the contracts, they last for decades, which constrains residence to a particular provider for a long lifetime. Consumers experience a higher cost of using private correctional facilities.

Privatized Correctional Facilities as an Alternative Reentry Approach

Powers et al. (2017) argued that although the overall recidivism rate is comparable, those inmates released from the private facilities are more likely to return to prison having committed a new crime. Research supports about 14 percent of inmates in the private facility to have a new crime compared with 8 percent of post-matching and pre-matching (Powers et al., 2017). From this perspective, one would argue that privatized correctional facilities are not the best alternative for reaching the goal of preparing inmates for reentry into society. In essence, the American Justice system focusses on punishment but fails to rehabilitate inmates efficiently to reduce the crime rate. Today, prisoners' recidivism is becoming a greater plague to American society.

If a defender has a limited social, psychological, and material support at the time of release, an offender can experience difficulty in breaking the cycle of rearrest and release. Extended terms of remands and short-term prison terms in custody offers limited opportunities for successful intervention and treatment to prevent future rearrests (Eisen, 2017). Community safety demand that the communities and governments should create a practical intervention that will assist prisoners in private correctional facilities to reintegrate into society successfully.

Offenders incarcerated in private correctional facilities are confronted by personal, economic, and social challenges, which create an obstacle to a crime-free lifestyle. The problems occur based on the victim's past-experiences directly associated with conviction consequences and difficult transition in society (Wagner & Rabuy, 2017). Offenders in private correctional facilities are challenged by skills deficit, which makes it hard for them to succeed in the community. The challenges include a lack of financial management skills and planning, poor emotional and cognitive functioning, innumeracy and illiteracy, low formal education levels, and poor interpersonal skills.

Recommendation

Sycamore Tree project is the best cost-reducing strategy of maintaining public safety and effective operation. The projects are focused on helping offenders to understand crime consequences and become responsible persons in society. In daily operations, offenders and victims hardly meet one another after court. Therefore, the projects create a platform for the offenders and victims to communicate, learning how to live well with others, and understand the distress experienced by others. The Sycamore Tree project is a promising way of handling offending rates.

Sycamore Tree Project brings prisoners and victims together in a secure local prison area for eight sessions to address the crime's consequences. The project goes beyond the court understanding to help prisoners to understand the impacts of their crimes, which an alternative way of breaking the cycle of crime (Wagner & Rabuy, 2017). Prison management and psychology recommend Sycamore Tree Project as a practical program to handle criminal offenders and crime victims. Through the Sycamore Tree Project, victims and offenders get a chance to contemplate on ways of controlling their lives and starts a journey towards restoration and healing. In the eight weeks session, participants frequently become friends.

Conclusion

Conclusion, from the above recommendation, Sycamore Tree Project brings prisoners and victims together in a secure local prison area for eight sessions to address the crime's consequences. The projects are focused on helping offenders to understand crime consequences and become responsible persons in society. In daily operations, offenders and victims hardly meet one another after court. Offenders incarcerated in private correctional facilities are confronted by personal, economic, and social challenges, which create an obstacle to a crime-free lifestyle. Although the overall recidivism rate is comparable, those inmates released from the private facility are more likely to return to prison, having committed a new crime.

References

Eisen, L. B. (2017). Inside private prisons: An American dilemma in the age of mass incarceration. Columbia University Press.Florida inmate records. (n.d.). State Records. https://florida.staterecords.org/inmate

Powers, R. A., Kaukinen, C., & Jeanis, M. (2017). An examination of recidivism among inmates released from a private reentry center and public institutions in Colorado. The Prison Journal, 97(5), 609-627.

Wagner, P., & Rabuy, B. (2017). Following the money of mass incarceration. Prison policy initiative.