Prison Standards Transformed: From Congestion and Torture to Rights and Freedoms - Essay Sample

Introduction

The standard of prison keeps on changing as time passes. Initially, the prison facilities used to be a place for punishment and torture of prisoners. The act of torturing prisoners proved counterproductive since the prisoners ended up becoming hardened by the prison. Most of the prisons around the world violated fundamental human freedom and rights. The prisons were so congested, and prisoners lacked necessities like food, water, and lighting. However, changes came to effect, which stated classifying prisoners according to age, sex, and the severity of the crime committed. The deplorable condition of prison got worse by the weeping and harassment of prisoners by wardens.

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The move to improve on the welfare of prisoners started in Britain, and it got mainly championed by Christian's believers and civil rights groups. The argument for these categories of people was that prison ought to be a place where offenders go to get reformed not to become punished (Stephenson & Bell, 2019). The movement gained traction, and it has seen tremendous changes in the prison facilities.

This paper is about the changing standards of classification in prison facilities and the purpose of rating. The article illustrates the changes within the prison walls, using the case of the United States government prison system. The paper analyses the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Standards on how prisoners ought to get treatment. The current ABA Criminal Justice Standards came into effect in the year 2010 (Heilbrun, Phillips & Thornewill, 2016). The classification changes therein replace the ABA's 1981 Criminal Justice Standards that used to provide the classification standards.

Purpose of Classification

The purpose of classification is to ensure each offender receives an appropriate level of custody based on the severity of the crime the prisoner committed. Additionally, classification is essential in determining if the prisoners pose a danger to themselves or other people. Consequently, the prisoner gets assigned the appropriate level of security needed. Classification gets done to determine if the prisoner needs special care like medical care and psychological guidance (Stephenson & Bell, 2019). Lastly, classification gets done to assess if the prisoner can become an asset to the prison facility. For instance, offenders who get incarcerated but have professional skills end up training other prisoners to acquire work skills.

Classification Standards

Standard 23 - 1.2. The classification standard provides guidelines on how the prisoners ought to get treated by the prison correctional officers. The standard policy states that all prisoners deserve the right to get treated humanely. Additionally, the standard requires offenders who are in prison to receive protection from harm and get an opportunity to live a healthy and normal life while in prison.

Standard 23 - 2.1 specifies that all the prisoners ought to get screened immediately they get admitted into a correctional facility. The screening process entails making a background check on security risk, sexual abuse, medical history, mental state, and eligibility for special education. After the screening process gets completed, the prisoner administrator ought to define a strict follow-up program and monitoring.

Standard 23 - 2.2. The standard mainly directs the correctional officers to use appropriate classification, housing plans, and programming. The correctional officers ought to use prisoners' categories like age, sex, the severity of the offense committed, and mental heal in determining the housing plan for offenders. For instance, offenders who commit severe crimes and are a danger to other people might end up in an isolation unit alone. The classification standard is a reprieve from the traditional housing system where individuals with various offenses got mixed up. Also, prisoners with mental health got an isolation unit, which led to their complete deterioration of mental state.

Standard 23 - 2.3. Under the mentioned standard, procedures for classification get clearly outlined. The rule stipulates that prisoner classification ought to get done within two days of prisoner detention in a cell and a month after the prisoner gets confined. The measure also specifies that the classification procedures followed ought to become documented in writing.

The above standards are among the most prominent observable change in standard classification observed in our modern prison systems. The rules are in line with the 8th amendment, which protects the rights of people against inflicting an inhumane punishment to offenders. By the fact that the inmates get isolated from their families, the standard classification ensures the inmates do not suffer any more punishment. The categorization provides unfair punishment like prolonged segregation of prisoners gets abolished. Ultimately, the standards have played a vital role in transforming the prison system from the traditional punishment system to a correctional rehabilitation facility.

Importance of Classification Within the Prison Walls

Standard classification guarantees the inmate and staff safety. The inmates who pose a significant danger to other inmates get isolation from the rest of the inmates. The ranking also ensures that public safety is guaranteed (Stephenson & Bell, 2019). Those inmates who prove to be a danger to other people get maximum security so as they do not harm the public. Another critical reason for enforcing classification is to ensure the prisoners' rights get protected as they continue serving their term.

Conclusion

Essential and humane standards classification must get implemented in our modern prison system. Since the prison ought not to become a punishment facility, rather, the prison is a correctional facility that aims to rehabilitate people and reintegrate them into society. It is also important to remember that in as much as an individual gets a prison sentence, that person deserves his/her fundamental human rights. Lastly, standard classification has proved to become productive in ensuring the offenders reform their behaviors.

References

Heilbrun, K., Phillips, S., & Thornewill, A. (2016). Professional standards' citations in law and the behavioral sciences: Implications for policy and practice. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 47(4), 287. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000080

Stephenson, A. L., & Bell, N. (2019). Social identity and the prison health worker: Implications for practitioner satisfaction and turnover intentions. Health care management review, 44(4), 286-295. doi: 10.1097/HMR.0000000000000179