Hi everyone,
I believe that prisons are obligated to rehabilitate prisoners the best they can prior to being released from prison. Time spent in prison can deter offenders from future crime or rehabilitate offenders by providing vocational training or wellness programs. The downside of incarceration can lead to recidivism and unemployment due to human capital depreciation, exposure to hardened criminals, or societal and workplace stigma. (2020) Institutions today are part of a social order of society, they exist to govern behavior and expectations.
For a successful prison is its ability to securely keep the inmates and correctional staff safe, provide humane medical aid and effective correctional programing. Conduct pre-release assessments, cover housing and employment needs, with most also identifying medical history such as substance abuse history and treatment, post-release mental and physical health care, current and future prescription medications, income, and benefits needs.
One of the ways to have a successful prison is incorporating “Restorative Justice” by repairing the harm caused by crime rather than punish people. The focus is on rehabilitating prisoners. Rehabilitation alternatives such as vocational programs would prepare inmates for life on the outside with wood working, welding, mechanic assembly workshops (Sterbenz 2014) by receiving a certification they would probably have a better chance integrating into the work force on the outside.
References
Dahl, G. B., & Mogstad, M. (2020) The Benefits of Rehabilitative Incarceration The Benefits of Rehabilitative Incarceration | NBER
Sterbenz C. (2014) Why Norway’s prison system is so successful. Why Norway’s Prison System Is so Successful (businessinsider.com)
In response to your peers, consider how well they justified their positions, making use of available resources. Consider the following questions in your response posts:
- Did they support their positions convincingly with appropriate resources?
- Which of their points make the most sense to you, even if you made a case for the opposing viewpoint?