As stated in the article, “It is important for correctional executives and correctional officers to recognize that most incarcerated individuals will, at some point, be released from institutional confinement and free to re-enter society.” As a whole we need to realize that just because someone is sentenced, it doesn’t mean that they won't eventually get a second chance at life. Most inmates are serving short sentences, but you also have your inmates who are incarcerated for the long run. You have inmates that have learned their lesson and you’ll have inmates that are repeat offenders. Most of your inmates, who are repeat offenders, know nothing other than what they’ve experienced. They don’t know how to blend in with the community, and that's not necessarily their own fault. Most people do not understand that a million things could change in society as someone is locked up for a long period of time and even for the ones that are serving a short sentence. The article states that “roughly 600,000 to 700,000 individuals are released from state prisons annually.” It is important that we treat each individual fairly and give them every opportunity to better themselves. As a corrections system, it is not their job to over punish the inmates, as they are already being punished for the crimes they have committed. Since the court is the one that punished them for their actions, prison systems need to focus on how to educate the inmates, open them up or show them professional services that are out there to better themselves, and understand each individual as their own. - TheTurk456, unknownzeeha456, Xielxs456, Savage456, Country456 (Part 1)
After reading this article there were some good points that should be talked about. In the article it stated, “ prisons that foster a “culture of negativity” for both inmates and correctional workers make our communities less safe”. The prisons need to realized that our community will be safer if they are actually rehabbing the inmates who are about to return to our community. I do agree that if the prisons is giving the inmates the proper rehab that they need and they get released and get reoffended then it’s not the prisons fault. It takes a lot to try and help change a person and trying to lead them on the right path but it’s up to them if they listen and follow through with the procedures. But, we have actually show them the right direction when re-entering into society so they actually know what’s going on in society. Another thing is that was talked about in this article is,”based on data collected between 2005 and 2010 found that two-thirds of released prisoners were rearrested within three years, and three-quarters within five years”. Do to these statics I think majority of these inmates who were arrested was of non-serious crimes or the same crime that they committed before, which always fall to how they are actually rehabbing these inmates. The correction system should be trying to make changes to these numbers and actually treat these inmates fair and stop reoffending them because of petty crimes. I believe since the inmates who were released but got reoffended need more rehabilitation to actually help them out instead of spending more money while they’re in prison. It was interesting to read this article and to see what they had to say on the subject. I believe the the criminal justice system needs to see that there is a high rate of offenders who recidivate after leaving prison and honestly, we can’t just blame the inmate for that. Yes, people make these decisions to commit the crimes but after they’re arrested many places don’t offer to show them how to fix their way of life. The article states that “roughly 600,000 to 700,000 individuals are released from state prisons annually.” That’s so many people and of course some of them are going to be stubborn in their ways and continue committing crimes, but if our facilities would allow rehabilitation to inmates while they’re in prison and possibly after they get released, like a drug rehabilitation program, we wouldn’t have nearly the number of people getting arrested after being released and returning to prison or jail. Another thing is that if we worked more on having in-facility programs to help inmates smoothly return to society, the recidivism rate wouldn’t be as high. The last point I want to make is that they talk about what happened at the Vaughn correctional center, when inmates took prison employees hostage and, unfortunately, one officer lost his life. Obviously, this was a terrible incident and I’m sure there’s many cases where inmates try to overthrow the officers or inmates attacking and sometimes killing prison employees, but I do believe that events like this wouldn’t occur as often if prisons weren’t such hostile environments. Yes, people are sent there as punishment but, they deserve to be treated as humans and to be given the opportunities to better themselves and help them in the future and if they had these opportunities, the recidivism rate would be lower and I think inmate-on-officer crimes would lower as well. - TheTurk456, unknownzeeha456, Xielxs456, Savage456, Country456 (Part 2)
I think that this article is a perfect example of why we need to fix our correctional system. Prisons now are so overcrowded and under budget that it is no surprise to see inmates acting the way that they are. The Vaughn Prison incidents show this clearly. The fact that this happened just a month before should have been a strong indication that things needed to change. It is extremely sad to know that they didn’t do anything to change whatever it was that caused the first riot, which clearly lead to the second one and the death and injuries of the correctional officers. The events leading up to the incident of the Vaughn state prison were labeled by an “institutionalized culture of negativity” where the prison workers and inmates viewed each other as enemies. In an evaluation, the report linked the behavior to “adverse working conditions for correctional officers.” The report also linked the behavior to rules and regulations not being used or used improperly, an unfair complaint procedure, a distrusted medical system, and no real morale amongst the officers. I think that the Police Foundation that did the report have some great ideas and that if the prison can actually implement some or all of these ideas it could really help to improve the work environment and the lives of the inmates. If they even only start with just a couple of them and it shows a positive change then maybe other prisons will start to follow suit. Hopefully, it will in the end lead to reducing the currently increasing recidivism rates and a more successful reintegration effort of our inmates back into society.
The concept of building trust with someone to get what you want is simple psychology. In the typical crime drama television show or stuff like Dateline, there’s always an interrogation scene. If you pay attention, you’ll notice that the interrogator first tries to relate to the interviewee before getting down to the actual interrogation. In order to get what he or she wants from the interviewee, the interrogator must first establish a mutual understanding of trust. The very same concept indirectly applies to the corrections system. If you treat people as if you don’t trust them or as if they’re an outsider or not human, they’re going to resist whatever you try to do to them, whether that be punishment, rehabilitation, or treatment. In order to have someone to submit to your requests, you must first build that layer of trust and respect. Rehabilitating inmates is all good and well, however, as long as we label potentially correctable inmates, we’ll never fully succeed in that endeavor. The source of the attitude which leads to mistrust is something that I attribute to a lack of training, or rather, inadequate training. As we know, training standards for correctional officers are subpar at best. Officers are trained for whatever the set minimum amount of hours is and then they’re sent out onto the block. Everything else they learn is based on an ignorant and slightly biased view on corrections. They come into an existing environment of mistrust and disrespect and “return fire” with their own hypothetical mortar shells of dubiousity. All of this is what I suspect lead to the revolt within the prison. In order to prevent another instance from occurring and to decrease the recidivism rates of our prisons, both federal and state, we need to establish peace. In order to do that, one side of the conflict needs to start trusting the other. The most reasonable possibility of that is by increasing the education and training requirements of correctional officers. - TheTurk456, unknownzeeha456, Xielxs456, Savage456, Country456 (Part 3)
I believe that correctional officers who treat the inmates poorly causes a negative effect and only damages the inmate more to continue their criminal behaviors. I believe it goes both ways between the inmate and officers. Each person should be treated with respect and human decency. As the article stated, some officers need to realize that most of the inmates will return to society and it will be a never-ending cycle where they will eventually come back to prison and that it makes the community less safe because of some inmates who aren’t treated well while incarcerated. I don’t think they deserve to be treated like animals just because they are locked up. There needs more guidance and help for the inmates to become a decent member of society instead of breaking them down even more to where they just want to continue their bad behaviors, leading to more criminal activity in the future. Inmates who are treated poorly also become more hostile towards the correctional officers and most probably look for revenge. Regarding the article, the fact that inmates decided to take correctional officers hostage just goes to show that there is something more going on inside of the correctional facility. It wasn’t just one or two inmates, it was a whole group. This was a well thought out plan that many inmates agreed to do. I truly wonder what the cause was behind all of it and how bad the inmates might have been treated by the officers. I think that it is a good thing that these inmates are receiving vocational and educational counseling. Obviously it's working according to the article the recidivism rate was down in February. Being allowed to use technology such as computers to sharpen their skills I think is very important. These inmates would be better equipped outside of jail than other inmates without these opportunities. Being able to receive job interview skills is also another important aspect offered in kewanee. After being incarcerated it is hard enough to try to get a job. The men that are being helped with job interview skills will be better prepared than ones in different places of incarceration. Learning to be a functioning part of society again before they are granted their freedom could help out in many ways. This allows them something to look forward to when they get released. It seems that they have a better outlook on life outside of jail after receiving this help. Like it said in the article this helps inmates be more productive and focused on what they will be doing outside of jail instead of committing crimes and reoffending. I think that it is important that these inmates have to apply to these programs. These inmates must write essay on why they want to come to the kewanee facility. To erase the bias I think that it is important that they do a blind drawing to pick the inmates that can go. This is good for correcting the people that have done wrong and help their futures. -PizzaLover456, Illini456, NightTrain456
After reading this article I was shocked to find out just how much of a negative environment there really is in our prisons today. If we have such a negative environment, then when prisoners are released how are they going to see the outside world and how will they be reintegrated back into society. I know that it is not just the prisoners fault we also need to look at the guards and how they are treating the prisoners, because if the guards are treating them poorly then this will give more of a reason to want to revolt and riot. When we make prisoners work normal eight hour days for five days a week and they may only be getting twenty five dollars a week then how are they suppose to function if we do not give them money for certain stuff, like making phone calls to loved ones. We also need to look at the drugs that some people might be bringing in because if a prisoner who is on some drug wants to start a riot, then he may be able to get others to join in if they too are on the same drug. On the other side of this, if we are able to stop the drug problem and inmates do not bring drugs in then that would also be a big reason for some people to want to start a riot. We need to find some way to make the prison system not so hostile. -PizzaLover456, Illini456, NightTrain456
As stated in the article, “It is important for correctional executives and correctional officers to recognize that most incarcerated individuals will, at some point, be released from institutional confinement and free to re-enter society.” As a whole we need to realize that just because someone is sentenced, it doesn’t mean that they won't eventually get a second chance at life. Most inmates are serving short sentences, but you also have your inmates who are incarcerated for the long run. You have inmates that have learned their lesson and you’ll have inmates that are repeat offenders. Most of your inmates, who are repeat offenders, know nothing other than what they’ve experienced. They don’t know how to blend in with the community, and that's not necessarily their own fault. Most people do not understand that a million things could change in society as someone is locked up for a long period of time and even for the ones that are serving a short sentence. The article states that “roughly 600,000 to 700,000 individuals are released from state prisons annually.” It is important that we treat each individual fairly and give them every opportunity to better themselves. As a corrections system, it is not their job to over punish the inmates, as they are already being punished for the crimes they have committed. Since the court is the one that punished them for their actions, prison systems need to focus on how to educate the inmates, open them up or show them professional services that are out there to better themselves, and understand each individual as their own. - TheTurk456, unknownzeeha456, Xielxs456, Savage456, Country456 (Part 1)
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article there were some good points that should be talked about. In the article it stated, “ prisons that foster a “culture of negativity” for both inmates and correctional workers make our communities less safe”. The prisons need to realized that our community will be safer if they are actually rehabbing the inmates who are about to return to our community. I do agree that if the prisons is giving the inmates the proper rehab that they need and they get released and get reoffended then it’s not the prisons fault. It takes a lot to try and help change a person and trying to lead them on the right path but it’s up to them if they listen and follow through with the procedures. But, we have actually show them the right direction when re-entering into society so they actually know what’s going on in society. Another thing is that was talked about in this article is,”based on data collected between 2005 and 2010 found that two-thirds of released prisoners were rearrested within three years, and three-quarters within five years”. Do to these statics I think majority of these inmates who were arrested was of non-serious crimes or the same crime that they committed before, which always fall to how they are actually rehabbing these inmates. The correction system should be trying to make changes to these numbers and actually treat these inmates fair and stop reoffending them because of petty crimes. I believe since the inmates who were released but got reoffended need more rehabilitation to actually help them out instead of spending more money while they’re in prison.
DeleteIt was interesting to read this article and to see what they had to say on the subject. I believe the the criminal justice system needs to see that there is a high rate of offenders who recidivate after leaving prison and honestly, we can’t just blame the inmate for that. Yes, people make these decisions to commit the crimes but after they’re arrested many places don’t offer to show them how to fix their way of life. The article states that “roughly 600,000 to 700,000 individuals are released from state prisons annually.” That’s so many people and of course some of them are going to be stubborn in their ways and continue committing crimes, but if our facilities would allow rehabilitation to inmates while they’re in prison and possibly after they get released, like a drug rehabilitation program, we wouldn’t have nearly the number of people getting arrested after being released and returning to prison or jail. Another thing is that if we worked more on having in-facility programs to help inmates smoothly return to society, the recidivism rate wouldn’t be as high. The last point I want to make is that they talk about what happened at the Vaughn correctional center, when inmates took prison employees hostage and, unfortunately, one officer lost his life. Obviously, this was a terrible incident and I’m sure there’s many cases where inmates try to overthrow the officers or inmates attacking and sometimes killing prison employees, but I do believe that events like this wouldn’t occur as often if prisons weren’t such hostile environments. Yes, people are sent there as punishment but, they deserve to be treated as humans and to be given the opportunities to better themselves and help them in the future and if they had these opportunities, the recidivism rate would be lower and I think inmate-on-officer crimes would lower as well. - TheTurk456, unknownzeeha456, Xielxs456, Savage456, Country456 (Part 2)
I think that this article is a perfect example of why we need to fix our correctional system. Prisons now are so overcrowded and under budget that it is no surprise to see inmates acting the way that they are. The Vaughn Prison incidents show this clearly. The fact that this happened just a month before should have been a strong indication that things needed to change. It is extremely sad to know that they didn’t do anything to change whatever it was that caused the first riot, which clearly lead to the second one and the death and injuries of the correctional officers. The events leading up to the incident of the Vaughn state prison were labeled by an “institutionalized culture of negativity” where the prison workers and inmates viewed each other as enemies. In an evaluation, the report linked the behavior to “adverse working conditions for correctional officers.” The report also linked the behavior to rules and regulations not being used or used improperly, an unfair complaint procedure, a distrusted medical system, and no real morale amongst the officers. I think that the Police Foundation that did the report have some great ideas and that if the prison can actually implement some or all of these ideas it could really help to improve the work environment and the lives of the inmates. If they even only start with just a couple of them and it shows a positive change then maybe other prisons will start to follow suit. Hopefully, it will in the end lead to reducing the currently increasing recidivism rates and a more successful reintegration effort of our inmates back into society.
DeleteThe concept of building trust with someone to get what you want is simple psychology. In the typical crime drama television show or stuff like Dateline, there’s always an interrogation scene. If you pay attention, you’ll notice that the interrogator first tries to relate to the interviewee before getting down to the actual interrogation. In order to get what he or she wants from the interviewee, the interrogator must first establish a mutual understanding of trust. The very same concept indirectly applies to the corrections system. If you treat people as if you don’t trust them or as if they’re an outsider or not human, they’re going to resist whatever you try to do to them, whether that be punishment, rehabilitation, or treatment. In order to have someone to submit to your requests, you must first build that layer of trust and respect. Rehabilitating inmates is all good and well, however, as long as we label potentially correctable inmates, we’ll never fully succeed in that endeavor. The source of the attitude which leads to mistrust is something that I attribute to a lack of training, or rather, inadequate training. As we know, training standards for correctional officers are subpar at best. Officers are trained for whatever the set minimum amount of hours is and then they’re sent out onto the block. Everything else they learn is based on an ignorant and slightly biased view on corrections. They come into an existing environment of mistrust and disrespect and “return fire” with their own hypothetical mortar shells of dubiousity. All of this is what I suspect lead to the revolt within the prison. In order to prevent another instance from occurring and to decrease the recidivism rates of our prisons, both federal and state, we need to establish peace. In order to do that, one side of the conflict needs to start trusting the other. The most reasonable possibility of that is by increasing the education and training requirements of correctional officers. - TheTurk456, unknownzeeha456, Xielxs456, Savage456, Country456 (Part 3)
I believe that correctional officers who treat the inmates poorly causes a negative effect and only damages the inmate more to continue their criminal behaviors. I believe it goes both ways between the inmate and officers. Each person should be treated with respect and human decency. As the article stated, some officers need to realize that most of the inmates will return to society and it will be a never-ending cycle where they will eventually come back to prison and that it makes the community less safe because of some inmates who aren’t treated well while incarcerated. I don’t think they deserve to be treated like animals just because they are locked up. There needs more guidance and help for the inmates to become a decent member of society instead of breaking them down even more to where they just want to continue their bad behaviors, leading to more criminal activity in the future. Inmates who are treated poorly also become more hostile towards the correctional officers and most probably look for revenge. Regarding the article, the fact that inmates decided to take correctional officers hostage just goes to show that there is something more going on inside of the correctional facility. It wasn’t just one or two inmates, it was a whole group. This was a well thought out plan that many inmates agreed to do. I truly wonder what the cause was behind all of it and how bad the inmates might have been treated by the officers.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is a good thing that these inmates are receiving vocational and educational counseling. Obviously it's working according to the article the recidivism rate was down in February. Being allowed to use technology such as computers to sharpen their skills I think is very important. These inmates would be better equipped outside of jail than other inmates without these opportunities. Being able to receive job interview skills is also another important aspect offered in kewanee. After being incarcerated it is hard enough to try to get a job. The men that are being helped with job interview skills will be better prepared than ones in different places of incarceration. Learning to be a functioning part of society again before they are granted their freedom could help out in many ways. This allows them something to look forward to when they get released. It seems that they have a better outlook on life outside of jail after receiving this help. Like it said in the article this helps inmates be more productive and focused on what they will be doing outside of jail instead of committing crimes and reoffending. I think that it is important that these inmates have to apply to these programs. These inmates must write essay on why they want to come to the kewanee facility. To erase the bias I think that it is important that they do a blind drawing to pick the inmates that can go. This is good for correcting the people that have done wrong and help their futures.
-PizzaLover456, Illini456, NightTrain456
After reading this article I was shocked to find out just how much of a negative environment there really is in our prisons today. If we have such a negative environment, then when prisoners are released how are they going to see the outside world and how will they be reintegrated back into society. I know that it is not just the prisoners fault we also need to look at the guards and how they are treating the prisoners, because if the guards are treating them poorly then this will give more of a reason to want to revolt and riot. When we make prisoners work normal eight hour days for five days a week and they may only be getting twenty five dollars a week then how are they suppose to function if we do not give them money for certain stuff, like making phone calls to loved ones. We also need to look at the drugs that some people might be bringing in because if a prisoner who is on some drug wants to start a riot, then he may be able to get others to join in if they too are on the same drug. On the other side of this, if we are able to stop the drug problem and inmates do not bring drugs in then that would also be a big reason for some people to want to start a riot. We need to find some way to make the prison system not so hostile.
ReplyDelete-PizzaLover456, Illini456, NightTrain456