After reading this short article I think that this Stafford Creek Corrections Center is perfect for inmates who are good behavioral or for people about to be released. This system is perfect because it lets inmates get back into society like a half-way house it gets them used to what they missed in the world before being dumped back into society with no help so they at least know what to expect and how to cope with the new society. I would also have to agree with the restrictions that hands must be above the table, and if intertwined they can’t be above the wrist, and they are allowed a hug or kiss for the beginning and end of the visit. I agree with those restrictions because if they went under the table and were in prison for killing someone with a knife they could have another knife, or the above the wrist if they went higher and they were a sexual offender they can harass or stab and kill someone. On the other hand, I do not think the children being watched by a television in a little play area is good for them. I can understand why they don’t want the kids near the inmates but at some point, they need to see their parent or person that is in prison so they aren’t just introduced to a stranger down the road who just got out of prison. I feel that this whole system is perfect for good behavior inmates and ones that are about to be released on good behavior but you must wonder like the article said what kind of prisoners attend the events because the inmate could have been good for a while then just turns on everyone and goes on a rampage in the meeting with family and other inmates. I feel it is a good program there just needs to be more restrictions because what if two rival gang members meet outside and want to kill each other? There is no telling what these meetings can contain but they can also be perfect to help inmates get back to their families smoother than just being released. CarlBaconWho456
Yes I agree this program is great for those offenders who have shown good behavior or for those who are about to be released, because if we can show them how society is now after they have been locked up then they will know how to interact in the new world and they will not feel like they are not apart of society and feel the need to go back to prison since they do not know how the new technology works. These restrictions are good because now we know that they can not sneak weapons or drugs in and for the children we need a better way of keeping them occupied rather than them sitting in a room watching TV all day. Illini456
I agree that the program is a good program for the same reasons. I think this for the same reasons as you, the restrictions are good such as the hand above the table one because like you said what if they try to sneak weapons in trying to hurt someone else in the prison and only being able to hug and kiss at the beginning and end of the visit because prisoners still need that discipline therefore I believe they have that restriction for that reason. Reading the article and when the author stated that some inmates did not have a good relationship with their child before they got locked up made me realize having the children in a different room making the inmate realize that they do need to improve for their child. swaggyy456
I agree this program is great and it it is well needed. Offenders who served long sentences need to be kept up to date on the society so the can adapt well once they are on the outside. Also I believe they need that interaction with their families because it teaches them how to build bonds with the ones the may not have treated so well. I think the restrictions they have are good as well because I believe it would make them value the little things and want to do better upon returning home. I think this program could turn around majority of the offenders in there. TJGIRL456
I do agree that the program they are using at the Corrections Center is great especially for those offenders who shown good behavior and for those who are about to be released back to society and to be with their family. It is showing them how society works in a way that in time of their release they will know what to expect out the free world. I believe that those restrictions are necessary for the safety of the visitors. About the children, I think that there is a better way for the children to be introduced to their parents in a way they will know them better and to feel connections other than them being put in a separate room where they cannot interact with them. -MScott456
Yes, i do agree with you about it being a good place for inmates who are getting out. But, at the same time i feel like some of the restrictions are too bold. like the hugging and kissing for brief moments i do not agree with that. How i was raised i was always told to greet my loved one with a hug and a kiss on a cheek. And since a lot of my family are older their hugs are much longer than the average stranger hug. Not just a 3 second hug.And,I don't think them have to worry about them slipping knives in each other sleeves if the program is for the good inmates WS123
While reading this article and hearing about the program that Stafford Creek Corrections Center is perfect for some low level offenders. I feel that having this program for those with good behavior or those who are about to be released is perfect. The ones who attend this are probably ready to get back into society and are ready to show the world that they have changed and prove the stats wrong about going back into the prison system. When these inmates get to see their children running and playing and the inmates can actually interact with their kids it shows the true color of the parent and that they may have done one stupid mistake that cost them prison time. When the author talked about the actual inmates who were in this type of program, I figured it would be the fathers who love their kids and do anything for them and love the mother of the kids, but he says that most of the inmates are the ones who had more than one lover on the outside and were never around for their children before they went to jail. If this program can help these inmates learn how to be better fathers and a better husband, then we should maybe start trying this in every prison and see if it can help with the decrease of re-offenders. Most of these prisoners when asked would probably say that they would never want their child to be in this type of situation, but as research has shown these types of children have a higher chance of going to prison since one of their parents was locked up. If these inmates do not want their children to end up locked up, then when they get released they need to show that they are willing to go get a job and help pay the bills and take care of the children and not beat on their spouse. Illini456
I agree that the program is perfect for low level offenders that are about to be released back into society. It’s a good way to inadvertently give rehabilitation to prisoners that will eventually become citizens once again. Because let’s face it, if they were decent citizens, they wouldn’t be in prison and I’m sure the thought of prisoners rejoining society makes the rest of the population a little bit nervous. I agree that it is sad to know that regardless of the rehabilitation, the children of these fathers have a higher risk of becoming just like their fathers than they do of becoming a model citizen, and that’s a true shame. There’s always a chance for kids to shine but it’s often harder for some to shine than others when they have to stand in the shadow of a dark, neglected, possibly abusive criminal of a father. There are only a small amount of very rare cases where the child takes the fathers life as an example of how not to act, grow up and things not to do themselves. About the author of this article, all I have to say is thank god he was honest. He didn’t try to make being in prison seem like it wasn’t all that bad because, well we all know better. It’s horrible in there and it’s certainly no place for a child to find a role model to follow and mold their lives around. I hope these events and attempts at rehabilitation end up working for the system. It could do so many low level criminals so much good, especially the ones that aren’t really in the prison for the worst of crimes. Maybe they got framed or maybe their crime didn’t even have anything to do with their families at all and they made a mistake like you stated. SomethingProfound123
I agree with all of your statements. especially with the part about what kind of inmates that were involved in these programs. I also thought they would be the loving caring husbands and fathers, but that was not the case. Although it does give the dead beat dads and the dads and significant others that were never their in the past a chance to see there kids and play with them. It might change them for the good. Like you said about having every jail start to practice these types of services for the well behaved inmates. But before every prison starts to have these programs, I feel that they should do a study and actually find out of if these activities actually help with re-offending and the advantages and disadvantages of this program. It is a great program that I think could become a big thing if it works in the way we want it to. Trojan123.
While reading this article I thought that it was very cool yet interesting that prisoners with good behavior got to attend special events such as family fun night, back to school event, summer family BBQ, and the significant women's event. I thought that this was interesting because this allowed the good behaved prisoners to stay connect to their families and the outside world too. Since these days were special to the prisoners they were less restricted than the other visit days. He states in the article “sounds awesome if you're stuck in the penitentiary-and it is.” That stuck out to me because these days to the prisoner probably means the world to them, and this will motivate these prisoners and others to continue to behave while in the penitentiary. He said that not all of the men that attend these events are great parents or have been in their children's lives before these events, but they are bringing the child to them. Like it says in the article prisons hold events like these to strengthen the relationship between their loved ones and can help the prisoners transition into society with a higher rate of success. Usually I thought that family members would be welcoming to their family member that was in prison since they haven't seen them in a while, but according to the article prisoners with nowhere to go or no family waiting on them when they are more likely to reoffend and end up back in prison or become homeless with weak family bonds. The author of this article explains how seeing violence of extreme bad examples can affect children when they grow up and become adults. I thought that it was very interesting that the author was a product of extreme bad examples and was sent to prison for murder. He said that sometimes a child is better off without any father in his life, rather than one who “parents” the way his did. That struck a chord with me because sadly I think that this is true. If an adolescent thinks it okay, than he will follow in the footsteps. Nighttrain456
I agree with your statement. I thought it was very nice to have these special events for these offenders. Reason being it help them still connect with their family and other inmates families as well. Yes it was less restrictions when it came to these events which should be a good feeling to the inmates because it shows how the prisons have some sort of trust towards the inmates and it shows that the inmates have some control to themselves. I also like when you said it stuck out to prisoners and it can motivate them. I totally agree with it because it can help them behave like you said. Another thing , yes I believe that these events they hold can strengthen the prisoners relationship with their love ones and help them transition to society. With that being said it was stated in the article that it's great that the prisoners have a support system there when they are released. That's very true because for the ones who don't they are viewed as homeless and that's how they reoffend and be back in the prisons. Overall your I agree with your statement you had stated some important points and overall the program is very helpful to those in the prisons who deserve it. Savage456
I understand where your coming from but I think his main purpose of creating this article is because the skills you listed for them to have are not present. They don't know how to do such things, haven't been taught, nor shown these such things. He mentioned in the article that the way children are parented, well be passed along to their children because that is how they were shown parenting to be. Some even pass it down unconsciously not even thinking about breaking the cycle because they've become so used to it as that being the way they were raised. I think a lot of the times as the author said the parents in jail returning to society do more damage to the children, rather than helping the child. It may sound as if it is easy to change your life around in order for your child to have a better life because some of us would do it in a heartbeat. But not everyone is displayed love and care, and in the future this creates problems with adults in the future because they don't know how to display love or even rationalize thoughts to bring about change in their life. McBrightyalife456
After reading the article about the Stafford Creek Corrections Center I automatically thought it was a good idea. I believe this was a good idea because it really focuses on rehabilitation and is perfect fit for inmates that are close to being released and for inmates that consistently show good behavior and want to truly change their lives around for when they are released back into society. The restrictions for example only being able to hug and kiss at the beginning and end of the visit and also even having to have their hands above the table are good restrictions just because it shows discipline but still gives the inmates an equal opportunity to see their loved ones. The one I do not agree with is having the children somewhere else watching tv which is understandable that is not a great environment for the child but not being able to see their parent is very sad.I do believe this makes the inmate realize that he or she did mess up and I feel as if it should motivate the parent to do the program in hopes to get better for his or her child. In the article the author points out that some people in the program are parents that were not doing right for their child before they even got to prison which made me sad to read but knowing the program was thought of in order to restore the relationship makes me like the program even more. This is also great for offenders who committed nonviolent crimes like property damage or non violent drug crimes so they do not enter prison and come out a completely different person just because they were sent there for a petty crime. The fact that this system allows inmates to get a real feel of what they are missing in the world right now by treating this entire system like a halfway house. I overall feel as if the program is a good idea and should keep pushing the inmates and I believe this would be a good idea for more places to try just to see if there are any positive results. swaggyy456
I disagree with your statement that separating the children is "sad". Sure, some of these offenders are incarcerated based on their commission of lesser crimes, however, you need to think of the kind of person who goes out and commits a property crime such as shooting the window out of someone's car using a pellet gun, or going and driving drunk. These people likely won't be great parents. I can say that from personal experience, you don't want people like this having and raising kids. These kids are much more likely to learn the same behavior from their parents and go on the become offenders themselves or create unwanted social situations (i.e. abusive parenting/relationships, etc). It's in the best interest of everyone that the children be kept away from the prison environment and the actions/presence of the offending parent or parents. If the offending parent didn't want to end up in such a situation, perhaps they should have thought about that before committing the crime that they did, no matter how petty. -TheTurk456
I have to agree, yet disagree with this statement. My dad was an awful kid growing up. No he wasn't doing drugs or robbing people. He was doing stupid stuff like you said "breaking windows" "tagging old buildings", etc. It wasn't that he was a bad kid. He grew up in a town with absolutely nothing to do, literally only a church and a bar. People find trouble when there is nothing to do. I can say that I have not done any of those things, and he's been an idol father. I think that in order to build a paternal/maternal relationship, kids need to associate with their parents. If not, it's going to make life on the outside worse than before. LowAndSlow456
I agree that it's not sad to separate children from abusive parents. How can it be sad to remove children from violence towards them and even the possibility of death, explain??? It's rather sad that the prisoner was abusive to the child, the child did nothing wrong, and quite frankly the prisoner is undeserving of having access to any kids let alone their own. This benefits the child because they now are free from their abuser. These specific parents will never be parents because parents don't abuse their kids, end of story, no acceptable argument. Now if the prisoner was locked up for something not at all related to abuse of their kids then sure let them have all these events together. In hopes of maybe just one day they will become function parents towards the kids they left. I think the kids will benefit from these events if the get to interact positively with their locked up parent if the offense was unrelated. I think it benefits the prisoners because it gives them time to think of how they need to be as a parent when they get out and why they should never commit a crime again. Fireboy123
The separation of the children and the inmate is a good and if not great idea I think. They are trying to protect the kid and make it seem as normal and "non-scary" as possible. If you were a kid would you want to go to a prison at the age of four and have nothing to keep you occupied? You would be bored and causing problems as any bored four year old would it is a great job and smart way to protect the kids and keep them as calm as possible. Plus if the kid was abused by that specific parent the kid would not want to see that parent. They would have to mentally relive the experiences of them being abused by that parent. It may seem sad to the naked eye but on paper and logically it makes sense to separate the children and make the environment as "non-scary" and as normal as possible. NDIrish123
I feel like this prisoner through his personal experiences and hardships he has realized the ropes of the justice system. When he began to explain the family events they offered for certain offenders, it warmed my heart and made me feel good. But as he started to describe the broken relationships and the damage that had been done, it got me thinking. It had all sounded good until I realize that some people probably don't even get visitors due to the broken relationships. Not even that but just the fact that this may not even begin to fix the bonds that have already been broken. I think the intentions of the family events were good, but at the end of the day it begins with the offender themselves. It doesn't matter improved their relationship may be with family, if that offender is not ready to change or start a new life. Sometimes they are willing to but another downfall could be that society does not always embrace those who have offended and claimed to have changed. He stated that there was an 17 percent increase in recidivism, for ex offenders who were homeless. This makes sense because as a former inmate stated, your main concern turns into where you are going to sleep. For some if the struggle is bad enough this increases the ambition to get a job, and do better, but overall it depends on the individual. I've seen people use their state of being as an excuse to go re offend in order to survive. This is an perfect example of prisoners that have no where to go, and why they choose to go re offend instead of starting over. I also like how he touches on the fact that prisons make their aim to keep people from re offending. When the real issue is the likely hood of their children becoming offenders. It all makes sense when he says that they are ensuring the safety of their jobs because that is exactly what it boils down to. They don't show any concern for the generational cycle that may be being repeated because if they did the children would be the aim. I know for a fact that children are easier to reach than adults if you get to them at the right age, but they are where it all begins, and where it'll end. McBrightyalife456
Having grown up in exactly the kind of home as the writer of this article, I think I'm right in saying that I can understand what he's saying on a much deeper level than most others. I grew up seeing and being subjected to things I shouldn't have by my alcoholic father. He also saw and was subjected to things he shouldn't have been by his father, and his father before him. It's a very tough chain, as if cast of depleted uranium. However, I'm not like my forefathers because of my upbringing. Sure, I've had my downfalls because of it. I was forced to drop out of high school due to the sheer pressure and pain I was being exposed to. However, there are upsides to it that I'm strangely thankful for. I've known hardship that very few in our social step of the ladder has. As a result of this, I've got an intense amount of motivation; I'm unstoppable in my endeavors to succeed. You can expose me to anything and everything and it's not going to phase me. I've got a much deeper understanding of offenders and evil people in general. The reason, though, that I'm not like my forefathers is because of my associations with supportive people. I'm not a religious person, but as a child, I was involved in the Catholic church. I went to a Catholic school, went to church as a part of school every Friday, and then again on Sunday. I went to confession, more so to just talk to someone about my situation rather than to actually confess. This supportive structure helped guide me in a way that my father couldn't and wouldn't. Eventually, DCFS became involved and my father is now drinking away his sorrows somewhere in Virginia on his own. Is he suffering because he doesn't have a family or any sort of relationship remotely resembling a familial bond? Most definitely. However, he deserves every second of what he currently has. This article goes on about how offenders suffer upon leaving prison due to severed or reduced familial relationships and they become more likely to re-offend as a result. I agree with the writer, though, in saying that that's tough -expletive-. Having offenders of this nature return to their families is only going to create more offenders. Only a small percentage of people make it through to the point that I have and succeed like I have and will. There's no way to sway the parenting techniques of these types of offenders. This kind of behavior stems from the very core of their psyche. This is behavior that they were taught from the very first day of their existence, it's all they understand. The best thing to do is to break the chain. Focus more on the supportive upbringing of the child in order to prevent that child from becoming their parent rather than reuniting the family in the interest of progression. -TheTurk456
I think that Stafford Creek Corrections Center is a good program. I like the fact that they allow the offenders on good behavior to attend special events such as Family Fun Night, the Back to School Event, Summer Family BBQ, and the Significant Women’s Event. I believe that these events will help them see how society going and it can help the inmates get back into society as well. I also like the fact that they let them engage with their families and others. One thing I do disagree with is having the children somewhere else due to that they are at a prisons. The reason something can immediately could happen such as a inmate escaping and can possibly do something especially the ones who can’t participate. So I believe that the children should be with the family and not apart. I like the fact that in the article they say “many prisons hold family events because with the interactions it can strengthen a prisoner's relationship with his loved ones and, in turn, better enable him to transition successfully into society”. Which is most likely what the program is for to help them get back in society. Furthermore, I do agree when prisoners are released they need to have an support system. I totally agree when they say recidivism will occur if prisoner’s don’t have that support system, then they feel homeless and that’s when they reoffend and end up back in jail. To conclude, I agree with this whole article the program is a great idea to help these inmates become a better person in society and try not to reoffend Overall the events was very unique because it help them interact with not just their family but other offenders families. One thing I think should change is not having the children separated from their families they should be right in their supervision.Savage456
After reading this article, I thought it was very nice that the prison has little events for inmates with good behavior that will bring them closer to their families. When a person actually has a bond or interaction with their kids and significant other it shows them what they missed out on and it teaches them to value what they took for granted. This makes the eant to change and gives them the desire to want to be out of prison and it goves them the desire to stay out of prison. As I read on I like the section where it talks about the children being affected by violent parents and how the author used his own personal life as an example. This shows that a child can really be the product of their environment. What stuck out to me was the author made a statement how prisons work on reducing the recidivism rate rather than reducing the chances of the next generation of children entering prisons. This interest me because why aren’t they working on keeping the next generation out, that alone would reduce the incarceration rate. My thought is if we could keep them out and give them a purposeful future then the statistic of turning out like their parents will reduce. TJGirl456
After reading this article, first I believe that we cannot compare what our life in prison versus the life in the free world. Let us face the truth and in fact, we know that a person in prison do not have much freedom like a person who freely does what he or she can in the free world. Prison life as we know it is for the offenders to pay for the crimes or bad things they did or commit. Prison takes away one’s freedom to be with his/her family, loved ones and being part of the society and community. I like the program that the Stafford Creek Correction Center is using, it is a good example of how they are helping prisoners especially those who show good behavior to be able to attend an event and to be introduced to their family and society. I do agree that there are some restrictions like hands must remain above the table and if intertwined, they cannot move the wrist. They were given permission at the beginning and end of the visit to have a brief hug and kisses with their visitors. On the other hand, Yes, I do understand why the children should be in a different room where they can play and watch television. For a reason that it was the Corrections Center policy and for safety. At some point, I do not think that it was good because those children need to see and meet their parent/s at some point and not to be a total stranger to their children down the road when they got out of prison. They have given a chance to play with their children outside in the sunshine and interact with other visitors, but I do not think that at some point they can have physical connections with them. It is true that when a person be put in prison, he or she will be absent from their children’s lives and worst case they become negligent. This is the point that they must think of some program that will allow inmates and their children to connect and know more about each other. -MScott456
I have to say that I love what Washington's state Stafford Creek Corrections Center is doing. It is nice to see a prison reward the inmates for their good behavior. I think that it is not only a reward for the inmate, but for the family as well due to their good behavior. Between family fun night and the summer family bbq, the families get plenty of time together. I think this is a good first step in reintegrating inmates back to the civilian life. I do disagree with the fact that small children are kept separate in a small toy room "baby sat by a tv." I think these kids should be welcomed into the event more as it gives them an opportunity to see their parents. If not, I don't think the children should be coming to these events. I believe this program will most definitely help reduce recidivism rates. It helps families work out issues that they may encounter when the inmates first get out. It also helps build the relationship back up between an inmate and their family, which in turn makes it easier for the family to support the released inmate in the time that they are adjusting. As someone who has had family in and out of prison, I know how hard it was for uncle to adjust. After many failed trips, my uncle finally got help in a program much like this one. Since then he has been out for years and our relationship as a family has never been stronger. I think all prisons need to take notes from Washington, as it would greatly reduce recidivism. LowAndSlow456
The data that Mr. Bourgeois presents is all solid. It’s a well known fact that people convicted of crimes generally lacked a complete family unit while growing up. The breakdown of the nuclear family has been one of the worst catastrophes for America, and a strong driver of crime rates, especially in black communities. I take exception, however, to the concluding line written by the author, which seems not merely cynical, but rather comes off as projecting. I really can’t believe that the purpose of the family events that he speaks of are planned to drive the children of convicts into the prison system like some grotesque sacrifice to Moloch. I take, and have taken, positions that espouse a shrinking of the correctional system as it stands today, but it is not because I hold that correctional officials are malicious predators bent on perpetuating the worst aspects of the system. At their core, the correctional officers that I’ve met were not doing their jobs simply to make sure that they had a job, but rather aim to affect the safety of the community by doing their jobs efficiently. Simply put, my objections are to methodology, not to the goals of corrections. The words of Mr. Bourgeois, a man whose opinion of correctional officers is that of a current prisoner, ring rather hollow in my ears. This is not to say that his opinion is invalid, but it is wise of us to remember that he has an adversarial relationship with the correctional system and the officers that represent it, and his words are colored by that. His parting shot comes across more like the wish of a man who cannot change his past, and bitterly regrets that. When he snipes at the hope of reintegrating, of moving past one’s crimes and cultivating a healthier home life, it is the bitterness of a man who has spent 60% of his life behind bars and faces little chance of seeing the free sun that is speaking. Trying to take that down seems smaller than merely petty to me. It seems just as malicious as his caricature makes the correctional system seem.
It kind of frustrates me when people are always comparing life in prison to the free world. People are in prison for a reason and new articles and everyone are always comparing about their freedom but people who commit crimes no shouldnt be treated like animals but they should be restricted to some things like the being free you are in prison and you are behind bars for a reason and it should be limited. You shouldnt be free. I understand a lot of people cant see their families due to these restrictions but its that way for a reason. But i due agree with sttaford because good behavior is key for prisons and if we reward them for that when it will show all of the other inmates if you are good and trustworthy then you can see your families and you can do things others cant. But you can only give so much to prisoners because they will take it too far and it could possibly hurt someone. Thats why you have to be careful with family visits because if there is contact then you dont know if a family person is sneaking drugs or weapons within the time they are making contact. But I due agree with letting good behavior inmates having some free time like outside actives or seeing their families . Shark456
With this article I gained a lot of information. I understand a little bit more now on the life's of convicts, and their families. It was said in the article that in some prisoners there are family fun nights that are held every six to eight weeks. I thought that was a wonderful idea, especially because I thought prisoners miss their loved ones. Which I am sure they do miss them, although in this article I learned that isn't why they make those events. Those events are held for the well behaved prisoners, to help them transition to society. Most offenders do not remain in touch with their loved ones, due to them being fed up with them. With these events, it is a hope for the prisoners to bond with their families. Therefore when they get out of prison, they will have a home to go to. In many cases, if an offender doesn't have a home, they are likely to reoffend. The main goal isn't just to help them back into society, but also to help the family that are effected by the life situation the offender has caused. It is likely that children that do not have their physical and emotional needs met, that they will become violent adults. Not if they are physically abused as a child, but neglected in a emotional and physical way. It's a goal to have those needs met as much as possible by their loved ones in prison so they will be more likely to not offend when they get older. Rugby_456
1. The fact that this specific prison allows prisoners to have access to all these kinds of events is remarkable. This is something only seen on TV and it’s great to know of t actually occurring. Sadly I have never heard of Peoria doing anything like this, nor do I think we could afford it.
2. It is terrible to learn that some of these offenders were indeed negligent towards their kids, but now they get access to them. Makes sense right? This is a joke and should be turned around immediately.
3. It’s not pleasuring that many prisoners have nowhere to go when they leave prison. As this only increases the likelihood of them reentering prison. We should have halfway homes for every prison.
4. Family members that have issues with parole officers coming into their homes are what us Americans call idiots. How are you going to get all tripped up in a civil servant coming to your house to do their damn job when your idiot prisoner was the one that signed up for it.
5. It’s a shame that certain men who are terrible are able to return home to be abusive towards their children that got them locked up in the first place. These are the ones that should be staying in prison forever, no second chances…
6. Honestly there is not much any prison official could do to prevent the children of offenders from becoming offenders. They can’t force the kids to do anything and have no jurisdiction to operate outside of prison walls.
7. Ervin Staub is just flat out wrong. It is false to say that kids of lacking parents do not ever develop self-control. How can you be such an idiot to say this? Are you kidding me, can kids not decide if they want to fight, go to school, brush their teeth, dress themselves? Come on…
8. Children that are neglected are obviously more likely to commit crimes. But they aren’t really more likely to commit crimes in adulthood. Rather this writer decided to skip over the fact that they are more likely to become juvenile delinquents first 9. I am surprised on how often they reward their prisoners with good behavior being every six-eight weeks. 10. It is good to see how many different events the prisoner can go to and help make his transition to society better 11. It is sad to see that the recidivism rate for ex-offenders who stayed in homeless shelters post-release was increased by 17% 12. It is good to see that there is a rational basis for prisons to host events aimed at strengthening the bonds between prisoners and their families 13. I believe that children whose fathers fail to provide guidance and structure are more prone to aggression even though it is sad to see that what these parents do it takes a toll on these kids 14. It is sad to hear that on person said that it would be better not to have a father than to have one in prison all the time 15. With these parents doing this it's sad to know that it going to continue with the next generation and there is very little that we can do about it. This is a very sad thing to see and know that there is very little to nothing that we can do about it. As humans we grow up the way we are raised and do the things our parents did and you can't really stop that it's human nature. We try to control it the best we can and fix the problem but there is always some rotten apples in a bunch. NDIrish123, Fireboy123.
The fact that this specific prison allows prisoners to have access to all these kinds of events is remarkable. This is something only seen on TV and it’s great to know of t actually occurring. Sadly I have never heard of Peoria doing anything like this, nor do I think we could afford it. It is terrible to learn that some of these offenders were indeed negligent towards their kids, but now they get access to them. Makes sense right? This is a joke and should be turned around immediately. It’s not pleasuring that many prisoners have nowhere to go when they leave prison. As this only increases the likelihood of them reentering prison. We should have halfway homes for every prison. Family members that have issues with parole officers coming into their homes are what us Americans call idiots. How are you going to get all tripped up in a civil servant coming to your house to do their damn job when your idiot prisoner was the one that signed up for it. It’s a shame that certain men who are terrible are able to return home to be abusive towards their children that got them locked up in the first place. These are the ones that should be staying in prison forever, no second chances… Honestly there is not much any prison official could do to prevent the children of offenders from becoming offenders. They can’t force the kids to do anything and have no jurisdiction to operate outside of prison walls. Ervin Staub is just flat out wrong. It is false to say that kids of lacking parents do not ever develop self-control. How can you be such an idiot to say this? Are you kidding me, can kids not decide if they want to fight, go to school, brush their teeth, dress themselves? Come on… Children that are neglected are obviously more likely to commit crimes. But they aren’t really more likely to commit crimes in adulthood. Rather this writer decided to skip over the fact that they are more likely to become juvenile delinquents first. I am surprised on how often they reward their prisoners with good behavior being every six-eight weeks. It is good to see how many different events the prisoner can go to and help make his transition to society better. It is sad to see that the recidivism rate for ex-offenders who stayed in homeless shelters post-release was increased by 17%. It is good to see that there is a rational basis for prisons to host events aimed at strengthening the bonds between prisoners and their families. I believe that children whose fathers fail to provide guidance and structure are more prone to aggression even though it is sad to see that what these parents do it takes a toll on these kids. It is sad to hear that on person said that it would be better not to have a father than to have one in prison all the time. With these parents doing this it's sad to know that it going to continue with the next generation and there is very little that we can do about it. This is a very sad thing to see and know that there is very little to nothing that we can do about it. As humans we grow up the way we are raised and do the things our parents did and you can't really stop that it's human nature. We try to control it the best we can and fix the problem but there is always some rotten apples in a bunch. NDIrish123, Fireboy123.
Part 1: It’s always amazing to read about the lifestyles of prisons. You learn about new things that make you glad you aren’t in prison but also things that make you feel good about certain ways they are treated. For example, the article stated that inmates who have had good behavior get to participate in certain days unique events, like family BBQ days and significant woman’s day. On those kinds of days, if attended, allot the prisoners more freedom to be able to enjoy their families. On any other day, things are far stricter. Hands must remain above the table and, if intertwined, cannot move above the wrist. Prisoners are only allowed to briefly hug and kiss their visitor at the beginning and end of the visit. And as for the children, they have little entertainment other than a small play area with a television to babysit them. That last part honestly makes me glad that I am not in prison because I wouldn’t be able to stand not being able to freely touch my husband or children. Now we must still remember that these are prisoners. It’s not as though a bunch of upstanding citizens are being held and not allowed to see their families. A lot of them very well deserve to be in prison for the crimes they have committed but the special privileges are for the people that are a lot less… hostile? It’s not like they were the greatest of parents or husbands that really want to jump back into their kinds lives. For the most part, the guys eligible to participate were absent from their children’s lives or, worse yet, negligent parents. They were philanders who had many women in the free world convinced that their relationship was exclusive. Needless to say, they weren’t really considered the most ideal man for women to want to pick to have a family with but stuck to them anyway. But these events aren’t just rewards for good behavior, as the article had stated. SomethingProfound123
I agree, it would also hurt me to not be able to touch someone that I haven’t love or seen in a while. But people in prison will bring in drugs or anything they shouldn’t have there. They did it to themselves people don’t respect the rules. I also agree with the you can only go to events only if you were on good behavior. Some people don’t deserve to go to those things because they acted up in prison when being prison is somewhere you should be changing your actions. It all just depends on how you act where they may give you certain freedom.-babyblue123
Part 2: Many prisons hold family events under the auspice that maybe such interactions will strengthen a prisoner’s relationship with his loved ones and, in turn, better enable him to transition successfully into society. So, what seems like a kid getting a lollipop for being good at the doctors is an undercover form of rehabilitation, which is fantastic and what most prisoners need. It was shocking to read that most prisoners that are released, that don’t take well to readjusting to society, end up homeless. Even family have a challenging time with reaccepting their criminal member back, especially to have them live with them while they readjust to society. When I read that I could understand but at the same time, it’s kind of sad to think about. It must be terrible to be outcast by your own family, of course, but I feel that there are exceptions sometimes were the person being outcast kind of deserves it for the things they did. Maybe, in the end they were a threat to their own family to begin with. Though, that situation, as I read, doesn’t help the prisoner in the end because with the disconnection from their family, they are more likely to be homeless and fall back into committing crimes, much like the ones that got them locked up in the first place. It was not shocking to read that children whose fathers have a penchant for beating the women in their lives are 60 percent more likely to engage in serious youth violence than children who do not bear witness to domestic violence. Of course, they are more likely to become delinquents. They grew up witnessing it first hand and immoral behavior like that is learned and taught, not just picked up randomly on day. That’s why it could be hazardous for some of these men to be released back to their families. Without proper rehabilitation, they won’t have changed from what they previously were and in the end, they could have been a serious threat to their own families from the beginning. One should therefore wonder why prison officials take pains to increase the prospect that the welcome mat will be laid out for prisoners upon release—knowing full well there is a high probability that they are hazardous to their children’s wellbeing. SomethingProfound123
While reading this article I found it surprising that prisons would actually hold these events. I feel like this because when someone one is put in a jail or prison it is for a reason. They should not have that much free time and should be doing activities like these. They were put in there for some reason so that should not be part of their punishment. But in a way I could also see this as being good for the inmates and their family. This is because like it said in the article at Stanford Creek Correctional Center around every six to eight weeks the visiting room is arranged for the inmates. They hold BBQ s, back so school events, exc. In these events the inmates can run around in the sun with their kids and also hug and do whatever they want with their wife without getting in trouble by the guards. Of course though only the inmates that have been on their best behavior can attend which is the only way to do it in my mind. This gives the opportunity for the inmates to try and reconnect with their children and women in their lives so that when they get out they have some what of a relationship with their significant other and family. It said in the article on how children that do not have a father figure or the father figure isn't a good one are more prone to doing delinquent acts. That is what the corrections center is trying to prevent by doing these types of events. They are also trying to set up the inmates for success so when they do finally get out they can hopefully have some support from their family. By attending these events they can build positively for when they get out they already have a good relationship going for them. Trojan123
It’s good to see that there are correctional facilities such as Stafford Creek that provide opportunities for inmates to do things such as a family fun day/night, a summer family BBQ, and other events that allow inmates to participate in with their families due to having good behavior while incarcerated. I think it’s good for the inmates to stay engaged with their family while incarcerated because it allows them to see what they are missing on the outside and maybe that will strive them to become a better person. I think more opportunities should be offered around the country just like Stafford Creek offers their inmates. I also agree with what was stated in the article that it would be hard to have a family member that is constantly in and out of prison or jail. Once the offender gets out, their family is probably more than tired of dealing with it and don’t agree with parole or probation officers coming in and out of their houses and invading their privacy. One thing I found interesting while reading the article was “Children who do not have their physical and emotional needs met due to neglect have a greater risk for adult violence than if they were physically abused instead.” I’m surprised to learn that because I would think that it would be the other way around. I also agree that it’s better for a child to have one sane parent to grow up with rather than having another one who is the abuser and the trouble maker. PizzaLover123
Reading this article made me think a little bit more than normal. Mostly about families visiting their loved ones in prison. Maybe its because I could personally relate on the opposite side. I didn't get to visit my father in prison although their was a reason for that. I can honestly say that I could care less if I even got to. My mom would try to let us see him after he was released and I remember telling her that I didn't want to see him again. that was my decision. All I could think about was these kids going to visit their family on the days that wasn't a special day. whose choice was it for them to go visit? was it the kids or was it the parent? then the quote struck me that some kids are better-off without a father. it was sad to read that but true. If a parent could allow children as young as eleven years old sell drugs and carry a gun in the middle of the night knowing it should have been put behind bars themselves. Children are very impressionable at a young age. We teach them to be good and behave and yet subject them to a prison with offenders of all kinds. They should be visiting their parents at work no in prison. yes its great to see that a prison will offer family fun nights or cook outs but you can't do that without being on your toes waiting for the event to go south. honestly its all I can think about is whos best interest is this for? yes some kids might be all excited to go and see there dads but when it comes time to leave its all tears in their eyes until next time. ~myhearseisnotafuneralcar456
1. The fact that the prisoner could only hug and kiss their visitors for a few minutes i think is really shitty. Why is the contact limited if they have been locked up for so long. It shouldn’t matter how long the hug or kiss is because that is how people show their love and affection. 2. It’s stupid that they can’t put their hands under the table or in their laps. Me personally I like my hands in my lap because I feel more comfortable when they are in my lap. 3. The kids that come only have a very limited activities to do. Why is that? Even though, they are in prison if a little kid come they should have something to do during a long visit. Kids do get irritated just as well as adults if they don’t have anything to do. As adults the police guards should know that to be true as well. 4. I think that it is contradicting itself because one minute they say they can’t touch or have limited touching with others, then they say they can touch. I feel like they would be sending mixed signals to the prisoners. 5. The former prisoner that spoke to the reporter I feel like was saying real stuff because, if you have one thing on your mind everything else around you is irrelevant. I totally agree with him because if I want something really bad, the only thing that is on my mind is the thing I want 6. Another big thing that I don’t agree with is why don’t the prisoner family want them back in the house after they get out? If that is a loved one I don’t see why you don't want them back. I find that so hard to believe. 7. I don’t find it shocking that kids who are around violence between their parents grow up being violent. If a little boy see his dad hit his mom he is grow up thinking that, that is okay. So, he’s going to go around hitting females and or males and hitting in general because he think it’s okay to do so. Vice versa if a little girl see her mom getting hit by her dad, she will grow up thinking that that is love. WS123
8. “Children whose fathers have a penchant for beating the women in their lives are 60 percent more likely to engage in serious youth violence than children who do not bear witness to domestic violence.” 60% is a huge number for youth to be incarcerated for witnessing domestic violence and that leading to youth violence. It’s just what you can find once you get to the data. 9. Children who feel neglected, physically and emotionally growing up, will have a higher risk at committing adult violence. Not showing enough love to a child can really change the way they act and probably make them act out for attention. 10. Research says that maladaptive behaviors become family scripts, by which are conveyed verbally and by example from generation to the next. Parents do what they’re parents did as they were children. Just doing what mom/dad did. 11. When prisoners are released and have nowhere to go recidivism is increased. You get out and don’t have family members around that want you or want to deal with you, you continue to do what you did to go back in the system. 12. Some prisons have programs aimed at trying to strengthen a bond between the family and prisoner. 13. It is well understood that the quality of social support that is available to a prisoner upon release impacts their likelihood of returning to the penitentiary. Once you have a chance to talk to friends or loved ones outside of the prison you might have a chance at finding a place to stay and stay away from the prison system. 14. The recidivism rate for offenders released from prison, but stayed in a homeless shelter increased by 17%. 15. The reality of trying to find a job, while not having a place to live is extremely hard to deal without. When you have no place to live, that’s all you worry about. Where to lay your head every night. DC123
I agree that prisoners should be aware of how life is going to be once they are out. Without any support while in jail I found that it can be extremely disheartening and truly affect how they are going to live life once they are out. It’s crazy to me that they only get a few moments to show affection to their love ones. I understand that they did something bad and there’s a reason they are in jail but it is their loved ones and family. I agree that it’s not shocking that children who grow up around violence tend to build up an anger and think it’s the appropriate way to go about life. They lost the love and attention that people need in order to grow up to deal with situations properly. I believe that it would benefit them to understand how to deal with life once they are out of incarceration. Sunshine123 & UofM123
One thing that was really interesting was they let prisoner out to go to family functions when they are on good behavior. I found that to be very good only because sometimes people deserve that when they have been acting right doing their time. Seeing their family might really help them finish their time in prison so they know what they have out there again.Another interesting thing was the act that they have to be so control with their actions when people are visiting them. They can only do a quick pat on the back and a little peck on the cheek or lips. It’s crazy because what if you haven’t seen someone for so long and you just want to hold them but you can’t. But some people would be dumb and transfer drugs in.The fact that family sometimes just forget the people that are in prison is crazy. Especially if the prisoner did some horrible things to them before they went to prison. I feel like if one of my family member when to jail and was always stealing my stuff I would grow away from them you acted horrible when you were in the free world and now you are getting punished. 4. And that goes to when some prisoner gets out and don’t have a home or a place to sleep. Some people don’t want to go through the parole officers coming to their house and dealing with you acting crazy because believe it or not half the people that went to jail for selling drugs, when they get out they go straight back to doing that so they can make money. -babyblue123
1. I agree with the Stafford Creek Corrections Center that having special events can have a positive effect on prisoners and can promote good behavior on the inside. It gives the inmates something to look forward to other than four walls. 2. For prisoners that are released and have zero social support from anyone or bad support only increases their likelihood of returning to the penitentiary. It just goes to show how important it could be to be a positive influence in someone's life. 3. When you have no place to sleep it can be very hard to focus on doing really anything to better yourself because you are focused on trying to find the next place you can lay your head. Yes you think about getting a job and how it could help but if you have no place to sleep or eat a job may not be number one on your list of priorities. 4. Family members are becoming less willing to open their home due to the intrusion of parole officers into their residence. Families do not want them to interfere with their peace and tranquility. 5. It is very disheartening or sickening that most prisons would prefer the inmate to go home the their significant other and children who they treated poorly than to end up on the streets homeless and on the precipice of reoffending. 6. A very disgusting statistic and number, but commonly known, is that children whose fathers have a penchant for beating woman in their lives are 60 percent more likely to engage in serious youth violence than children that do not bear witness to domestic violence. 7. It is sad that parents even consider neglect as being okay. Children who do not have their physical and emotional needs met due to neglect have a greater risk for adult violence than if they were physically abused instead. 8. An interesting fact according to a psychologist is that children whose fathers fail to provide guidance and structure do not develop self-control and, as a consequence, are more prone to aggression. 9. It hard to take in the fact that getting released from prison could have a negative impact on the children who they come home to. It was hard enough on their children to cope with the fact that their parent was in prison and it could bring fear to lose them again.
10. It’s important to ensure that the next generation is educated on the fact getting released isn’t going to be all that great and they need to be better prepared for the world once the are out.
11. It heartbreaking to know what an impact you have on your children’s life when you make the wrong choice and go to jail. The neglect can be so damaging to the mind of a developing youth. I can’t imagine how hard that could be to deal with not just mentally at home but fear of judgment from others.
12. It’s a negative effect on children seeing extreme violence at home. Watching your father abuse your mother will build up such an aggressive frustration inside. If that emotion is bottled up and not dealt with properly it can have a huge impact on their life.
13. I agree that the social support can change how the prisoner lives his life after release. Without social support they will feel lost and not welcomed. 14. I agree that it could be more beneficial to just not have a father figure rather than dealing with a father who has no self control themselves.
15. I believe that the prisoner coming home could be positive in a sense that things change in their mind and want to better themselves. The children will see the change and become inspired by that. Sunshine123 & UofM123
Yes this prison having this type of program can help the prisoners and it can also help their families. If we do this for more prisons then maybe the prisoners will have some hope and will also not want to reoffend and miss the advancing technology or miss watching their children grow up. If we give these guys more hope and give them something to work for then maybe we can have more success with rehab and those who want to get a better education to get better jobs and help support their families. Also if these prisoners are the ones who sleep with multiple women and do not really care for their children, then why are they getting the opportunity at this program? There are plenty others who want to be their for their families that may not have this type of opportunity. Illini123
After reading this article the first thing that stuck out to me was if this type of program works why are we not putting it in more prisons or why are more inmates not trying to take advantage of the opportunity to be reintegrated into society. When the author talks about who most of these inmates are who are in the program I would have thought that it would be the ones who care for their kids and maybe have done one stupid mistake to get them locked up. Reading that most of the inmates are those who really do not care for their kids, then why are they caring now, just so they can get out early, or are they actually trying to start a bond between themselves and their children. I know that most prisons have visiting hours, but this does not allow prisoners to interact with family like the type of program this prison has. Hearing that those who have been released and had no job or no way of getting a job and were forced to homeless shelters have a recidivism rate that was increased by seventeen percent is shocking. When children do come to visit it shocked me that most of the time the children were put into a room and just had to sit there and watch TV. What are they going to learn by watching a TV all day and doing nothing. Seeing that children who have a father who beats women are more than sixty percent likely to commit violent crimes is absurd. If we do not get these children away from the violence, then all their life they are going to see their fathers beating women and that is all they are going to know. Illini123
I agree with the Stafford Creek Corrections Center that having special events can have a positive effect on prisoners and can promote good behavior on the inside. It gives the inmates something to look forward to other than four walls. For prisoners that are released and have zero social support from anyone or bad support only increases their likelihood of returning to the penitentiary. It just goes to show how important it could be to be a positive influence in someone's life. When you have no place to sleep it can be very hard to focus on doing really anything to better yourself because you are focused on trying to find the next place you can lay your head. Yes you think about getting a job and how it could help but if you have no place to sleep or eat a job may not be number one on your list of priorities. Family members are becoming less willing to open their home due to the intrusion of parole officers into their residence. Families do not want them to interfere with their peace and tranquility. It is very disheartening or sickening that most prisons would prefer the inmate to go home the their significant other and children who they treated poorly than to end up on the streets homeless and on the precipice of reoffending. A very disgusting statistic and number, but commonly known, is that children whose fathers have a penchant for beating woman in their lives are 60 percent more likely to engage in serious youth violence than children that do not bear witness to domestic violence. It is sad that parents even consider neglect as being okay. Children who do not have their physical and emotional needs met due to neglect have a greater risk for adult violence than if they were physically abused instead. An interesting fact according to a psychologist is that children whose fathers fail to provide guidance and structure do not develop self-control and, as a consequence, are more prone to aggression. It hard to take in the fact that getting released from prison could have a negative impact on the children who they come home to. It was hard enough on their children to cope with the fact that their parent was in prison and it could bring fear to lose them again. It’s important to ensure that the next generation is educated on the fact getting released isn’t going to be all that great and they need to be better prepared for the world once the are out. It heartbreaking to know what an impact you have on your children’s life when you make the wrong choice and go to jail. The neglect can be so damaging to the mind of a developing youth. I can’t imagine how hard that could be to deal with not just mentally at home but fear of judgment from others. It’s a negative effect on children seeing extreme violence at home. Watching your father abuse your mother will build up such an aggressive frustration inside. If that emotion is bottled up and not dealt with properly it can have a huge impact on their life. I agree that the social support can change how the prisoner lives his life after release. Without social support they will feel lost and not welcomed. I agree that it could be more beneficial to just not have a father figure rather than dealing with a father who has no self control themselves. I believe that the prisoner coming home could be positive in a sense that things change in their mind and want to better themselves. The children will see the change and become inspired by that. Sunshine123 & UofM123
After reading this short article I think that this Stafford Creek Corrections Center is perfect for inmates who are good behavioral or for people about to be released. This system is perfect because it lets inmates get back into society like a half-way house it gets them used to what they missed in the world before being dumped back into society with no help so they at least know what to expect and how to cope with the new society. I would also have to agree with the restrictions that hands must be above the table, and if intertwined they can’t be above the wrist, and they are allowed a hug or kiss for the beginning and end of the visit. I agree with those restrictions because if they went under the table and were in prison for killing someone with a knife they could have another knife, or the above the wrist if they went higher and they were a sexual offender they can harass or stab and kill someone. On the other hand, I do not think the children being watched by a television in a little play area is good for them. I can understand why they don’t want the kids near the inmates but at some point, they need to see their parent or person that is in prison so they aren’t just introduced to a stranger down the road who just got out of prison. I feel that this whole system is perfect for good behavior inmates and ones that are about to be released on good behavior but you must wonder like the article said what kind of prisoners attend the events because the inmate could have been good for a while then just turns on everyone and goes on a rampage in the meeting with family and other inmates. I feel it is a good program there just needs to be more restrictions because what if two rival gang members meet outside and want to kill each other? There is no telling what these meetings can contain but they can also be perfect to help inmates get back to their families smoother than just being released.
ReplyDeleteCarlBaconWho456
Yes I agree this program is great for those offenders who have shown good behavior or for those who are about to be released, because if we can show them how society is now after they have been locked up then they will know how to interact in the new world and they will not feel like they are not apart of society and feel the need to go back to prison since they do not know how the new technology works. These restrictions are good because now we know that they can not sneak weapons or drugs in and for the children we need a better way of keeping them occupied rather than them sitting in a room watching TV all day.
DeleteIllini456
I agree that the program is a good program for the same reasons. I think this for the same reasons as you, the restrictions are good such as the hand above the table one because like you said what if they try to sneak weapons in trying to hurt someone else in the prison and only being able to hug and kiss at the beginning and end of the visit because prisoners still need that discipline therefore I believe they have that restriction for that reason. Reading the article and when the author stated that some inmates did not have a good relationship with their child before they got locked up made me realize having the children in a different room making the inmate realize that they do need to improve for their child. swaggyy456
DeleteI agree this program is great and it it is well needed. Offenders who served long sentences need to be kept up to date on the society so the can adapt well once they are on the outside. Also I believe they need that interaction with their families because it teaches them how to build bonds with the ones the may not have treated so well. I think the restrictions they have are good as well because I believe it would make them value the little things and want to do better upon returning home. I think this program could turn around majority of the offenders in there.
DeleteTJGIRL456
I do agree that the program they are using at the Corrections Center is great especially for those offenders who shown good behavior and for those who are about to be released back to society and to be with their family. It is showing them how society works in a way that in time of their release they will know what to expect out the free world. I believe that those restrictions are necessary for the safety of the visitors. About the children, I think that there is a better way for the children to be introduced to their parents in a way they will know them better and to feel connections other than them being put in a separate room where they cannot interact with them. -MScott456
DeleteYes, i do agree with you about it being a good place for inmates who are getting out. But, at the same time i feel like some of the restrictions are too bold. like the hugging and kissing for brief moments i do not agree with that. How i was raised i was always told to greet my loved one with a hug and a kiss on a cheek. And since a lot of my family are older their hugs are much longer than the average stranger hug. Not just a 3 second hug.And,I don't think them have to worry about them slipping knives in each other sleeves if the program is for the good inmates WS123
DeleteWhile reading this article and hearing about the program that Stafford Creek Corrections Center is perfect for some low level offenders. I feel that having this program for those with good behavior or those who are about to be released is perfect. The ones who attend this are probably ready to get back into society and are ready to show the world that they have changed and prove the stats wrong about going back into the prison system. When these inmates get to see their children running and playing and the inmates can actually interact with their kids it shows the true color of the parent and that they may have done one stupid mistake that cost them prison time. When the author talked about the actual inmates who were in this type of program, I figured it would be the fathers who love their kids and do anything for them and love the mother of the kids, but he says that most of the inmates are the ones who had more than one lover on the outside and were never around for their children before they went to jail. If this program can help these inmates learn how to be better fathers and a better husband, then we should maybe start trying this in every prison and see if it can help with the decrease of re-offenders. Most of these prisoners when asked would probably say that they would never want their child to be in this type of situation, but as research has shown these types of children have a higher chance of going to prison since one of their parents was locked up. If these inmates do not want their children to end up locked up, then when they get released they need to show that they are willing to go get a job and help pay the bills and take care of the children and not beat on their spouse.
ReplyDeleteIllini456
I agree that the program is perfect for low level offenders that are about to be released back into society. It’s a good way to inadvertently give rehabilitation to prisoners that will eventually become citizens once again. Because let’s face it, if they were decent citizens, they wouldn’t be in prison and I’m sure the thought of prisoners rejoining society makes the rest of the population a little bit nervous. I agree that it is sad to know that regardless of the rehabilitation, the children of these fathers have a higher risk of becoming just like their fathers than they do of becoming a model citizen, and that’s a true shame. There’s always a chance for kids to shine but it’s often harder for some to shine than others when they have to stand in the shadow of a dark, neglected, possibly abusive criminal of a father. There are only a small amount of very rare cases where the child takes the fathers life as an example of how not to act, grow up and things not to do themselves. About the author of this article, all I have to say is thank god he was honest. He didn’t try to make being in prison seem like it wasn’t all that bad because, well we all know better. It’s horrible in there and it’s certainly no place for a child to find a role model to follow and mold their lives around. I hope these events and attempts at rehabilitation end up working for the system. It could do so many low level criminals so much good, especially the ones that aren’t really in the prison for the worst of crimes. Maybe they got framed or maybe their crime didn’t even have anything to do with their families at all and they made a mistake like you stated. SomethingProfound123
DeleteI agree with all of your statements. especially with the part about what kind of inmates that were involved in these programs. I also thought they would be the loving caring husbands and fathers, but that was not the case. Although it does give the dead beat dads and the dads and significant others that were never their in the past a chance to see there kids and play with them. It might change them for the good. Like you said about having every jail start to practice these types of services for the well behaved inmates. But before every prison starts to have these programs, I feel that they should do a study and actually find out of if these activities actually help with re-offending and the advantages and disadvantages of this program. It is a great program that I think could become a big thing if it works in the way we want it to. Trojan123.
DeleteWhile reading this article I thought that it was very cool yet interesting that prisoners with good behavior got to attend special events such as family fun night, back to school event, summer family BBQ, and the significant women's event. I thought that this was interesting because this allowed the good behaved prisoners to stay connect to their families and the outside world too. Since these days were special to the prisoners they were less restricted than the other visit days. He states in the article “sounds awesome if you're stuck in the penitentiary-and it is.” That stuck out to me because these days to the prisoner probably means the world to them, and this will motivate these prisoners and others to continue to behave while in the penitentiary. He said that not all of the men that attend these events are great parents or have been in their children's lives before these events, but they are bringing the child to them. Like it says in the article prisons hold events like these to strengthen the relationship between their loved ones and can help the prisoners transition into society with a higher rate of success. Usually I thought that family members would be welcoming to their family member that was in prison since they haven't seen them in a while, but according to the article prisoners with nowhere to go or no family waiting on them when they are more likely to reoffend and end up back in prison or become homeless with weak family bonds. The author of this article explains how seeing violence of extreme bad examples can affect children when they grow up and become adults. I thought that it was very interesting that the author was a product of extreme bad examples and was sent to prison for murder. He said that sometimes a child is better off without any father in his life, rather than one who “parents” the way his did. That struck a chord with me because sadly I think that this is true. If an adolescent thinks it okay, than he will follow in the footsteps. Nighttrain456
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement. I thought it was very nice to have these special events for these offenders. Reason being it help them still connect with their family and other inmates families as well. Yes it was less restrictions when it came to these events which should be a good feeling to the inmates because it shows how the prisons have some sort of trust towards the inmates and it shows that the inmates have some control to themselves. I also like when you said it stuck out to prisoners and it can motivate them. I totally agree with it because it can help them behave like you said. Another thing , yes I believe that these events they hold can strengthen the prisoners relationship with their love ones and help them transition to society. With that being said it was stated in the article that it's great that the prisoners have a support system there when they are released. That's very true because for the ones who don't they are viewed as homeless and that's how they reoffend and be back in the prisons. Overall your I agree with your statement you had stated some important points and overall the program is very helpful to those in the prisons who deserve it. Savage456
DeleteI understand where your coming from but I think his main purpose of creating this article is because the skills you listed for them to have are not present. They don't know how to do such things, haven't been taught, nor shown these such things. He mentioned in the article that the way children are parented, well be passed along to their children because that is how they were shown parenting to be. Some even pass it down unconsciously not even thinking about breaking the cycle because they've become so used to it as that being the way they were raised. I think a lot of the times as the author said the parents in jail returning to society do more damage to the children, rather than helping the child. It may sound as if it is easy to change your life around in order for your child to have a better life because some of us would do it in a heartbeat. But not everyone is displayed love and care, and in the future this creates problems with adults in the future because they don't know how to display love or even rationalize thoughts to bring about change in their life. McBrightyalife456
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article about the Stafford Creek Corrections Center I automatically thought it was a good idea. I believe this was a good idea because it really focuses on rehabilitation and is perfect fit for inmates that are close to being released and for inmates that consistently show good behavior and want to truly change their lives around for when they are released back into society. The restrictions for example only being able to hug and kiss at the beginning and end of the visit and also even having to have their hands above the table are good restrictions just because it shows discipline but still gives the inmates an equal opportunity to see their loved ones. The one I do not agree with is having the children somewhere else watching tv which is understandable that is not a great environment for the child but not being able to see their parent is very sad.I do believe this makes the inmate realize that he or she did mess up and I feel as if it should motivate the parent to do the program in hopes to get better for his or her child. In the article the author points out that some people in the program are parents that were not doing right for their child before they even got to prison which made me sad to read but knowing the program was thought of in order to restore the relationship makes me like the program even more. This is also great for offenders who committed nonviolent crimes like property damage or non violent drug crimes so they do not enter prison and come out a completely different person just because they were sent there for a petty crime. The fact that this system allows inmates to get a real feel of what they are missing in the world right now by treating this entire system like a halfway house. I overall feel as if the program is a good idea and should keep pushing the inmates and I believe this would be a good idea for more places to try just to see if there are any positive results. swaggyy456
ReplyDeleteI disagree with your statement that separating the children is "sad". Sure, some of these offenders are incarcerated based on their commission of lesser crimes, however, you need to think of the kind of person who goes out and commits a property crime such as shooting the window out of someone's car using a pellet gun, or going and driving drunk. These people likely won't be great parents. I can say that from personal experience, you don't want people like this having and raising kids. These kids are much more likely to learn the same behavior from their parents and go on the become offenders themselves or create unwanted social situations (i.e. abusive parenting/relationships, etc). It's in the best interest of everyone that the children be kept away from the prison environment and the actions/presence of the offending parent or parents. If the offending parent didn't want to end up in such a situation, perhaps they should have thought about that before committing the crime that they did, no matter how petty. -TheTurk456
DeleteI have to agree, yet disagree with this statement. My dad was an awful kid growing up. No he wasn't doing drugs or robbing people. He was doing stupid stuff like you said "breaking windows" "tagging old buildings", etc. It wasn't that he was a bad kid. He grew up in a town with absolutely nothing to do, literally only a church and a bar. People find trouble when there is nothing to do. I can say that I have not done any of those things, and he's been an idol father. I think that in order to build a paternal/maternal relationship, kids need to associate with their parents. If not, it's going to make life on the outside worse than before.
DeleteLowAndSlow456
I agree that it's not sad to separate children from abusive parents. How can it be sad to remove children from violence towards them and even the possibility of death, explain??? It's rather sad that the prisoner was abusive to the child, the child did nothing wrong, and quite frankly the prisoner is undeserving of having access to any kids let alone their own. This benefits the child because they now are free from their abuser. These specific parents will never be parents because parents don't abuse their kids, end of story, no acceptable argument. Now if the prisoner was locked up for something not at all related to abuse of their kids then sure let them have all these events together. In hopes of maybe just one day they will become function parents towards the kids they left. I think the kids will benefit from these events if the get to interact positively with their locked up parent if the offense was unrelated. I think it benefits the prisoners because it gives them time to think of how they need to be as a parent when they get out and why they should never commit a crime again. Fireboy123
DeleteThe separation of the children and the inmate is a good and if not great idea I think. They are trying to protect the kid and make it seem as normal and "non-scary" as possible. If you were a kid would you want to go to a prison at the age of four and have nothing to keep you occupied? You would be bored and causing problems as any bored four year old would it is a great job and smart way to protect the kids and keep them as calm as possible. Plus if the kid was abused by that specific parent the kid would not want to see that parent. They would have to mentally relive the experiences of them being abused by that parent. It may seem sad to the naked eye but on paper and logically it makes sense to separate the children and make the environment as "non-scary" and as normal as possible. NDIrish123
DeleteI feel like this prisoner through his personal experiences and hardships he has realized the ropes of the justice system. When he began to explain the family events they offered for certain offenders, it warmed my heart and made me feel good. But as he started to describe the broken relationships and the damage that had been done, it got me thinking. It had all sounded good until I realize that some people probably don't even get visitors due to the broken relationships. Not even that but just the fact that this may not even begin to fix the bonds that have already been broken. I think the intentions of the family events were good, but at the end of the day it begins with the offender themselves. It doesn't matter improved their relationship may be with family, if that offender is not ready to change or start a new life. Sometimes they are willing to but another downfall could be that society does not always embrace those who have offended and claimed to have changed. He stated that there was an 17 percent increase in recidivism, for ex offenders who were homeless. This makes sense because as a former inmate stated, your main concern turns into where you are going to sleep. For some if the struggle is bad enough this increases the ambition to get a job, and do better, but overall it depends on the individual. I've seen people use their state of being as an excuse to go re offend in order to survive. This is an perfect example of prisoners that have no where to go, and why they choose to go re offend instead of starting over. I also like how he touches on the fact that prisons make their aim to keep people from re offending. When the real issue is the likely hood of their children becoming offenders. It all makes sense when he says that they are ensuring the safety of their jobs because that is exactly what it boils down to. They don't show any concern for the generational cycle that may be being repeated because if they did the children would be the aim. I know for a fact that children are easier to reach than adults if you get to them at the right age, but they are where it all begins, and where it'll end. McBrightyalife456
ReplyDeleteHaving grown up in exactly the kind of home as the writer of this article, I think I'm right in saying that I can understand what he's saying on a much deeper level than most others. I grew up seeing and being subjected to things I shouldn't have by my alcoholic father. He also saw and was subjected to things he shouldn't have been by his father, and his father before him. It's a very tough chain, as if cast of depleted uranium. However, I'm not like my forefathers because of my upbringing. Sure, I've had my downfalls because of it. I was forced to drop out of high school due to the sheer pressure and pain I was being exposed to. However, there are upsides to it that I'm strangely thankful for. I've known hardship that very few in our social step of the ladder has. As a result of this, I've got an intense amount of motivation; I'm unstoppable in my endeavors to succeed. You can expose me to anything and everything and it's not going to phase me. I've got a much deeper understanding of offenders and evil people in general. The reason, though, that I'm not like my forefathers is because of my associations with supportive people. I'm not a religious person, but as a child, I was involved in the Catholic church. I went to a Catholic school, went to church as a part of school every Friday, and then again on Sunday. I went to confession, more so to just talk to someone about my situation rather than to actually confess. This supportive structure helped guide me in a way that my father couldn't and wouldn't. Eventually, DCFS became involved and my father is now drinking away his sorrows somewhere in Virginia on his own. Is he suffering because he doesn't have a family or any sort of relationship remotely resembling a familial bond? Most definitely. However, he deserves every second of what he currently has. This article goes on about how offenders suffer upon leaving prison due to severed or reduced familial relationships and they become more likely to re-offend as a result. I agree with the writer, though, in saying that that's tough -expletive-. Having offenders of this nature return to their families is only going to create more offenders. Only a small percentage of people make it through to the point that I have and succeed like I have and will. There's no way to sway the parenting techniques of these types of offenders. This kind of behavior stems from the very core of their psyche. This is behavior that they were taught from the very first day of their existence, it's all they understand. The best thing to do is to break the chain. Focus more on the supportive upbringing of the child in order to prevent that child from becoming their parent rather than reuniting the family in the interest of progression. -TheTurk456
ReplyDeleteI think that Stafford Creek Corrections Center is a good program. I like the fact that they allow the offenders on good behavior to attend special events such as Family Fun Night, the Back to School Event, Summer Family BBQ, and the Significant Women’s Event. I believe that these events will help them see how society going and it can help the inmates get back into society as well. I also like the fact that they let them engage with their families and others. One thing I do disagree with is having the children somewhere else due to that they are at a prisons. The reason something can immediately could happen such as a inmate escaping and can possibly do something especially the ones who can’t participate. So I believe that the children should be with the family and not apart. I like the fact that in the article they say “many prisons hold family events because with the interactions it can strengthen a prisoner's relationship with his loved ones and, in turn, better enable him to transition successfully into society”. Which is most likely what the program is for to help them get back in society. Furthermore, I do agree when prisoners are released they need to have an support system. I totally agree when they say recidivism will occur if prisoner’s don’t have that support system, then they feel homeless and that’s when they reoffend and end up back in jail. To conclude, I agree with this whole article the program is a great idea to help these inmates become a better person in society and try not to reoffend Overall the events was very unique because it help them interact with not just their family but other offenders families. One thing I think should change is not having the children separated from their families they should be right in their supervision.Savage456
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article, I thought it was very nice that the prison has little events for inmates with good behavior that will bring them closer to their families. When a person actually has a bond or interaction with their kids and significant other it shows them what they missed out on and it teaches them to value what they took for granted. This makes the eant to change and gives them the desire to want to be out of prison and it goves them the desire to stay out of prison. As I read on I like the section where it talks about the children being affected by violent parents and how the author used his own personal life as an example. This shows that a child can really be the product of their environment. What stuck out to me was the author made a statement how prisons work on reducing the recidivism rate rather than reducing the chances of the next generation of children entering prisons. This interest me because why aren’t they working on keeping the next generation out, that alone would reduce the incarceration rate. My thought is if we could keep them out and give them a purposeful future then the statistic of turning out like their parents will reduce.
ReplyDeleteTJGirl456
After reading this article, first I believe that we cannot compare what our life in prison versus the life in the free world. Let us face the truth and in fact, we know that a person in prison do not have much freedom like a person who freely does what he or she can in the free world. Prison life as we know it is for the offenders to pay for the crimes or bad things they did or commit. Prison takes away one’s freedom to be with his/her family, loved ones and being part of the society and community. I like the program that the Stafford Creek Correction Center is using, it is a good example of how they are helping prisoners especially those who show good behavior to be able to attend an event and to be introduced to their family and society. I do agree that there are some restrictions like hands must remain above the table and if intertwined, they cannot move the wrist. They were given permission at the beginning and end of the visit to have a brief hug and kisses with their visitors. On the other hand, Yes, I do understand why the children should be in a different room where they can play and watch television. For a reason that it was the Corrections Center policy and for safety. At some point, I do not think that it was good because those children need to see and meet their parent/s at some point and not to be a total stranger to their children down the road when they got out of prison. They have given a chance to play with their children outside in the sunshine and interact with other visitors, but I do not think that at some point they can have physical connections with them. It is true that when a person be put in prison, he or she will be absent from their children’s lives and worst case they become negligent. This is the point that they must think of some program that will allow inmates and their children to connect and know more about each other. -MScott456
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I love what Washington's state Stafford Creek Corrections Center is doing. It is nice to see a prison reward the inmates for their good behavior. I think that it is not only a reward for the inmate, but for the family as well due to their good behavior. Between family fun night and the summer family bbq, the families get plenty of time together. I think this is a good first step in reintegrating inmates back to the civilian life. I do disagree with the fact that small children are kept separate in a small toy room "baby sat by a tv." I think these kids should be welcomed into the event more as it gives them an opportunity to see their parents. If not, I don't think the children should be coming to these events. I believe this program will most definitely help reduce recidivism rates. It helps families work out issues that they may encounter when the inmates first get out. It also helps build the relationship back up between an inmate and their family, which in turn makes it easier for the family to support the released inmate in the time that they are adjusting. As someone who has had family in and out of prison, I know how hard it was for uncle to adjust. After many failed trips, my uncle finally got help in a program much like this one. Since then he has been out for years and our relationship as a family has never been stronger. I think all prisons need to take notes from Washington, as it would greatly reduce recidivism.
ReplyDeleteLowAndSlow456
The data that Mr. Bourgeois presents is all solid. It’s a well known fact that people convicted of crimes generally lacked a complete family unit while growing up. The breakdown of the nuclear family has been one of the worst catastrophes for America, and a strong driver of crime rates, especially in black communities. I take exception, however, to the concluding line written by the author, which seems not merely cynical, but rather comes off as projecting. I really can’t believe that the purpose of the family events that he speaks of are planned to drive the children of convicts into the prison system like some grotesque sacrifice to Moloch. I take, and have taken, positions that espouse a shrinking of the correctional system as it stands today, but it is not because I hold that correctional officials are malicious predators bent on perpetuating the worst aspects of the system. At their core, the correctional officers that I’ve met were not doing their jobs simply to make sure that they had a job, but rather aim to affect the safety of the community by doing their jobs efficiently. Simply put, my objections are to methodology, not to the goals of corrections. The words of Mr. Bourgeois, a man whose opinion of correctional officers is that of a current prisoner, ring rather hollow in my ears. This is not to say that his opinion is invalid, but it is wise of us to remember that he has an adversarial relationship with the correctional system and the officers that represent it, and his words are colored by that. His parting shot comes across more like the wish of a man who cannot change his past, and bitterly regrets that. When he snipes at the hope of reintegrating, of moving past one’s crimes and cultivating a healthier home life, it is the bitterness of a man who has spent 60% of his life behind bars and faces little chance of seeing the free sun that is speaking. Trying to take that down seems smaller than merely petty to me. It seems just as malicious as his caricature makes the correctional system seem.
ReplyDelete-Arsenal456
It kind of frustrates me when people are always comparing life in prison to the free world. People are in prison for a reason and new articles and everyone are always comparing about their freedom but people who commit crimes no shouldnt be treated like animals but they should be restricted to some things like the being free you are in prison and you are behind bars for a reason and it should be limited. You shouldnt be free. I understand a lot of people cant see their families due to these restrictions but its that way for a reason. But i due agree with sttaford because good behavior is key for prisons and if we reward them for that when it will show all of the other inmates if you are good and trustworthy then you can see your families and you can do things others cant. But you can only give so much to prisoners because they will take it too far and it could possibly hurt someone. Thats why you have to be careful with family visits because if there is contact then you dont know if a family person is sneaking drugs or weapons within the time they are making contact. But I due agree with letting good behavior inmates having some free time like outside actives or seeing their families .
ReplyDeleteShark456
With this article I gained a lot of information. I understand a little bit more now on the life's of convicts, and their families. It was said in the article that in some prisoners there are family fun nights that are held every six to eight weeks. I thought that was a wonderful idea, especially because I thought prisoners miss their loved ones. Which I am sure they do miss them, although in this article I learned that isn't why they make those events. Those events are held for the well behaved prisoners, to help them transition to society. Most offenders do not remain in touch with their loved ones, due to them being fed up with them. With these events, it is a hope for the prisoners to bond with their families. Therefore when they get out of prison, they will have a home to go to. In many cases, if an offender doesn't have a home, they are likely to reoffend. The main goal isn't just to help them back into society, but also to help the family that are effected by the life situation the offender has caused. It is likely that children that do not have their physical and emotional needs met, that they will become violent adults. Not if they are physically abused as a child, but neglected in a emotional and physical way. It's a goal to have those needs met as much as possible by their loved ones in prison so they will be more likely to not offend when they get older. Rugby_456
ReplyDelete1. The fact that this specific prison allows prisoners to have access to all these kinds of events is remarkable. This is something only seen on TV and it’s great to know of t actually occurring. Sadly I have never heard of Peoria doing anything like this, nor do I think we could afford it.
ReplyDelete2. It is terrible to learn that some of these offenders were indeed negligent towards their kids, but now they get access to them. Makes sense right? This is a joke and should be turned around immediately.
3. It’s not pleasuring that many prisoners have nowhere to go when they leave prison. As this only increases the likelihood of them reentering prison. We should have halfway homes for every prison.
4. Family members that have issues with parole officers coming into their homes are what us Americans call idiots. How are you going to get all tripped up in a civil servant coming to your house to do their damn job when your idiot prisoner was the one that signed up for it.
5. It’s a shame that certain men who are terrible are able to return home to be abusive towards their children that got them locked up in the first place. These are the ones that should be staying in prison forever, no second chances…
6. Honestly there is not much any prison official could do to prevent the children of offenders from becoming offenders. They can’t force the kids to do anything and have no jurisdiction to operate outside of prison walls.
7. Ervin Staub is just flat out wrong. It is false to say that kids of lacking parents do not ever develop self-control. How can you be such an idiot to say this? Are you kidding me, can kids not decide if they want to fight, go to school, brush their teeth, dress themselves? Come on…
8. Children that are neglected are obviously more likely to commit crimes. But they aren’t really more likely to commit crimes in adulthood. Rather this writer decided to skip over the fact that they are more likely to become juvenile delinquents first
9. I am surprised on how often they reward their prisoners with good behavior being every six-eight weeks.
10. It is good to see how many different events the prisoner can go to and help make his transition to society better
11. It is sad to see that the recidivism rate for ex-offenders who stayed in homeless shelters post-release was increased by 17%
12. It is good to see that there is a rational basis for prisons to host events aimed at strengthening the bonds between prisoners and their families
13. I believe that children whose fathers fail to provide guidance and structure are more prone to aggression even though it is sad to see that what these parents do it takes a toll on these kids
14. It is sad to hear that on person said that it would be better not to have a father than to have one in prison all the time
15. With these parents doing this it's sad to know that it going to continue with the next generation and there is very little that we can do about it.
This is a very sad thing to see and know that there is very little to nothing that we can do about it. As humans we grow up the way we are raised and do the things our parents did and you can't really stop that it's human nature. We try to control it the best we can and fix the problem but there is always some rotten apples in a bunch. NDIrish123, Fireboy123.
The fact that this specific prison allows prisoners to have access to all these kinds of events is remarkable. This is something only seen on TV and it’s great to know of t actually occurring. Sadly I have never heard of Peoria doing anything like this, nor do I think we could afford it. It is terrible to learn that some of these offenders were indeed negligent towards their kids, but now they get access to them. Makes sense right? This is a joke and should be turned around immediately. It’s not pleasuring that many prisoners have nowhere to go when they leave prison. As this only increases the likelihood of them reentering prison. We should have halfway homes for every prison. Family members that have issues with parole officers coming into their homes are what us Americans call idiots. How are you going to get all tripped up in a civil servant coming to your house to do their damn job when your idiot prisoner was the one that signed up for it.
DeleteIt’s a shame that certain men who are terrible are able to return home to be abusive towards their children that got them locked up in the first place. These are the ones that should be staying in prison forever, no second chances… Honestly there is not much any prison official could do to prevent the children of offenders from becoming offenders. They can’t force the kids to do anything and have no jurisdiction to operate outside of prison walls.
Ervin Staub is just flat out wrong. It is false to say that kids of lacking parents do not ever develop self-control. How can you be such an idiot to say this? Are you kidding me, can kids not decide if they want to fight, go to school, brush their teeth, dress themselves? Come on… Children that are neglected are obviously more likely to commit crimes. But they aren’t really more likely to commit crimes in adulthood. Rather this writer decided to skip over the fact that they are more likely to become juvenile delinquents first. I am surprised on how often they reward their prisoners with good behavior being every six-eight weeks. It is good to see how many different events the prisoner can go to and help make his transition to society better.
It is sad to see that the recidivism rate for ex-offenders who stayed in homeless shelters post-release was increased by 17%. It is good to see that there is a rational basis for prisons to host events aimed at strengthening the bonds between prisoners and their families. I believe that children whose fathers fail to provide guidance and structure are more prone to aggression even though it is sad to see that what these parents do it takes a toll on these kids. It is sad to hear that on person said that it would be better not to have a father than to have one in prison all the time. With these parents doing this it's sad to know that it going to continue with the next generation and there is very little that we can do about it.
This is a very sad thing to see and know that there is very little to nothing that we can do about it. As humans we grow up the way we are raised and do the things our parents did and you can't really stop that it's human nature. We try to control it the best we can and fix the problem but there is always some rotten apples in a bunch.
NDIrish123, Fireboy123.
Part 1: It’s always amazing to read about the lifestyles of prisons. You learn about new things that make you glad you aren’t in prison but also things that make you feel good about certain ways they are treated. For example, the article stated that inmates who have had good behavior get to participate in certain days unique events, like family BBQ days and significant woman’s day. On those kinds of days, if attended, allot the prisoners more freedom to be able to enjoy their families. On any other day, things are far stricter. Hands must remain above the table and, if intertwined, cannot move above the wrist. Prisoners are only allowed to briefly hug and kiss their visitor at the beginning and end of the visit. And as for the children, they have little entertainment other than a small play area with a television to babysit them. That last part honestly makes me glad that I am not in prison because I wouldn’t be able to stand not being able to freely touch my husband or children. Now we must still remember that these are prisoners. It’s not as though a bunch of upstanding citizens are being held and not allowed to see their families. A lot of them very well deserve to be in prison for the crimes they have committed but the special privileges are for the people that are a lot less… hostile? It’s not like they were the greatest of parents or husbands that really want to jump back into their kinds lives. For the most part, the guys eligible to participate were absent from their children’s lives or, worse yet, negligent parents. They were philanders who had many women in the free world convinced that their relationship was exclusive. Needless to say, they weren’t really considered the most ideal man for women to want to pick to have a family with but stuck to them anyway. But these events aren’t just rewards for good behavior, as the article had stated. SomethingProfound123
ReplyDeleteI agree, it would also hurt me to not be able to touch someone that I haven’t love or seen in a while. But people in prison will bring in drugs or anything they shouldn’t have there. They did it to themselves people don’t respect the rules. I also agree with the you can only go to events only if you were on good behavior. Some people don’t deserve to go to those things because they acted up in prison when being prison is somewhere you should be changing your actions. It all just depends on how you act where they may give you certain freedom.-babyblue123
DeletePart 2: Many prisons hold family events under the auspice that maybe such interactions will strengthen a prisoner’s relationship with his loved ones and, in turn, better enable him to transition successfully into society. So, what seems like a kid getting a lollipop for being good at the doctors is an undercover form of rehabilitation, which is fantastic and what most prisoners need. It was shocking to read that most prisoners that are released, that don’t take well to readjusting to society, end up homeless. Even family have a challenging time with reaccepting their criminal member back, especially to have them live with them while they readjust to society. When I read that I could understand but at the same time, it’s kind of sad to think about. It must be terrible to be outcast by your own family, of course, but I feel that there are exceptions sometimes were the person being outcast kind of deserves it for the things they did. Maybe, in the end they were a threat to their own family to begin with. Though, that situation, as I read, doesn’t help the prisoner in the end because with the disconnection from their family, they are more likely to be homeless and fall back into committing crimes, much like the ones that got them locked up in the first place. It was not shocking to read that children whose fathers have a penchant for beating the women in their lives are 60 percent more likely to engage in serious youth violence than children who do not bear witness to domestic violence. Of course, they are more likely to become delinquents. They grew up witnessing it first hand and immoral behavior like that is learned and taught, not just picked up randomly on day. That’s why it could be hazardous for some of these men to be released back to their families. Without proper rehabilitation, they won’t have changed from what they previously were and in the end, they could have been a serious threat to their own families from the beginning. One should therefore wonder why prison officials take pains to increase the prospect that the welcome mat will be laid out for prisoners upon release—knowing full well there is a high probability that they are hazardous to their children’s wellbeing. SomethingProfound123
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this article I found it surprising that prisons would actually hold these events. I feel like this because when someone one is put in a jail or prison it is for a reason. They should not have that much free time and should be doing activities like these. They were put in there for some reason so that should not be part of their punishment. But in a way I could also see this as being good for the inmates and their family. This is because like it said in the article at Stanford Creek Correctional Center around every six to eight weeks the visiting room is arranged for the inmates. They hold BBQ s, back so school events, exc. In these events the inmates can run around in the sun with their kids and also hug and do whatever they want with their wife without getting in trouble by the guards. Of course though only the inmates that have been on their best behavior can attend which is the only way to do it in my mind. This gives the opportunity for the inmates to try and reconnect with their children and women in their lives so that when they get out they have some what of a relationship with their significant other and family. It said in the article on how children that do not have a father figure or the father figure isn't a good one are more prone to doing delinquent acts. That is what the corrections center is trying to prevent by doing these types of events. They are also trying to set up the inmates for success so when they do finally get out they can hopefully have some support from their family. By attending these events they can build positively for when they get out they already have a good relationship going for them. Trojan123
ReplyDeleteIt’s good to see that there are correctional facilities such as Stafford Creek that provide opportunities for inmates to do things such as a family fun day/night, a summer family BBQ, and other events that allow inmates to participate in with their families due to having good behavior while incarcerated. I think it’s good for the inmates to stay engaged with their family while incarcerated because it allows them to see what they are missing on the outside and maybe that will strive them to become a better person. I think more opportunities should be offered around the country just like Stafford Creek offers their inmates. I also agree with what was stated in the article that it would be hard to have a family member that is constantly in and out of prison or jail. Once the offender gets out, their family is probably more than tired of dealing with it and don’t agree with parole or probation officers coming in and out of their houses and invading their privacy. One thing I found interesting while reading the article was “Children who do not have their physical and emotional needs met due to neglect have a greater risk for adult violence than if they were physically abused instead.” I’m surprised to learn that because I would think that it would be the other way around. I also agree that it’s better for a child to have one sane parent to grow up with rather than having another one who is the abuser and the trouble maker. PizzaLover123
ReplyDeleteReading this article made me think a little bit more than normal. Mostly about families visiting their loved ones in prison. Maybe its because I could personally relate on the opposite side. I didn't get to visit my father in prison although their was a reason for that. I can honestly say that I could care less if I even got to. My mom would try to let us see him after he was released and I remember telling her that I didn't want to see him again. that was my decision. All I could think about was these kids going to visit their family on the days that wasn't a special day. whose choice was it for them to go visit? was it the kids or was it the parent? then the quote struck me that some kids are better-off without a father. it was sad to read that but true. If a parent could allow children as young as eleven years old sell drugs and carry a gun in the middle of the night knowing it should have been put behind bars themselves. Children are very impressionable at a young age. We teach them to be good and behave and yet subject them to a prison with offenders of all kinds. They should be visiting their parents at work no in prison. yes its great to see that a prison will offer family fun nights or cook outs but you can't do that without being on your toes waiting for the event to go south. honestly its all I can think about is whos best interest is this for? yes some kids might be all excited to go and see there dads but when it comes time to leave its all tears in their eyes until next time. ~myhearseisnotafuneralcar456
ReplyDelete1. The fact that the prisoner could only hug and kiss their visitors for a few minutes i think is really shitty. Why is the contact limited if they have been locked up for so long. It shouldn’t matter how long the hug or kiss is because that is how people show their love and affection.
ReplyDelete2. It’s stupid that they can’t put their hands under the table or in their laps. Me personally I like my hands in my lap because I feel more comfortable when they are in my lap.
3. The kids that come only have a very limited activities to do. Why is that? Even though, they are in prison if a little kid come they should have something to do during a long visit. Kids do get irritated just as well as adults if they don’t have anything to do. As adults the police guards should know that to be true as well.
4. I think that it is contradicting itself because one minute they say they can’t touch or have limited touching with others, then they say they can touch. I feel like they would be sending mixed signals to the prisoners.
5. The former prisoner that spoke to the reporter I feel like was saying real stuff because, if you have one thing on your mind everything else around you is irrelevant. I totally agree with him because if I want something really bad, the only thing that is on my mind is the thing I want
6. Another big thing that I don’t agree with is why don’t the prisoner family want them back in the house after they get out? If that is a loved one I don’t see why you don't want them back. I find that so hard to believe.
7. I don’t find it shocking that kids who are around violence between their parents grow up being violent. If a little boy see his dad hit his mom he is grow up thinking that, that is okay. So, he’s going to go around hitting females and or males and hitting in general because he think it’s okay to do so. Vice versa if a little girl see her mom getting hit by her dad, she will grow up thinking that that is love. WS123
8. “Children whose fathers have a penchant for beating the women in their lives are 60 percent more likely to engage in serious youth violence than children who do not bear witness to domestic violence.” 60% is a huge number for youth to be incarcerated for witnessing domestic violence and that leading to youth violence. It’s just what you can find once you get to the data.
Delete9. Children who feel neglected, physically and emotionally growing up, will have a higher risk at committing adult violence. Not showing enough love to a child can really change the way they act and probably make them act out for attention.
10. Research says that maladaptive behaviors become family scripts, by which are conveyed verbally and by example from generation to the next. Parents do what they’re parents did as they were children. Just doing what mom/dad did.
11. When prisoners are released and have nowhere to go recidivism is increased. You get out and don’t have family members around that want you or want to deal with you, you continue to do what you did to go back in the system.
12. Some prisons have programs aimed at trying to strengthen a bond between the family and prisoner.
13. It is well understood that the quality of social support that is available to a prisoner upon release impacts their likelihood of returning to the penitentiary. Once you have a chance to talk to friends or loved ones outside of the prison you might have a chance at finding a place to stay and stay away from the prison system.
14. The recidivism rate for offenders released from prison, but stayed in a homeless shelter increased by 17%.
15. The reality of trying to find a job, while not having a place to live is extremely hard to deal without. When you have no place to live, that’s all you worry about. Where to lay your head every night. DC123
I agree that prisoners should be aware of how life is going to be once they are out. Without any support while in jail I found that it can be extremely disheartening and truly affect how they are going to live life once they are out. It’s crazy to me that they only get a few moments to show affection to their love ones. I understand that they did something bad and there’s a reason they are in jail but it is their loved ones and family. I agree that it’s not shocking that children who grow up around violence tend to build up an anger and think it’s the appropriate way to go about life. They lost the love and attention that people need in order to grow up to deal with situations properly. I believe that it would benefit them to understand how to deal with life once they are out of incarceration.
DeleteSunshine123 & UofM123
One thing that was really interesting was they let prisoner out to go to family functions when they are on good behavior. I found that to be very good only because sometimes people deserve that when they have been acting right doing their time. Seeing their family might really help them finish their time in prison so they know what they have out there again.Another interesting thing was the act that they have to be so control with their actions when people are visiting them. They can only do a quick pat on the back and a little peck on the cheek or lips. It’s crazy because what if you haven’t seen someone for so long and you just want to hold them but you can’t. But some people would be dumb and transfer drugs in.The fact that family sometimes just forget the people that are in prison is crazy. Especially if the prisoner did some horrible things to them before they went to prison. I feel like if one of my family member when to jail and was always stealing my stuff I would grow away from them you acted horrible when you were in the free world and now you are getting punished.
ReplyDelete4. And that goes to when some prisoner gets out and don’t have a home or a place to sleep. Some people don’t want to go through the parole officers coming to their house and dealing with you acting crazy because believe it or not half the people that went to jail for selling drugs, when they get out they go straight back to doing that so they can make money. -babyblue123
I forgot to add -smile123
Delete1. I agree with the Stafford Creek Corrections Center that having special events can have a positive effect on prisoners and can promote good behavior on the inside. It gives the inmates something to look forward to other than four walls.
ReplyDelete2. For prisoners that are released and have zero social support from anyone or bad support only increases their likelihood of returning to the penitentiary. It just goes to show how important it could be to be a positive influence in someone's life.
3. When you have no place to sleep it can be very hard to focus on doing really anything to better yourself because you are focused on trying to find the next place you can lay your head. Yes you think about getting a job and how it could help but if you have no place to sleep or eat a job may not be number one on your list of priorities.
4. Family members are becoming less willing to open their home due to the intrusion of parole officers into their residence. Families do not want them to interfere with their peace and tranquility.
5. It is very disheartening or sickening that most prisons would prefer the inmate to go home the their significant other and children who they treated poorly than to end up on the streets homeless and on the precipice of reoffending.
6. A very disgusting statistic and number, but commonly known, is that children whose fathers have a penchant for beating woman in their lives are 60 percent more likely to engage in serious youth violence than children that do not bear witness to domestic violence.
7. It is sad that parents even consider neglect as being okay. Children who do not have their physical and emotional needs met due to neglect have a greater risk for adult violence than if they were physically abused instead.
8. An interesting fact according to a psychologist is that children whose fathers fail to provide guidance and structure do not develop self-control and, as a consequence, are more prone to aggression.
9. It hard to take in the fact that getting released from prison could have a negative impact on the children who they come home to. It was hard enough on their children to cope with the fact that their parent was in prison and it could bring fear to lose them again.
10. It’s important to ensure that the next generation is educated on the fact getting released isn’t going to be all that great and they need to be better prepared for the world once the are out.
11. It heartbreaking to know what an impact you have on your children’s life when you make the wrong choice and go to jail. The neglect can be so damaging to the mind of a developing youth. I can’t imagine how hard that could be to deal with not just mentally at home but fear of judgment from others.
12. It’s a negative effect on children seeing extreme violence at home. Watching your father abuse your mother will build up such an aggressive frustration inside. If that emotion is bottled up and not dealt with properly it can have a huge impact on their life.
13. I agree that the social support can change how the prisoner lives his life after release. Without social support they will feel lost and not welcomed.
14. I agree that it could be more beneficial to just not have a father figure rather than dealing with a father who has no self control themselves.
15. I believe that the prisoner coming home could be positive in a sense that things change in their mind and want to better themselves. The children will see the change and become inspired by that.
Sunshine123 & UofM123
Yes this prison having this type of program can help the prisoners and it can also help their families. If we do this for more prisons then maybe the prisoners will have some hope and will also not want to reoffend and miss the advancing technology or miss watching their children grow up. If we give these guys more hope and give them something to work for then maybe we can have more success with rehab and those who want to get a better education to get better jobs and help support their families. Also if these prisoners are the ones who sleep with multiple women and do not really care for their children, then why are they getting the opportunity at this program? There are plenty others who want to be their for their families that may not have this type of opportunity.
DeleteIllini123
After reading this article the first thing that stuck out to me was if this type of program works why are we not putting it in more prisons or why are more inmates not trying to take advantage of the opportunity to be reintegrated into society. When the author talks about who most of these inmates are who are in the program I would have thought that it would be the ones who care for their kids and maybe have done one stupid mistake to get them locked up. Reading that most of the inmates are those who really do not care for their kids, then why are they caring now, just so they can get out early, or are they actually trying to start a bond between themselves and their children. I know that most prisons have visiting hours, but this does not allow prisoners to interact with family like the type of program this prison has. Hearing that those who have been released and had no job or no way of getting a job and were forced to homeless shelters have a recidivism rate that was increased by seventeen percent is shocking. When children do come to visit it shocked me that most of the time the children were put into a room and just had to sit there and watch TV. What are they going to learn by watching a TV all day and doing nothing. Seeing that children who have a father who beats women are more than sixty percent likely to commit violent crimes is absurd. If we do not get these children away from the violence, then all their life they are going to see their fathers beating women and that is all they are going to know.
ReplyDeleteIllini123
I agree with the Stafford Creek Corrections Center that having special events can have a positive effect on prisoners and can promote good behavior on the inside. It gives the inmates something to look forward to other than four walls. For prisoners that are released and have zero social support from anyone or bad support only increases their likelihood of returning to the penitentiary. It just goes to show how important it could be to be a positive influence in someone's life. When you have no place to sleep it can be very hard to focus on doing really anything to better yourself because you are focused on trying to find the next place you can lay your head. Yes you think about getting a job and how it could help but if you have no place to sleep or eat a job may not be number one on your list of priorities. Family members are becoming less willing to open their home due to the intrusion of parole officers into their residence. Families do not want them to interfere with their peace and tranquility. It is very disheartening or sickening that most prisons would prefer the inmate to go home the their significant other and children who they treated poorly than to end up on the streets homeless and on the precipice of reoffending. A very disgusting statistic and number, but commonly known, is that children whose fathers have a penchant for beating woman in their lives are 60 percent more likely to engage in serious youth violence than children that do not bear witness to domestic violence. It is sad that parents even consider neglect as being okay. Children who do not have their physical and emotional needs met due to neglect have a greater risk for adult violence than if they were physically abused instead. An interesting fact according to a psychologist is that children whose fathers fail to provide guidance and structure do not develop self-control and, as a consequence, are more prone to aggression. It hard to take in the fact that getting released from prison could have a negative impact on the children who they come home to. It was hard enough on their children to cope with the fact that their parent was in prison and it could bring fear to lose them again. It’s important to ensure that the next generation is educated on the fact getting released isn’t going to be all that great and they need to be better prepared for the world once the are out. It heartbreaking to know what an impact you have on your children’s life when you make the wrong choice and go to jail. The neglect can be so damaging to the mind of a developing youth. I can’t imagine how hard that could be to deal with not just mentally at home but fear of judgment from others. It’s a negative effect on children seeing extreme violence at home. Watching your father abuse your mother will build up such an aggressive frustration inside. If that emotion is bottled up and not dealt with properly it can have a huge impact on their life. I agree that the social support can change how the prisoner lives his life after release. Without social support they will feel lost and not welcomed. I agree that it could be more beneficial to just not have a father figure rather than dealing with a father who has no self control themselves. I believe that the prisoner coming home could be positive in a sense that things change in their mind and want to better themselves. The children will see the change and become inspired by that.
ReplyDeleteSunshine123 & UofM123