CJ 101 M5 Punishment and Rehabilitation

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CJ 101 M5 Punishment and Rehabilitation

Faybia Benjamin

Purdue Global University

CJ 101 M5

October, 2024

Punishment and Rehabilitation

The correctional system has a significant influence on evaluating offenders, including sentencing. Another purpose of sentencing is the exemplary one which is meant to prevent the offender from reiterating the same mistake again in future. In rehabilitation, female prisoners require special attention due to such circumstances such as traumatic events, substance dependence, and caregiving responsibilities. Thus, to finally minimize crime, the correctional system needs to address these specific requirements through proper rehabilitation.

Correctional System and Sentencing

The correctional system is also involved in sentencing of the offenders. Once an individual is convicted of a crime, the court passes a sentence, which in most cases includes serving time in correctional facilities such as a prison or jail. However, the correctional system does not only contain offenders but also enhances their welfare (Balafoutas et al., 2020). It will seek to reform them; teach them skills or treat them in order for them to reintegrate into society and avoid crime. Sentencing also includes probation or community service whereby the correctional system is tasked with supervising the offender outside the prison. This aids to ensure that individuals are to some extent responsible for displaying the behaviors expected yet they are not forced to relocate from their places of origin.

The correctional system is also charged with the duty of making sure that this punishment is served effectively and securely. This encompasses ensuring the offenders’ rights, ensuring they are provided basic amenities such as medical attention, and including education. It also attempts to offer punishment alongside reform because giving offenders a chance to reform will ease the chances of them re-offending in the future (Balafoutas et al., 2020). However, there are issues like overcrowded prisons and the high tendency for re-offending, but nevertheless the correctional system is an important arm of criminal justice system that defines how offenders are dealt with and how society addresses crime rates.

Sentencing Goals 

Rehabilitation is one of the five primary objectives of sentencing. The reason and purpose of rehabilitation is to assist offenders in a transformation process that sees them refrain from committing offenses in the future (Khan et al., 2023). However, the current concept of justice and punishment seeks to find out why such individuals turned into criminals to begin with; whether it is due to substance abuse, illiteracy, or mental illness. Some of the forms of rehabilitation can be therapy, vocational training, education, as well as substance abuse treatment. Another objective is to make the offenders ready to become productive members of society upon release. Thus, by fostering inmates’ rehabilitation, the correctional system aims at decreasing the recidivism rate and making communities safer as a result. This goal is particularly valuable for non-violent criminals where imprisonment alone can’t solve all the issues. Although many offenders are unable to find personal improvement in such programs, rehabilitation paints a picture of a better tomorrow.

Reducing Crime

Rehabilitation is more effective in reducing crime because of its differences from punitive approaches that only punish offenders. Most of the crimes are as a result of vices such as substance abuse, illiteracy, or mental illness. If these issues are not addressed properly, offenders will reoffend once they are released from prison (Khan et al., 2023). These difficulties are addressed by rehabilitation programs that avail treatment, counselling and skill enhancement.

Thus, when offenders are provided with all the necessary assistance, they do not fall back into the criminal world. These decrease the likelihood of the offender committing the crime again, thus leading to a general decline in criminal activities. While punishment is able to put a halt on the offender’s actions, rehabilitation achieves the goal of eradicating future misconduct by creating a change in the offender’s behavior. Thus, rehabilitation reduces crime rates in the long run since it assists people in becoming better and gives offenders a second opportunity at living a life free of crime.

Challenges

The issues that women inmates experience when it comes to sentencing are as follows: Taking and providing justice for instance, this system is generally tailored for men, hence the plight of women goes unrealized. For instance, women are usually the ones most involved in raising children, and lengthy incarceration can severely disrupt that process for families (Radek et al., 2023). This means that the children are placed in foster care while the mother and the child are emotionally strained.

Another struggle is the fact that female prisoners are more likely to experience traumatic events, mental disorders, and substance use disorders than their male counterparts. But, there are perhaps not enough rehabilitation programs within prisons that cater for such specific issues (Mohammad Ali Chaichian, 2024). Moreover, female offenders are sometimes sentenced to longer prison terms for non-violent crimes like a drug offense while they can benefit from care and treatment more than their male counterparts. These challenges mean that women face social difficulties trying to reintegrate into society after completing their terms, thus raising the risk of tendency.

Solution

One of the solutions is to address the issue of how women inmates are rehabilitated is by establishing more programs to address their needs. Because many women in prison suffer from trauma, mental health problems, or substance dependence, rehabilitation should involve therapy and counseling services. Moreover, providing job training and education can help the women to support themselves and their families after they are released from prison. This minimizes their chances of going back to committing crime again.

Another important shift is the need to increase support for female candidates especially those who are mothers. Sentences should include options that allow women to remain with their children and families, like community service or parole (Mohammad Ali Chaichian, 2024). This helps both parents to stay bonded and it also minimizes the drawbacks that come with children. If these programs acknowledge the hurdles women go through, the rehabilitation programs can be successful in rehabilitating women, preventing them from reoffending which is also appropriate for their families and society.

Explanatory Examples

To enhance the rehabilitation of women inmates, there is need to design special programs that respond to their concerns. For instance, a high number of female prisoners in various correctional facilities are survivors of abuse or have been through some traumatic events. Implementing trauma-focused therapy can assist in their recovery process emotionally and decrease the likelihood of recidivism. Such programs are better because they comprehensively address the problems of criminals as people.

Another example is substance abuse treatment services. The female prisoners have substance abuse issues, and if not addressed, they are apt to use drugs and engage in criminal activities after leaving prison (Batchelor, 2021). Rehabilitation programs that contain drug counseling and support interrupt this cycle, giving the women a better opportunity at remaining clean.

Another is job training, and it plays an equally crucial role in the creation of a more efficient and organized workforce. Programs are also lacking in correctional facilities and many of the women when they are released they cannot get jobs due to lack of necessary skills. Education programs such as computer classes or vocational training can enable them to secure jobs once they are out of prison so that they do not end up as troubles in society.

Also, some form of community-based sanctions like probation or house arrest may also help women to remain with their children and not be incarcerated (Brownlee, 2021). This lowers the emotional toll on their families and helps maintain motivating mother-child relationship. These examples indicate that women are more responsive to rehabilitation aimed at effectively reforming them thus reducing their rate of crime in future.

Conclusion

Rehabilitation is a rather significant sentencing aim that enables women inmates to escape the vicious cycle of crime by addressing the causes of their actions. The correctional system has the potential for helping women turn their lives around through providing therapy for trauma, substance abuse, job training, and other forms of sentencing. These programs are not only beneficial to the women but also assist their families and society by preventing the women from reoffending and making the environment safe for all individuals.