how do u think prison could do a betterjob of correcting anoffenderandpreparing animateforrelease?

Answer 1

Ohhh, is our poor little criminal not getting the services that the tax money is paying for...poor honey....maybe they should just chain up the cheating bastard.

It depends whether it is a corectional center of prison for punishment...if the latter, the person is a slime going in and likely will be comiing out.

It is not the govrnments problem to take care of everyone...take care of yourself. When you are too stupid or criminal, then they step in to intervene...

Answer 2

Intense discipline, hard work, teaching inmates to be accountable for their actions no matter how large or small, education(GED etc.), job skill training, substance abuse programs. Just sitting in a cell or hanging out on the yard with other criminals wont do it. You can lock 'em up and throw away the key or chain the cheatin bastards up it sounds like a really hard line on crime depending on what the crime is. Just remember unless there doing life without that lyin',cheatin,thievin',dopin' bastard will get out of prison some day and when he does he may wind up being your next door neighbor. Now if that happens do you want a rehabilitated ex con or do you want the criminal that has been sitting in a cell for years with nothing to do but spend his idle time becoming a better criminal living next door to you?

Answer 3

Better than what? Prisons do a pretty good job of correcting offenders. For example "Please Sir, I want some more" "That's please Sir, I want some more. Sir!"
The more times an inmate is incarcerated, the better the inmate is prepared for more incarceration.

Answer 4

This is a paper a friend wrote for his criminal justice class, the name blocked out is mine.
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Prisoner’s rights advocate ***** *****-***** said: “You cannot make better men by treating them like less than men.” Truer words were never spoken. The current policies of the California Department of Corrections does not treat inmates as men, in fact sometimes inmates receive treatment to which an animal may not be legally subjected. Through the course of this document it is my intent to present a number of inequities in the California department of corrections as well as offering solutions. I will not only address post-release difficulties such as proposals for providing better employment to released and paroled convicts, but education and licensing opportunities while serving out a sentence, suggestions to improve contact between inmates and beneficial family members. As in all things, it is better to begin at the beginning. In this case, the beginning is in-processing and orientation.
Few of my suggestions actually refer to the procedures involved in either in-processing or orientation, though one item could be mentioned here due to a long-lasting effect on the conditions to which a convict is exposed. During in-processing prisoners are issued the clothing they will wear during their incarceration. A natural step, however environmental conditions are not considered in this or other phases of the incarceration. According to the national weather service High Desert State Prison, located in Susanville California, is subject to temperatures in the teens during winter days and yet issues no insulated clothing to inmates. While that may seem a minor point, yard activities provide a much needed source of the sunlight that is the sole source of certain vitamins required to prevent depression. So, the simple provision of cold weather gear provides inmates an ability to get the vitamins required for proper mental health, which in turn could easily reduce conflict within the facility.
After in-processing, the inmates serve a varying time in the facility or several facilities depending on sentence, behavior and transfers. My intent is to address potential improvements during this period next. As the period of incarceration is longer than in-processing, it seems appropriate that the majority of the suggestions provided in this paper apply to the period of between in-processing and release. One of the simpler proposals to implement relates to communications and visitation. The current standard has collect calls from prisons billed at roughly 21 dollars for a 15 minute phone call. As stated by Ms.*****-*****(prisoner’s rights advocate) during an interview, the cost of a phone call home is so high because of the contracts between phone companies and prison facilities. A simple revision of the contracts could reduce the cost of a phone call to a reasonable rate, allowing prisoners better access to family members and updates on the lives of children and loved ones that may not live nearby and are therefore unable to visit in person. Again, this may seem trivial, but the reality is that a parent that is a part of their child’s life is more likely to make the responsible choice to “go straight” on release so that they can be a more direct part of that child’s life.
While serving out their sentence, inmates have the opportunity to perform certain skilled tasks, presumably as a means to occupy time and provide skills previously lacking. While this is an admirable goal, it lacks certain aspects that would provide a greater benefit to convicts on release. The skills acquired during this time of service are rarely, if ever certified. In other words, though the inmate may have journeyman level skill as a cabinetmaker on release, no certification is provided to attest to this skill, this certification being necessary in most cases to acquire employment as a journeyman electrician, cabinetmaker, etc. A simple corrective measure for this problem would be to offer certification programs based on the work performed during the period of incarceration thereby permitting parolees and ex-convicts the opportunity to find a well paying professional position. Something that will not only make it more likely that more ex-convicts will be recognized for their skills rather than their crimes, but also provide an incentive to remain legitimate in order to retain the respect offered to skilled laborers.
In addition to offering certification programs to inmates, accredited classes could also be made available. Currently a number of classes are available, though few are in fact recognized by the educational boards. This failure to recognize the studies of inmates makes them not only a waste of time but also a source of frustration if the student wishes to actually receive credit for their studies since that credit would essentially require repetition of the class once released. While some believe that incarceration is a punishment, and it is to a certain extent, the more rational goal of incarceration is the return of ex-convicts and parolees to the world as productive members of accepted society. Providing accreditation for classes taken during the period of incarceration would increase the number of released convicts that were able to find gainful employment, in addition to being well within their stated goal of rehabilitating convicts, thereby reducing the temptation to return to criminal behaviors.
An unusual proposal is the offering of etiquette classes for inmates. Whether available as an optional class or as a required class, etiquette classes would serve to alter the behavior of an inmate for the better. Teaching proper etiquette to inmates would serve well to alienate ex-convicts from most poor influences that may have led them into criminal behaviors. With that alienation comes a need to restructure social interaction, which would be simpler among a group of individuals of a more ‘clean-cut’ behavior, most likely prompting the parolees and ex-convicts to seek a more legitimate circle of friends less likely to lead to a return of criminal behaviors. If these etiquette classes were to be made an optional component of the incarceration, one possible method for inducing participation in classes would be to tie privileges to performance in class. If an A in an etiquette class were to mean more benefits, the classes would be more likely to be a high attendance event as well as offering correctional staff an opportunity to identify possible sources of trouble by noting who is not willing to attend classes. While this would certainly not a perfect means of identifying trouble spots, it could serve as an additional tool in preventing rebellious behavior.
Having offered proposals during intake and time being served that may aid in reintegration of parolees and convicts into society, the time has come to address possible improvements to the process of releasing a convict. The first step to releasing a convict is also one of the more obvious steps. On intake, convicts are given an orientation class to adapt them to the societal structure within the facility; currently there is no such orientation on release regardless of the time spent within the penal system. A relatively simple class on the conditions of the civilian world would be of great benefit to convicts returning to the civilian world. An inmate of ten years released today may well have little or no knowledge of the things we take for granted. For example: in 1995, cellular phones were blocky and simple devices for making a phone call while today we can check e-mail, play music or games, read an e-book, and of course make phone calls on our sleek slimline cell phones. Admittedly, it’s likely that someone in the penal system since 1995 has in fact heard of 9/11. Most likely the information received was limited though, which would lead to a feeling of acculturation in the released convict, a feeling likely to lead the paroled or simply released convict back to the social interactions that caused their initial arrest. Any number of socially important events could be missed or glossed over for those within the California penal system, information that any one on the street is well aware of, leaving the ex-convict with a feeling of alienation, and quite possibly, an eventual return to criminal practices.
Another important consideration in releasing convicts into society is where to release them to. Current policy is to require released convicts to return to the area they were arrested. There is a problem inherent in this policy if the goal is to correct behavior rather than punish. Releasing a prisoner to their point of origin returns them to the conditions that presumably caused the original arrest, defeating any corrective efforts made during the period of incarceration. Rather, release an ex-convict or parolee to a different location, possibly even one of their choice providing that choice does not impinge on the freedoms or safety of any previous victims and doesn’t constitute an irrational request such as the Bahamas. Offering the choice of locations makes the released prisoner responsible for their own future influences, rather than casting them directly into the environment that brought about arrest in the first place. When the responsibility lies solely on the released prisoner, various laws such as the three strikes law become much more equitable in their application, offering a much greater opportunity to avoid a repetition of the crimes and eventual life imprisonment. In addition to the fair application of repeat offense laws, release to a location of choice also offers inmates an opportunity to see positively influential family members, or even a quicker return to children for those parents incarcerated for an act unrelated to the child.
Once released, and assuming a desire to return to legitimate behavior, the problem of employment remains. Some suggestions have been made in this regard specifically accreditation and certification as well as etiquette classes. However, there is more that can be done to benefit those who wish to reintegrate into society. A program of incentives for employers who hire ex-convicts and parolees is one option. Should the government provide or subsidize worker’s compensation insurance for companies hiring ex-convicts and parolees, more companies would be inclined to hire them particularly if those returning to polite society also carried a degree acquired during their incarceration or a journeyman’s license. Other possible incentives are programs such as a tax refund for employers hiring ex-convicts or even something as simple as preferential contract consideration, where appropriate, for those employing the newly released.
One more consideration for the reintegration of ex-convicts presents itself with a bit of research into the interaction between general populace companies and the Department of Corrections. Certain general populace companies hold contracts with the Department of Corrections providing labor from the prisons for specific jobs within the company. These prisoners are released with a pre-existing knowledge of what the companies require of employees, and a need for employment. If the Department of Corrections were to demand preferential hiring policies for released convicts and parolees as a condition for those contracts, employment becomes still more likely and as already stated, gainful employment in a respected position can be expected to serve as incentive to remain in legitimate business.
In conclusion, re-integration of convicts on release is not just a few changes applied to their treatment after release. Rather, it requires a constant effort to provide incentives both to general populace employers and the inmates themselves in an effort to return safely and securely to legitimate society. Proper care for inmates during their incarceration prevents a feeling that they may be less than human as does continued contact with positive family members, also aiding in the growth of a desire to remain out of the prison system. Licensing and accredited courses made available to inmates would allow a greater opportunity for gainful employment, nearly a requirement for a non-criminal lifestyle, and a system of incentives for employers to hire convicts on release further increases the chances. Each of these things taken alone is only a minor incentive to stay free of the prison system, but taken together they create a strong foundation for an easy entrance into post-conviction life.