1
“Discuss the Application of the Legal System to Correctional Policy. How have
Recent Laws Affected the Rights of Inmates?”
Name
Institution
Course
Instructor
Due date
2
“Discuss the Application of the Legal System to Correctional Policy. How have Recent
Laws Affected the Rights of Inmates?”
Application of the Legal System on Correctional Policy.
The legal system has a profound and continuous influence on correctional policy,
affecting treatment and rights accorded to inmates within the penitentiary system. Indeed, this
interplay is essential to realize how laws impact the prisoner's rights and operations of the
correctional facilities. The book "Essentials of Criminal Justice" by Larry J. Siegel and John L.
Worrall offers an in-depth exploration and an elaborate discussion of these dynamics, indicating
how legal changes have significantly impacted correctional policies (Siegel & Worrall, 2018).
Historical Context and Development
Initially, the United States correctional system was predominantly punitive, with a focus
on retribution over rehabilitation. With time, societal views changed towards crime and
punishment, and rehabilitation was emphasized. This came from within the legal system through
several landmark court cases and laws. For example, the decision in Brown v. Board of
Education inadvertently influenced correctional policies by raising awareness concerning the
need for equal treatment before the law.
Legal Influences on Correctional Policies
The legal system impacts correction policies through legislation, court decisions, and
executive actions. Through such mechanisms, standards and practices within correction facilities
are moulded. First, different legislations have since been enacted to deal with specific problems
noted in the correctional system. In 2003, the Prison Rape Elimination Act sought to prevent,
detect, and respond to prison rape in confinement settings. This law requires correctional
3
facilities to maintain solid standards and undergo frequent audits to ensure the standard is met as
required (Siegel & Worrall, 2018).
Secondly, Judicial decisions have been a significant push factor for correctional policies.
In Estelle v. Gamble, the Supreme Court in 1976 ruled that intentional indifference to the serious
medical needs of prisoners is unconstitutional as such practices amount to cruel and unusual
punishment under the Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution (Siegel & Worrall, 2018). As
such, this court decision has forced correctional facilities to ensure that inmates are given proper
medical care, improving prison health standards. In addition, Executive actions, like presidential
directives, shape correctional policies (Siegel & Worrall, 2018). For example, criminal justice
reform executive orders may alter the incorporation of correctional facilities and how inmates are
treated within those institutions.
Recent Legal Developments and Inmate Rights
Recent legal developments have further eroded inmate rights and show more of an
emphasis on striking a fair balance between public safety and humane treatment in prisons.
Legislation, like the First Step Act of 2018, introduced significant sentencing reforms that would
reduce mandatory minimum sentences for certain nonviolent offences, improve prison
conditions, and broaden the scope of inmate rehabilitation programs.
In addition, recent court rulings continue to stress the importance of ensuring prisoners
receive adequate healthcare. In the Brown v. Plata (2011) case, California prisons had
overcrowding due to insufficient healthcare for prisoners in the jails. Therefore, the Supreme
Court ruled that there had to be a prison population reduction so that sufficient medical attention
would be rendered to inmates. Also, legal changes focused on the improvement of mental health
and substance abuse treatment for inmates. For example, CARA includes funding for substance
4
abuse treatment programming inside correctional facilities. Moreover, the Americans with
Disabilities Act is one strategy through which the legal system has impressed some aspects of
civil rights on inmates. This ensures that good treatment makes adequate provisions for those
who are disabled and further protects them from discrimination (Siegel & Worrall, 2018).
Impact on Correctional Facilities
These legal changes have dramatically impacted correctional facilities, mandated changes
in facility management, team member training, and the care of inmates. For instance, the PREA
requires that all correctional facilities have comprehensive policies and procedures for the
prevention of sexual abuse, encompassing staff training, inmate education, and reporting
mechanisms (Siegel & Worrall, 2018). This focus on rehabilitation has further resulted in putting
in place educational and vocational programs that could help the prisoners set themselves up for
peaceful coexistence within society after release, hence cutting down the recidivism rate.
Challenges and Future Directions
While the above are some positive changes, numerous challenges nonetheless exist. One
such challenge is the fact that most correctional facilities continue to be overcrowded; hence,
affecting the quality of care and other rehabilitation services offered to inmates becomes an
issue. Compliance with the legal standards means ongoing monitoring of resources, which might
strain correctional budgets. Future policies must also be more oriented toward increasing
sentencing alternatives, mental health care, and reentry programs. Moreover, restorative justice
practices that aim at healing harm from criminalistic behaviours by bringing offenders with their
victims into reconciliation need more excellent implementation.
Conclusion
5
The legal system has a striking influence on correctional policymaking and protects
prisoners' rights. The recent improvement in prisoner treatment and institutional management has
led to phenomenal growth through legal evolution. Further continual actions are needed to match
the current challenges and enhance justice and rehabilitation goals, respecting concrete
correctional settings. By so doing, it can make society more humane and create a penitentiary
system that punishes but also rehabilitates to make offenders useful again to the community. In
other words, as explained earlier, the interaction between the legal frameworks and correctional
practices significantly helps build a just society, based on the view of Larry J. Siegel and John L.
Worrall in their "Essentials of Criminal Justice".
6
Reference
Siegel, Larry J., and John L. Worrall. Essentials of Criminal Justice. Cengage Learning, 2018.
