Discussion-Week 1-From Theory to Practice: Evidence-Based Corrections
According to Cullen & Johnson (2017), there are seven main theories of corrections: "Retribution
or Just Deserts, Deterrence, Incapacitation, Restorative Justice, Rehabilitation, Reentry, and Early
Intervention" (pg.6). Specifically, this discussion will focus on the use of rehabilitation policy to
prevent crime. Rehabilitation is the theory that ensures reentry into society and reduces recidivism
the most, when considering each of these theories and how they contribute to the effectiveness of
the corrections process. The following paragraphs will provide an overview of correctional policies
and rehabilitation's influence on them. Moreover, the long-term effects of the rehabilitation process
will be discussed to determine its effectiveness. Finally, my analysis concludes with a comparison
of the Bible with a Christian perspective on rehabilitation, and the effects that both have on
rehabilitation.
A lack of funding has led to rehabilitation taking a back seat to prisons and other programs in the
US. The "Get tough on crimes" method, which has now been adopted, means that offenders will be
punished instead of rehabilitated (Shjarback & Young, 2018, pg. 202). Among these changes in the
law, "particularly in the federal system, is the increasing number of mandatory minimum terms of
incarceration for drug offenders" (Shjarback & Young, 2018, pg.198). Among the most significant
changes is the fact that the United States is embracing punishment in all prisons and rejecting
rehabilitation as the preferred method for organizing the correctional system. This resulted in
prisons becoming overcrowded with repeat offenders. Historically, the United States has embraced
punishment and pushed back against rehabilitation in all prisons and has regarded this as the most
efficient way. The punishments rendered without any rehabilitation to the inmates have led to anger
among the staff and the inmates are at risk of being assaulted by correctional officers. Several
studies have revealed that the scale of incarceration in the United States has grown dramatically
over the past thirty years. Since the US has seen dramatic increases in correctional populations,
rehabilitation has been replaced with deterrence and incapacitation as the explicit goals of specific
prisons in political discourse calling it the "culture of control" (Shjarback & Young, 2018, pg. 198).
While most state prisoners are housed in general confinement facilities, other inmates are housed
in specialized facilities "that evoke the rehabilitative ideal and a concern with inmate services and
treatment" (Visher & Eason, 2021).
As seen from a rehabilitation perspective, "the goal is to intervene to change those factors that are
causing offenders to break the law" (Cullen & Johnson, 2017, pg. 12). The rehabilitation of
prisoners is a policy that has a great deal of influence within the correctional system. In addition to
Cullen and Jonson, Cullen and Jonson are big proponents of rehabilitation. The goal of
rehabilitation is to get inmates to want to change, to help them grow, to separate them from their
surroundings which led them to be on their path to commit a crime in the first place, leading them
to want to change. As a nation, the United States does not place a great deal of emphasis on
rehabilitation. In many cases, funding can be an important part of this process. There are other
countries, such as Sweden, that are big on rehabilitation as well. The goal of the Swedish prison
system is not to punish people by putting them in cells that are designed to resemble college
dormitories, but then to rehabilitate them into better shape by rehabilitating them and spending
millions on prisons to copy these cells. By teaching inmates new skills or ways of living, giving
them a purpose, and making them feel meaningful, rehabilitation has had a huge influence on
policies. Consequently, the likelihood of them committing crimes in the future will decrease
because of this action. As a result of high recidivism rates, many offenders were not very motivated
by imprisonment to stay out of trouble. Meanwhile, the commitment to rehabilitate offenders
resulted in a reduction in recidivism rates among high-risk offenders.
As a restorative justice practice, rehabilitation is based on a Christian understanding of the nature
of human nature, redemption, and community. By implementing these rehabilitation programs,
Christian principles are reinforced and can provide a path to structural reform of the corrections
system (Bacote & Perrin, 2019 Christians can work together by not thinking of criminals as such,
but seeing them as no less human than noncriminal, and those with clean records are no fewer
sinners than those in prison. Paul reminds us in Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God" (English Standard Version Bible, 2017). As Cullen & Johnson (2017) mentioned,
many people are not capable of rehabilitating because they were raised in up-core homicidal
environments, and prison settings don't provide a therapeutic atmosphere; nonetheless, they should
be given a chance. Thus, rehabilitation makes sense, involving correctional programs to cure what
is wrong with offenders (Cullen & Johnson, 2017, pg. 13). Remarkably, we serve a God who gives
us more than one chance to succeed. By blessing you with a second chance, God can redeem or
forgive you. Consider, Joel 2:13: "and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the
LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
I believe the long-term effects of the plan on rehabilitation in corrections will be that prisoners, as
well as correctional staff, will be able to think more clearly, especially regarding behavior, in the
future. It is necessary to change thinking patterns and engage in cognitive behavioral therapy
(CBT) to change behavior. As a result of being sentenced to incarceration, some of us may
experience trauma and mental health disorders that make it difficult for us to reintegrate back into
society. A prisoner who is incarcerated must endure separation from their loved ones and a loss of
personal control making him or her vulnerable, lonely, and fearful of losing his or their sense of
self-worth. An inmate's prison experience, if not handled properly, may jeopardize their ability to
function in society as a partner, parent, and employee once they are released (Visher & Eason,
2021). There is no doubt that rehabilitation programs are overwhelmed with a large population,
however, these programs can have long-term benefits. In addition to reducing crime, rehabilitation
can also be a cost-effective way of preventing crime. It is important to note that successful
reintegration starts with vocational training, education, and reentry programs In the long run, there
will be a positive impact in the U.S. on public policy when rehabilitation policies are adopted,
which reduce prison incarceration rates and offer inmates a chance for a fresh start after returning
to society after incarceration.
REFERENCE:
Bacote, V., & Perrin, N. (2019). Redemptive rehabilitation: Theological approaches to criminal
justice reform. Christian Scholar's Review, 49(1), 3-24
Cullen, F. T., & Jonson, C. L. (2017). Correctional theory: Context and consequences (2nd ed.).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. ISBN: 9781506306520
English Standard Version Bible. (2017). English Standard Version Bible.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage (original work published 1971)
Shjarback, J. A., & Young, J. T. N. (2018;). The "Tough on crime" competition: A network approach
to understanding the social mechanisms leading to federal crime control legislation in the United
States from 1973-2014. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 43(2), 197-221.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-017-9395-5
Visher, C., & Eason, J., (2021). A better path forward for criminal justice: Changing prisons to help
people change. https://www.brookings.edu/research/a-better-path-forward-for-criminal-justice-
changing-prisons-to-help-people-change/
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
