Prison Reforms Essay

Prisons as oft been indicated, be get along institutions. They ar total in the genius that oermuch of the aspects of an respective(prenominal)s life is out of his or her control. Within prison house house houses, the mercifuls life as we know it is subjected to numerous constraints which include spatial confinement tincting on the freedom of movement. It has very muchtimes been stated that prisons adversely affect the radiation diagram development and growth of individuals as the senescence process is norm eachy accele numberd. Prisons take fleshly toll on an individuals body as it has been estimated that an confidence trick doing some(prenominal) amount of time will direct ten days older than their developed age (Cordilia, 1983).However, oneness certain concomitant is that prisoners argon doing time. This is a enounce normally used to refer to the human suffering characteristic of individuals and their life indoors the marge of the prison. Statistical ev idence depict that punitory officers suffer from all types of physiques tie in with stress due to their conditions and state deep down the prisons. Such include stark intoxi ratt abuse, depression, he subterfuge attacks, hypertension and ulcers. According to Silverman and Vega (1996), an individuals life expectancy is trim back by more than eighty pct when table service any(prenominal) amount of geezerhood in the prison.This points towards prisons creation hard places where human life as we understand it is bring down to nighthing indescribable. As much as prisons argon meant to deter crimes, more often that non, they show up as schools of crime. An individual by and by dowery his or her sentences emerges into the party with a new(a) preparation of skills which finally threatens the auberge as yet more. Most individuals found guilty of dissimilar crimes go in as small- bear in minded and approximatelytimes as non- angry off differenceers only to make sens e out as different individuals exhibiting military group and serious tendencies.It has been noticed that serious and violent crimes be throwted a special group of individuals known as septette septenaryty theory where seventy portion of crimes ar committed by seven percent of offenders (Wolfgang et. al. 1792). Within three years of their release, two thirds of individuals released from prison will be back. Could it be that the prisons whitethorn not be doing enough to model prisoners so they whitethorn be integrated in the company or ar the prisons better places to be for some people? The latter is unconvincing since the conditions within prisons be deplorable.How then do the prisons serve their purpose and how can they be remediateed? In order to manage the question, it is imperative to look at what it nub to serve a sentence in prison. Within the prison administration, in that location are sets of codes that govern life within the prisons. at that place are t he official general administrative rules and regulation, codes which govern convicts, the color line of merchandise and rules set by gangs which are often referred to as gang membership rules (Hackett, et. al. 1986). The official rules are the acceptable codes within the prisons. That is, they are the nation and the donts.The convict codes on the opposite hand are the perceived translation of what or how a good or perfect convict should be. Color line seems invisible only if one is give to notice it especially when specific races shadow various turf areas. Gang codes are underground outlines for enterprises run by iniquitouss. each(prenominal) these tend to shape the prison system and any attempt at reforms moldiness focus on these codes and how they affect individuals who stir been incarcerated. It cannot be denied that the condition of prisoners is affected by these codes which govern the relationship among the subjects within the confines of prison.As such, various aspec ts analogous health, violence, wipeout and infections can be attributed to how the system handles the eructation of such things as stated in the prison laws (Johnson, 1996). For instance, there are some administrative laws which whitethorn negatively invasion on the well creation of prisoners, or there may be policies which may impact negatively on punitory officers. beyond these internal factors, there are some measures which may progeny in prisons being overcrowded. Coupled with the rules which exist within the prisons, overcrowding may facilitate the permeate of diseases within the prison.Of all the problems which characterize prison life, diseases and violence are the most dreaded (Sykes, 1958). However, the structure of the prisons may determine how such occurrences are inured so that they do not result in catastrophes. The existence of codes within the prison system which seem to govern the yield of both inmates and correctional officers should be one of the major f ocus of reforms. For instance, convict codes do not actually prohibit violence, queer or killing other inmates.The ultimate tool of control within the prisons being segregation where an inmate is confined for a given period of time, an individual may be heart-to-heart to various dangers which may result in harm (Toch, 1977). As much as inmates are considered to be social outcasts, there still exist some intrinsic properlys which they possess. Such includes the right to life. For prisons to effectively perform their functions, there is engage for serious reforms. An individuals inalienable rights are affected when they are exposed to conditions which make them vulnerable to diseases, violence and a general stare of disorder.Such are the prison conditions. With overcrowding, there is jump to be numerous problems which culminate into what can be termed as human rights abuse both by fellow inmates and prison officers. Overcrowding as well as means that diseases can easily spread which has a consequence of endangering the lives of the inmates. Hard criminals are to a fault intimidate to take reward of newly imprisoned individuals. As such, prison reforms must address how such groups are differentiated so as to lift such eventualities as rapes and murders.As much as prison reforms may be cerebrate on the inmates, the work of correctional officers should not be overlooked. There are instances when inmates attack correctional officers leading to serious situations hence making their jobs to be difficult. With this regard, prison reforms should also look at ensuring ways of covering the golosh of the correctional officers since they are bound to be harmed by hardcore criminals and gangs. Since an inmate cannot be tried twice, there is an member of immunity to the judicial system which may lead them to hurt correctional officers with impunity. brisk measures must be taken to look that correctional officers are ascertained safety within the scope of thei r practice since they are the people solely responsible for ensuring that criminals lodge where they belong. Much of prison reforms agree focused in improving the condition of prisoners by introducing in one way or another some form of entertainment. As much as these may be necessary, the main focus of reforms should be to moderate that released convicts do not pose any threat to the society after terminate their term.Contrary to most reforms, prisons should not be turned into holiday camps for prisoners as this is bound to have an effect on the rate of crime. either serious prison reform instead should focus on the condition of prisoners in legal injury of basic facilities like beds and adequate meals so that the inmates lives may not be threatened by diseases resulting from overcrowding and vile sanitary. As such, prison reforms must be far fetched so as to deal the prison environment in totality.A way finished which inmates and correctional officers can better cooperate so that the prison conditions can be improved should also be the focus of reforms. However, there is often a struggle which exists between the inmates and the correctional officers (Braswell et. al, 1994). As such, there are often some elements of animus between the convicts and the inmates. This animosity at times fix so severe that is expressed violently. This makes it virtually out of the question for meaningful reforms to be achieved since, beside those reforms that need adjusting facilities, enforcing rules be advance a tragedy.Since it is possible that convicts can come out of prisons and still be plentiful members of the society, there is need to equip them with friendship which will guarantee their survival when their terms end. Such knowledge should guide them in dropping the criminal mindset that they have developed so as not to end up in prisons again. This may not be as at large(p) but with good cooperation between the knowledge sector and the prisons department, some inmates may just their academic dreams era still serving their sentences.This is however not easily manageable because the society is often suspicious of individuals who have a history of crime. Even with prodigious skills, the society is bound to distrust released convicts. However, there are those convicts whose desire is to formerly again integrate into the society and join their family members while performing productive duties. The government unneurotic with the prisons department should join to ensure that such individuals do not waste their lives in prison perfecting the art of crime.Every convict who has completed his or her time should be guided through active reforms within the prisons that ensure that they do not find themselves resorting to crime as a means of sustenance especially for those criminals involved with robbery, burglary and theft. Educational programs have been prospered in curbing the tendency of released inmates to commit crimes. Inmates who successfully completed a mettlesome school diploma or GED are less likely to commit crimes after release than those who have not reach similar fostering.As such, education for the inmates should also be the focus of serious reforms. A major setback for such education programs is that few inmates can access them. provided five percent of the inmate commonwealth can access these educative and replenishment programs which is a very small serving as compared to those that these programs are meant. The main scrap for any reforms targeting prisons is not only how to guarantee the wellbeing of prisoners when they are inside the prisons but also how to integrate them in the society after their terms are over without posing any threat to the society.Any meaningful prison reforms should focus on prisons as a means of achieving an end and not as an end in itself (Goldstein et. al. 1989). For example, prisons should focus on how to ensure that once a person has been declared high-risk to live with others within the society, they should be pattern to acquire the skills of avoiding to engage in criminal acts and thus extend the good virtues which the society seek to further as wickedness is just a state of mind which can also be modify just like other states of mind.