Prison Reform Research Paper

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There are many injustices in our society's electoral system that call for quick notice and change. It is clear that we need to move effectively to solve the problems of overpopulation, social inequalities, and a lack of rehabilitation services within prisons. This essay introduces that significant prison reform is not only necessary, but also important for solving the inequalities within the criminal justice system. Prison overpopulation is one of the main problems facing the electoral system. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), “the United States has the highest incarceration rate globally, with overcrowded prisons leading to inhumane conditions and a failure to provide adequate rehabilitation” (Smith, 2022). Prisons that …show more content…
According to a Sentencing Project report, individuals of color, specifically African Americans, “are incarcerated at significantly higher rates than their white counterparts, highlighting the racial bias inherent in the criminal justice system.” (Jones, 2021) Prison reform must include approaches that work to end racial disparities in order to address this injustice. Some of these steps include community policing, diversifying the court system, and reconsidering mandatory minimum sentences. A lack of rehabilitation programs in prisons restricts inmates' ability to get back into society and promotes the cycle of recidivism. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “approximately two-thirds of released prisoners are rearrested within three years of their release.” (BJS, 2023). The main goal of prison reform should be to offer complete rehabilitation programs that include mental health services, job preparation, and education opportunities. It can lower the chance of repeat offenses and improve the chances of inmates successful rehabilitation into society by making investments in their development, making themselves a better person of who they used to

Prison Reform Research Paper

for Prison Reform Helen R. L. Hajasz First Colonial High School LSA Honors English 10 Mrs. Weddle Date (for student papers). Did you know that the United States holds 22% of the world's prisoners? Yet the population of the United States represents 4% of the world's population (Lico, 2020, para. 1). The adage of the adage. The prison system in the United States is at the center of an epidemic of issues, leading to the US having the highest incarceration rates in the world. Prisons play…

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Prison Reform Research Paper

and crime rates also surged. This created an immediate need for prisons and correctional institutions in the United States. With the establishment of such institutions and prisons, a heavy question was also established. If these prisons were for the greater good of society, or to control society. The 19th-century Prison Reform Movement was primarily motivated by humanitarian principles, as demonstrated by its efforts to enhance prison conditions, advocate for less severe forms of punishment, prioritize…

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Prison Reform Movement Research Paper

Beginning in 1891, the United States government founded the federal prison system. Initially, it began with the Three Prison Act, where three federal prisons were established with funding. What might have been the first federal prison in the world was Leavenworth, built in Kansas, and started housing prisoners in 1906. Following Leavenworth were McNeil Island and UPS Atlanta. However, Leavenworth was built painfully slowly due to a lack of skilled laborers. By 1929, shoe shops, a brush and broom…

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Community Corrections Essay

Whales Late 1990s high prison population The intention of this paper What can be learnt from the attempts to manage prison demands by reforming community sentences? And what are the implications and challenges for penal reformers going forward? Use of prison is excessive Wale’s prison population rising since 1990s By 2009 the prison population 1/3 larger Prison demands represents a fundamental shift in the use of custody Changing Community Sentences Aim is to reduce prison population by reforming…

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America Today In The United States Today

InterContinental University March 17, 2013 Chad Faries ABSTRACT I’m writing a paper that has 5 different sources, that have books, newspaper articles, and Government papers, that has something to deal with America’s prisons today in society. America has a huge problem with our prison system being overcrowded. The crime rate has increased so much and we are just making me people go to jail or prison. The topic I chose was the prison system being over-crowded. I know many people that have been on both sides…

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Recidivism Research Paper

only to be returned to a custodial sentence. It is for this particular reason that the penal system need to decide whether the system is effective in doing its job, or reforms are needed to improve the way it conducts itself. What causes Recidivism? Recidivism is caused by criminals who have been through the courts and prison system and still refuse to turn away from crime; the causes of repeat crime may involve many social factors, such as society, the economic climate, or family issues that…

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Sentencing In The 20th Century

The most dramatic developments in the Criminal Justice system during the late 20th Century were the revolution of the sentencing system. Known as mandatory minimum sentencing, Congress in 1984 enacted a mechanism that replaced indeterminate sentencing with a determinate federal sentencing. Judicial discretion were now restricted and were instructed to follow a specific guideline when determining sentencing. The judge would impose strict and harsh federal sentencing based off a sentencing table the…

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9110 Ethical Issues

Criminal Responsibility Andrew Lucks Baruch College Abstract This paper will explore the ethical dimension within the proposed legislation of Raising the Age of Criminal Responsibility. Raising The Age of criminal responsibility refers to the idea and/or belief that all people prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system should be above the age of 18. This paper will specifically look at how certain jurisdictions within the US have raised the age of criminal…

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Literatuire review Essay

because of the history of racism in the South. The purpose of this study was to show the racial disparity of in the sentencing of the death penalty, which it accomplished despite its limitations (Gross & Mauro, 1984). Thirty Years of Sentencing Reform: The Quest for a Racially Neutral Sentencing Process (2000), a review of previous works looks into the racial gap in sentencing and…

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Prison Rape Elimination Act

“an accepted fact of prison life” (Dumond 2003, 354), male inmate rape in American prisons is an issue that must be taken more seriously. It is considered a foregone conclusion that new inmates will be sexually assaulted when they enter prison, and their experiences often end up becoming the punchline to a joke. How lightly the problem is taken makes it difficult to institute real change that will prevent sexual assault. It is very important, then, to make it known that prison rape is a problem that…

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