Understanding The American Corrections System

Inherent in the human psyche is the concept of right and wrong; for some individuals, however, the understanding of wrong is somehow confused to the point where they break the established laws of society and therefore must be punished-enter the corrections system. From the deadly dungeons of medieval times to the super-max prisons of today, the ways that corrections has changed, and how it can be improved in the future, is quite interesting. With these things in mind, the corrections system in America, and the offenders that fill them, will be discussed in this paper.

A Brief Overview of Corrections and Offenders in America

The concept of a corrections system was not new by the time America adopted it, but the way that America practiced it certainly represented an improvement over what existed in Europe and elsewhere. Wherein earlier prison development has been characterized by controlling and punishing convicted individuals through the use of mediation and moral instruction, and later by solitary confinement, a newer approach developed wherein a greater emphasis was placed on what would be best for convicts and, in turn, society at large (Tonry, 2000). Most importantly the majority of these initiatives are still used to varying degrees in the prison system today. From the middle of the 1700's the American prison concept as a correctional institution was beginning to take shape, albeit it slowly. In 1870 the very first American penitentiary was built in Philadelphia - a design still in use today. The Walnut Street Jail was introduced in permanent fashion with the structural pattern of outside cells, a central corridor, and special rooms for solitary confinement - a punishment never before used in previous incarceration situations (Kennedy, 1995). Interesting as well is the fact that the word penitentiary has its origins branching from the Pennsylvania Quakers and the belief in penitence as a form of redemption from sin and wrongdoing. The penitentiary system gave the chance for reflection, and a place to do it, albeit involuntarily, but still represented a huge step away from primitive punishment for criminals such as flogging, branding, cutting of body parts, and general torture. Following the era of confinement came the period when prisoners, or convicts as they became to be known, were treated by what was known as the Auburn Model, which emphasized work as a form of rehabilitation. Within the Auburn Model was the philosophy that prison was a place for the total domination of a person's body and soul which was achieved through a very powerful control system favoring routine and regimentation, plus absolute silence and swift punishment for infractions of policy. Unfortunately, however, the work ethic soon turned into a slave labor issue as convicts were doing "hard labor" (Diiulio, 1991). However, from 1870 to 1900 vocational training, education, parole, and the separation of juveniles and adults for all prisoners incarcerated characterized prison development.

During the Depression Era, America saw crime on the increase, leading to the federal government's founding of The Bureau of Federal Prisons. During this time as well, organized crime was born in America, and criminals like Al Capone and Baby Face Nelson, among others achieved cult status in the whole nation. Law enforcement agencies were ill prepared to meet the challenges of crime figures that greatly out numbered them in money and weapons. In response, maximum security prisons like Alcatraz were built not only to keep dangerous criminals under lock and key, but also to scare the criminal element with the possibility of hard time.

In the 21st century American correction system, the numbers are staggering when one considers that corrections are usually one of the largest, if not the largest, state budget items, construction of new prisons in America surpasses that of churches and schools combined, and over 5 million people are imprisoned in America at any given time (Diiulio, 1991). These staggering statistics lead to obvious questions as to the effectiveness of the corrections system, issues important to the current corrections system, and possible recommendations that could improve the present system. With this in mind, these topics will now be discussed, individually in detail in an effort to better understand the corrections issues in America, and to possibly remedy them.

Is Our Correctional System Accomplishing its Goals for Offenders, Community, and the Criminal Justice System?

An important question to consider is whether or not our correctional system is accomplishing its goals, as seen through the eyes of the different groups that the system itself affects.

For the offender, community and the criminal justice system itself, sadly, the correctional system is coming up short. Offenders, if one assumes that they do in fact want to be rehabilitated and leave the prison system better equipped to interact with society, find themselves usually much worse off than when they entered. True, educational and training opportunities exist within prison to better one's self, but the violence and depravity to be found in American prisons makes it impossible for even the strongest individual to emerge unscathed. Communities are no better off for the use of the prison system, either. Because of the release of offenders who are, as said before, typically worse than when they were imprisoned, communities are forced to content with new members who pose a threat to the common decency of a community itself. The criminal justice system also is not always benefiting from the corrections system that exists in America today; because of early releases, the criminal justice system is often finding that the same offenders are being processed every few years, taxing scarce resources and frustrating law enforcement personnel, the courts, and the average citizen.

Along with the distinct possibility that the correctional system needs to be re-evaluated, it is useful to take a closer look at the issues that are relevant to the overall performance of the correctional system itself.

Issues Relevant to the Overall Performance of the Correctional System

The correctional system has several key issues that it is forced to contend with in the present day; these issues, in some instances as well, are interrelated. Briefly presented and explained, these issues are as follows:

RISING COSTS- Because of the fact that the system is growing in size, it is also growing in cost. State and federal budgets alike are stretched to the limits, and corrections usually represent a majority of budget items.

OVERCROWDING- Prisons are extremely crowded, and getting worse all of the time; this relates back to cost issues as well.

DANGER FOR INMATES AND PERSONNEL- Because prisons are so crowded, and less personnel may be in place due to monetary issues, these facilities are more dangerous to inmates and personnel because violent offenders simply cannot be supervised to the point that they need to be.

Possible Solutions that Might Provide Relief to the Correctional System

In the course of the research to prepare this paper, the question of effective solutions to relieve the overburdened, and growing American correctional system were always something to consider. Having traced corrections in America from its beginnings to its bloated present and beyond, putting aside the controversy that such a policy would lead to, the practice of furlough, which is to say supervised release from prison for certain types of offenders would be an effective way to cut costs, reduce the crowding in prisons, and perhaps even lead to a more rehabilitated prisoner. The reasons for this assertion make good sense when looked at individually as follows:

EARLY UNSUPERVISED RELEASES DON'T WORK- In the current American corrections system, countless offenders of many different types of criminal backgrounds are released, unsupervised, in an effort to ease crowding in prisons. When these prisoners are let out early, with no follow up, they are most likely to commit additional offenses, which defeat the whole purpose of corrections systems (Freeman, 2001).

SOME OFFENSES DO NOT WARRANT JAIL TIME- White collar criminals, non-violent offenders and the like may not need to be incarcerated, depending of course on the individual circumstances of their crimes. Why crowd them into prisons that may make them worse than when they entered the system, in the meantime, costing the state or federal government hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to keep them confined.

INCREASED REHABILITATION- It is entirely possible that with supervised release, including such measures as counseling, therapy, and traditional probation, the offender may stand a better chance of not re-offending, which of course will benefit society greatly and ease the burden on the corrections system.

Conclusion

The American corrections system is an enigma, representing both an innovation over the systems of the past and a monster that is, in the present day, growing out of control. Whatever the case, it is very true that this system must be improved in the future for many reasons. While it may be impossible to convert the human mind away from criminality, it may be possible to revamp corrections into something that is cost effective, safer, and results oriented. Perhaps only time will tell if this turns out to be the case.

References

Diiulio, J. J. (1991). No Escape: The Future of American Corrections. New York: Basic Books.

Freeman, R. M. (2001, June). Public Perception of Corrections. Corrections Today, 63, 108.

Gottfredson, S. D. & McConville, S. (Eds.). (1987). America's Correctional Crisis: Prison Populations and Public Policy. New York: Greenwood Press.

Kennedy, D. (1995). Out of Time: The Curtis-Wells Anomaly and the History of American Corrections. Social Justice, 22(1), 123+.

Tonry, M. (Ed.). (2000). The Handbook of Crime & Punishment. New York: Oxford University Press.