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Subject:
Law
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Topic:

Is the Purpose of Corrections a Punishment or Rehabilitation?

Essay Instructions:

Please see the instructions below. Feel free to reach out with any questions to complete the assignment.
To successfully complete this assignment, you will need to:
Refer to:
The video, Psychology, Criminality, and Incarceration in America (30:19).
An Overview of the First Step Act.
This resource provides a thumbnail description of 2018’s First Step Act. This Act's purpose is to: improve criminal justice outcomes, reduce the size of the Federal prison population, and to create mechanisms to maintain public safety.
The First Step Act of 2018: An Overview [PDF]. https://www(dot)bop(dot)gov/inmates/fsa/overview.jsp
This resource provides a more detailed overview of the First Step Act's effect on inmates and their families.
Conduct research on the four functions of corrections.
The United States has experienced a corrections explosion over the past 40 years, despite a decrease in serious crime during this same period. Consider statistics such as these. Since 1980, the: Number of people on probation has increased by nearly 300%.
Prison population has increased by more than 400%.
Federal imprisonment rate has increased 500% (Schmalleger, 2021).
Even though we are in the midst of a period of mass incarceration in the United States, we know that incarceration doesn’t work. Consider this quote from the video, Psychology, Criminality, and Incarceration in America: "Prisons don't work. People do not get corrected in today's prisons. Convicts come out worse than when they went in and are even a greater threat to society than before" (Lary, 2010). The Bureau of Justice Statistics has evidence supporting this sentiment. The 2018 Update on Prisoner Recidivism states an estimated:
68% of released prisoners were arrested within 3 years.
79% within 6 years.
83% within 9 years (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2018).
This assignment will give you the opportunity to:
Explore the U.S. correctional system's role. Is it to punish those involved? Or is it to rehabilitate them?
Consider the correctional system's current state in terms of punishment or rehabilitation.
Analyze specific improvements that appear promising.
Instructions
After reviewing the resources provided in the overview, you are to write a 2–3 page paper in which you:
Distinguish among the four functions of corrections: retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation.
Be sure to illustrate the distinctions with current and/or historical examples.
Summarize the arguments for and criticisms of each of the four corrections functions.
Explain the current state of each of the four corrections functions in the United States.
Select a minimum of three corrections improvements included in the Psychology, Criminality, and Incarceration in America video that appear promising and explain why you think so.
Use three sources to support your writing.
Choose sources that are credible, relevant, and appropriate.
Cite each source listed on your source page at least one time within your assignment.
Access the Strayer University Library or review library guides for help with research, writing, and citation.
Formatting
This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards. For assistance and information, please refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link (file attached please use as a guide
The preferred method is for your paper to be typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
Include a cover page containing the assignment title, your name, your professor's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
Include a source list page. Citations and source list entries must follow SWS format. The source list page is not included in the required page length.
Learning Outcomes
The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:
Examine the role of the U.S. corrections system with regard to punishment and rehabilitation.
References
Frank Schmalleger. 2021. Corrections in the 21st Century. CRJ410 McGraw Hill Education 9th edition textbook available at https://www(dot)strayerbookstore(dot)com
Banning Lary. 2010. Psychology, Criminality, and Incarceration in America. https://video-alexanderstreet-com(dot)libdatab(dot)strayer(dot)edu/watch/psychology-criminality-incarceration-in-america
Bureau of Justice Statistics. May 2018. 2018 Update on Prisoner Recidivism: A 9-Year Follow-up Period (2005-2014) [PDF]. https://www(dot)bjs(dot)gov/content/pub/pdf/18upr9yfup0514.pdf

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Purpose of Corrections: Punishment, or Rehabilitation?
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The Four Functions of Corrections
Corrections serve four primary functions. These functions include retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. Retribution works by erasing the need or desire to avenge personally. When the victim or the entire society is aware that the person who wronged them has been punished as he should by the law, they are able to receive calm and satisfaction (Schmalleger, 1). Their perception changes to appraise the criminal justice system, and they, therefore, hold faith in the government and law enforcement system. For example, a certain lady who was gang-raped in a dark street one night reported overcoming the sad feelings and thoughts ten years later, after the culprits were arrested and sentenced to ten-year imprisonment with hard labor.
Deterrence works by frightening the individual defendant about committing another crime after being punished for a previous crime. It can also work by scaring the society members to refrain from criminal activities after watching an individual defendant being punished (Schmalleger, 1). For example, after watching a criminal face the death penalty after defiling a newborn baby girl, all rape cases in a particular remote town dropped drastically in the next five years. Incapacitation works by completely removing a criminal from society. For example, incapacitation can be done by executing the criminal to the death penalty or house arrest following a severe crime (Schmalleger, 1). Finally, rehabilitation works by changing the behavior of a criminal. For example, enrolling a drug addict selling drugs illegally in a rehabilitation clinic can learn new terms and change their drug-led behavior and obsession.
Arguments and Criticism
There is no correction/punishment function without criticism. Most people argue that retribution is outdated, following the civilization. Critics give evidence of high crime relapse rates when it comes to de...
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