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Karly Brown

Professor Angela Mitchell

UWRT 1103

31 March 2018

Research Essay: Rehabilitation in The Justice System

The effectiveness of the criminal justice system remains a highly debated topic, leading

to the importance of rehabilitation within institutions for the incarcerated. The Oxford English

Dictionary defines the criminal justice system as, “The system of law enforcement that is directly

involved in apprehending, prosecuting, defending, sentencing, and punishing those who are

suspected or convicted of criminal offenses” (OED Online). An important term not included in

the definition is rehabilitation. Exploring the steps taken towards rehabilitation assisted in the

development of questions becoming needed. It is important to understand the purpose of

incarceration along with the rehabilitation programs offered in institutions. The psychological

impact incarceration has on a criminal, plus the significance it has on their chances of returning

when released can determine if incarcerating criminals strengthens them for society. The

progress of the criminal justice system shows through recidivism rates and comparisons between

other countries success. The percentage of citizens with knowledge on the criminal justice

system remains unknown, insisting that many would benefit from knowing basic information

while living in a country lead through democracy. The unanswered questions guided the

research, which enables an average citizen of the United States to understand and generate an

educated opinion on the effectiveness of institutions in America’s criminal justice system with

the current amount of rehabilitation provided.


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To thoroughly explore the effectiveness of the criminal justice system the comprehension

of the rehabilitation programs offered proclaims importance. “The restoration of a person to

former privileges, status, or possessions by official decree, declaration, etc.,” is the definition of

rehabilitation according to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED Online). Prisons and jails

throughout the United States involve multiple different rehabilitation programs that are possibly

provided, such as high school classes, college courses, vocational training, and counseling.

While many institutions offered programs, through research I discovered some do not. The US

Department of Justice explained, nearly all federal prisons offer vocational training, but only 44

percent of private prisons and 7 percent of jails (“The Economic Impact”). The department also

stated that 84 percent of state prisons offer high school classes, while only 27 percent of state

prisons offer college courses (“The Economic Impact”). Roughly all federal prisons have alcohol

and drug rehabilitation programs, which is beneficial. The general public may not understand the

large need for rehabilitation programs, but the Bureau of Justice Statistics declared 68 percent of

state prison inmates had not received their high school diploma (Harlow, “Education”).

Rehabilitation programs for the addicted should hold a large focus because several inmates

received sentencing because of behaviors that supported their addiction habits and/ or found

guilty due to possession of illegal substances. The National Center on Addiction and Substance

abuse wrote, “65% of all U.S. inmates meet medical criteria for substance abuse addiction, only

11% receive any treatment” (“New CASA”). Inmates participation in the programs identify as

not mandatory, suggesting why fewer participate now than a decade ago. Statistics magnify

when discussing the topic of rehabilitation programs in the criminal justice system because they

can verify where and why improvement is needed.


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An important question analyzed while researching was: Does being incarcerated better

someone for society? Institutions in the criminal justice system intend to teach inmates right

from wrong through consequences, but psychologists that worked with prisoners explain that

they do not establish enough attention on rehabilitation. Inmates receive expectations to re-enter

society as a productive citizen after being released. Based on the National Institute of Justice

study within three years of released 67.8 percent of prisoners were rearrested, within five years

76.6 percent of prisoners were rearrested, and of the prisoners who were rearrested, 56.7 percent

were rearrested by the end of the first year of being released (Office of Justice Programs).

Therefore, the high recidivism rates in the United States indicate incarceration does not better the

majority of criminals. Previous discoveries validate the introduction of the next question: Why

does the majority of released inmates get rearrested? It could represent a reflection evoked by the

challenges the individuals experience when trying to obtain a job because of their criminal

record. Men with criminal records create about 34 percent of all nonworking men ages 25 to 54,

noted by a recent New York Times/CBS News/Kaiser Family Foundation poll (Hamel,

“Kaiser”). Without a job transferring into a productive citizen becomes nearly impossible

because no job symbolizes no income. A lack of income can result in no house, no car, unpaid

bills and these situations can lead individuals back into their inappropriate behavior in order to

survive. Rehabilitation programs can produce a difference if they are used properly; in a way that

educates and guides individuals so that they become prepared to properly re-enter society.

Ultimately, the goal of incarceration is to encourage inmates to stray from their criminal

behaviors but it could viewed as setting the individuals up for failure through a never ending

cycle of crime and bad decisions. Institutions are capable of using a balance of punishment and

rehabilitation that introduces a second chance to the incarcerated.


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Punishment guides the institutions in the criminal justice system, instead of rehabilitation.

Providing mental health services and contributing scientific evidence to studies about the

purpose of imprisonment fulfills the job of a psychologists within a prison. Psychologists are

closely connected to rehabilitation, indicating why they validate as a great source of information

on the topic. They work many of the rehabilitation programs provided, such as screenings for

mental illnesses, group and individual therapy to assist with substance abuse, re-entry to society

counseling, and more. The prison population has rates of mental illness at least three times the

national average, equaling 15 to 20 percent of the incarcerated (Benson, “Rehabilitate”).

Research has shown some prisoners experience high levels of anxiety as well as other harmful

emotions when placed in solitary confinement for large amounts of time. The emotions can

continue when released because they lack the skills they need to properly cope with society.

Psychologists that contribute to the criminal justice system explain that the resources vary due to

the facilities being understaffed with psychologist plus the ones that are working experience a

large bulk of caseloads. A psychologist at Texas Tech University who has worked in federal and

state prisons and studies treatment methods for inmates, Robert Morgan, PhD, said, "Right now

there's such a focus on punishment--most criminal justice or correctional systems are punitive in

nature--that it's hard to develop effective rehabilitative programs” (Benson, “Rehabilitate”).

Punishment may be the way prisons function now, it does not present as the most effective or

that it will continue to overpower. “When properly implemented, work programs, education and

psychotherapy can ease prisoners' transitions to the free world,” said Craig Haney, PhD, a

psychologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz (Benson, “Rehabilitate”). Research is

constantly being generated in hopes of achieving a successful prison system that benefits the

general public of America as well as the incarcerated.


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When the United States criminal justice system is compared to other countries it

advances to an unpleasant shock. The US has the highest incarceration rate in the world,

obtained from the Bureau of Justice Statistics data. Stated on the American Civil Liberties Union

website the US holds only 5 percent of the world’s population but more than 20 percent of the

world’s prison population (“The Prison Crisis”). Issues within the criminal justice system seem

apparent, especially with the prison techniques used. Researching Norway, which has the

world’s most successful prison system assist in exploring areas of improvement in the US. One

source stated, “Norway’s incarceration rate just 75 per 100,000 people, compared to 707 people

for every 100,000 people in the US” (Benko, “The Radical”). Norway focuses on rehabilitating

their prisoners by attempting to prepare them for release so inmates will be ready to re-enter

society. Many Norway prisons are set up for normalcy, for example Halden prison includes

actual furniture, fully equipped kitchens, no uniforms, artwork, and bar-less windows. A prime

example that Norway’s main focus does not point to punishment and instead aims towards

sending all inmates back into society without their criminal behavior. Their prison systems show

signs of success, Norway’s recidivism rates are one of the lowest in the world at just 20 percent,

compared to the United States 76.6 percent within five years of being released (Benko, “The

Radical”). One concern with providing a prison focused on rehabilitation is the cost. The Halden

prison in Norway spends more than $93,000 per prisoner per year and the US spends about

$31,000 per year, which is three times less than Norway (Benko, “The Radical”). Due to the

large incarceration population annually the US manages to spend more than Norway. The

success of other countries continue to raise awareness on the most efficient approach when

rehabilitating inmates.
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Currently, the perfect prison does not exist so the US prison system undoubtedly has

room for improvement. Multiple American citizens do not have any direct ties so they aren’t

necessarily inclined to understand the system and how it could improve. To better educate

myself on the topic researched, individuals who had first hand experience with the criminal

justice system held a priority. The first example is Bernard Kerik, a former police commissioner

of New York City who plead guilty to tax fraud and served three years in prison (“Prison

Rehabilitation or”). In an interview Kerik said, “you’re going to give him an education, if you

don’t teach him an education, if you don’t give him a GED, if you don’t teach him discipline and

you don’t teach him respect and you don’t. And we don’t, absolutely we do not choose what he

learns. He learns how to steal, cheat, lie, manipulate, gamble, and con. Most importantly he

learns that if he has a verbal altercation with someone it’s going to end in a cutting or a

beatdown” (“Prison Rehabilitation or”). Kerik was referring to what happens when someone is

incarcerated within the US prison system. People gain knowledge unconsciously, therefore a

beneficial education for inmates holds an importance if they’re expected to improve. The overall

opinion of Bernard Kerik portrays that prison does not better people for society and if anything it

worsens them. He feels as though this is due to the lack of rehabilitation programs, specifically

the ones that educate inmates as well as the quickness to sentence someone to prison. Kerik

prevails as a great source of non-biased knowledge on the topic because he obtained first hand

experience. He took part in both sides of the criminal justice system; someone who sentenced

people and tried to stop crime then later he became a prisoner due to crimes he committed.

After weeks of well developed research that was guided through multiple educated

questions based on the effectiveness of the United States criminal justice system, I built a

personal opinion. I do not believe that the system is effective which is due to the lack of
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rehabilitation programs within the prison system. As I researched the topic I remained open

minded because I felt as though it would allow me to obtain the most honest information. I

realized that the majority of the information did not support the way the institutions within the

US system perform. Based on recidivism rates, incarceration rates, and opinions from those with

first hand experience it seems relatively impossible to not agree that the system needs

improvement. The improvement in the institutions would benefit the average American as well

as the incarcerated population. Less crime in the US creates safer communities. Efficient

amounts of rehabilitation programs such as academic education, vocational training, therapy, and

counseling would better prepare inmates once they’re released and need to re-enter society. It

would assist prisoners in a physical way because it would allow them to get a job but it would

also help them mentally due to the negative impact incarceration can have on ones emotions.

Finally, I feel that if rehabilitation programs are asserted within the institutions in the criminal

justice system of America, it could be the difference that reforms criminals into productive

citizens of society.

Overall, the criminal justice system plays a large role in America since over 2 million of

the population remain incarcerated. It foreshadows the ability criminals have for a chance of

improvement for society. The research provided basic knowledge along with the opinions from

individuals who have personal experience with the prison institutions. Large amounts of the

information shinned a light on the need for improvement through more and better equipped

rehabilitation programs. The importance for the average citizen of the United States to be aware

of the current techniques being used within the criminal justice system remains; in hopes to bring

awareness to the need for change. Many people fail to realize that the criminal justice system not

only impacts criminals but also the United States as a whole.


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Works Citied

"art, n.1." OED Online, Oxford University Press, 2018,

www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/11125. Accessed 20 Mar. 2018.

Benko, Jessica. “The Radical Humaneness of Norway's Halden Prison.” The New York Times,

The New York Times. 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/03/29/magazine/the-radical-

humaneness-of-norways-halden-prison.html#. Accessed 17 Mar. 2018.

Benson, Etienne, “Rehabilitate or punish?” American Psychological Association. vol. 34, no. 7,

2003, http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug03/rehab.aspx. Accessed 22 Feb. 2018.

Hamel, Liz, et al. “Kaiser Family Foundation/New York Times/CBS News Non-Employed

Poll.” The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 2016, www.kff.org/other/poll-

finding/kaiser-family-foundationnew-york-timescbs-news-non-employed-poll/. Accessed

6 Mar. 2018.

Harlow, Caroline Wolf. “Education and Correctional Populations.” Bureau of Justice Statistics

(BJS). 2003, www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=814. Accessed 16 Mar. 2018.

“New CASA* Report Finds: 65% of All U.S. Inmates Meet Medical Criteria for Substance

Abuse Addiction, Only 11% Receive Any Treatment.” The National Center on Addiction

and Substance Abuse. 2016, www.centeronaddiction.org/newsroom/press-releases/2010-

behind-bars-II. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018.

Office of Justice Programs. National Institute of Justice. 2014,

https://www.nij.gov/topics/corrections/recidivism/Pages/welcome.aspx. Accessed 19 Feb.

2018.
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“Prison Rehabilitation or Revolving Door Criminal Justice?” YouTube, Uploaded by TheLipTV,

23 Apr. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHLT8zI7JbU

“Programs Keep Inmates From Returning To Prison.” LAW from NPR. 17 Jun. 2014.

https://www.npr.org/2012/10/10/162652805/programs-keep-inmates-from-returning-to-

prison.

“The Economic Impact of Prison Rehabilitation Programs.” Penn Wharton Public Policy

Initative, University of Pennsylvania. 2017,

publicpolicy.wharton.upenn.edu/live/news/2059-the-economic-impact-of-prison-

rehabilitation/for-students/blog/news.php. Accessed 6 Mar. 2018.

“The Prison Crisis.” American Civil Liberties Union. 2011, www.aclu.org/prison-crisis.

Accessed 19 Mar. 2018.

Tsai, Tyjen, and Paola Scommegna. “U.S. Has World’s Highest Incarceration Rate.” prb.org.

Population Reference Bureau, Aug. 2012.

http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2012/us-incarceration.aspx. Accessed 21 Feb.

2018.
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