College in Prisons/ Youth in Jail

Studies have shown that from a rehabilitation perspective colleges in prisons are a very affective way to reduce recidivism. However another perspective is that prisoners are there to be punished and not necessarily rehabilitated. Victims of crime seek retribution and may be upset to learn that prisoners are receiving things such as a college education. I feel that although prison education seems to be a successful idea to fighting crime the government fails to address college to many other citizens that do not have a criminal background. What about the working class citizens who may not be able to afford college and have a family to raise? I think college in prison is great idea but I just feel that the government has many other issues that have been undressed and take priority. There are a lot of honest, hard working citizens that need government assistance but because of such a tight government budget are being denied. However on the other hand Ross (2003), explains that not all prisoners are there for the right reasons. Some are in prison because they are homeless, some have drug addictions and need help, and some inmates are mentally insane and have been misplaced in prison instead.



This story was extremely disturbing. Unfortunately something like this could become a reality to a juvenile delinquent if there is abuse of power in the criminal justice system by personnel. The movie “Sleepers” was another movie that depicted the sexual abuse and harsh treatment of a group of young boys. These boys caused the death of a vendor by accident and because of the sexual abuse they received by their correctional officer (Kevin Bacon) some of these youth turned into stone cold killers. Ross (2003) states that juveniles who are put in jails are being put in a extremely dangerous environment. The focus for the criminal justice system towards youth should be of rehabilitation not extreme punishment. Adult jail is very basic and does not have programs or forms of treatments for offenders. It only serves to hold people who are awaiting trials and also for prison overcrowding. Holding juveniles in cells can be emotionally and physically dangerous from fellow inmates and officers alike. Also long periods of solitary confinement can be extremely detrimental to a child. Juveniles are shown to have the best chance of recidivism and sometimes commit crimes because of abusive parents, traumatic childhoods, or they may be going through a stage in their lives where they are making some bad choices. Jails should not be a place where juveniles are put because the youth facilities feel there is no other place to put them.

Crime Prevention

Crime rates today have gone down significantly since the early 1990's and everyone wants to take credit for it. I thought this video was pretty funny but it just goes to show that in order to maintain order and stability sometimes one must think outside the box and be creative. This video shows prisoners in the Phillipines doing the "thriller" dance routine as a form of exercise. These prisoners are working as a team to accomplish a common goal and, as you can see, no one is fighting, and they are all working together. Ross (2003), states that prison programs are important to keep prisoners busy. Keeping prisoners busy is important because it reduces the tension of being incarcerated and greatly reduces the chances of rioting which is a lot more expensive. The dance routine shown above probably did not cost much, if it costed anything at all.

The government, liberals and conservatives alike, have tried to find different ways to prevent crime and increase rehabilitation but have not had much success. Society has gone through policies such as the zero tolerance policies, the increase of cops, and the "three strikes" law to try and reduce crime. Although, crime is lower today compared to the early 1990's, studies have not concluded that any of these methods are the reason for such crime reductions.

Walker (2001), states that the solution to crime prevention is not always a criminal justice strategy. Sometimes, activies such as picking up trash in a bad area can make all the difference in the world (similiar to the "Broken Windows" theory). Both Ross(2003), and Walker (2001), stated that work plays a significant role in the rehabilitation for prisoners once released. However finding and creating these types of jobs is another story still yet to be solved.

Prison Ethics

In the earlier days many prisons had abuse that went unreported. Officers were not watched as closely as they are today, and felt free to govern as they saw fit. This unregulated freedom could also result in prison corruption, brutality, and abuse.

Prison violence is for some inmates a common way of communicating who is the more dominant and a method of settling disputes. For correctional officers violence in prison is used for a variety of different reasons. Some officers use this as a method of self defense, others may use violence as a common method for respect, co-operation, or superiority. Prison ethics may become hard to find because for some guards because there must be a loyalty amongst fellow guards while at the same time maintaining the officers code of conduct. The officers code of conduct includes guards must report any unethical behavior and make sure the inmates' basic rights are protected as well.

Violence in prison is dangerous for both the inmates and the officers. Officers face daily challenges dealing with some of the most dangerous people while trying to maintain professional yet still in control. In prison there is a completley different sub-culture compared to the rest of society and it is important that officers are aware of such differences. Guards face the difficult challenge of juggling different roles such as the treatment role and custodial role. Guards must be able to handle a variety of different difficult situations. Banks (2004), states that guards do not have absolute power over the prisoners and must use their verbal skills and negociate with inmates. Guards depend on inmates for their personal safety (gaurds are vastly outnumbered), while at the same time they must maintain authority and show their supervisors they are in control.

Three Strikes and We're All Out!

The police are not the only ones that use unethical practices against citizens. The police enforce the laws but it is important to take a close look at where these laws stem from and the motives of policy makers. Many conservatives want to keep criminals off the streets and believe that an affective way of accomplishing this objective is by first, implementing “get tough laws” such as the “three strikes” law and secondly, by getting rid of legal loopholes. Conservatives who believe in “lock‘em up” policies feel that locking up criminals longer can help prevent crime. Three different proposals of these policies are preventative detention, incapacitation, and mandatory sentencing. There is a misconception that judges are too lenient on convicted offenders and many of our policies discourage incarceration and focus too much on rehabilitation.

The “Three Strikes” law is one example of a “get tough” policy and is used as a preventative measure to keep criminals incarcerated to prevent further crime from happening. This policy was enacted after 12-year old, Polly Klass was forcibly taken from her home during a slumber party and killed by a repeated violent offender. Polly’s father Marc, learned her attacker was on parole with a history of violence with children. Marc Klass gathered public sympathy and helped enact the “Three Strikes” law which gives sentences of 25 years to life for serious repeat offenders. It is a noble cause to try and rid the streets of violent offenders and prevent such tragedies such as the case with Polly Klass, however the majority of those serving lengthy sentences are not violent offenders. Should a person be locked up for 25 years to life for stealing a pizza? That was the case with a 27-year old in Los Angeles. The youtube video shows the story of Isaac. Isaac was convicted of petty theft and because he was on his third strike was facing the possibility of life imprisonment. This video shows the effects that these laws can have. Isaac's family was also suffering from being in a fatherless environment. Unfortunatley there are many others out there with similiar cases. According to Walker (2001), many of these “get tough” policies have been proven ineffective and had no significant impact on crime rates. These long term sentences for third strike offenders are costly, unfair and have been shown to have no impact on crime rates. Punishments should be swift, certain and should fit accordingly with the crime.

Another misconception about reducing crime is that by closing legal loopholes serious offenders will not slip through the system and return to the streets. Conservatives believe loopholes such as the insanity defense and plea bargaining are ways that serious offenders can reduce their sentence or avoid it all together. Walker (2001) concludes that abolishing or limiting the insanity defense will not affect the crime rate. The insanity defense is rarely successful and the burden of proof of such claims switches to the defense.

Plea bargaining is another misconception of a loophole where criminals can escape severe punishment. Walker (2001) concludes that plea bargaining has no effect on serious crimes and that the system is actually fairly harsh with serious offenders. These legal loopholes are not a gateway for criminals to escape the criminal justice system because for most these loopholes do not exist. It is the very few, publicized, celebrated cases of legal loopholes that give many the misconception of how often this actually occurs.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,990105,00.html

Police Brutality and Corruption in Chicago

This young woman was victimized by a Chicago police officer and had pictures of multiple bruises and wounds that resulted from her experience. She reported this officer to the proper authorities only to be ignored. And according to CNN she is just one of thousands of people who have reported cases of police brutality only to be overlooked. This video shows how deep corruption can go. Why were none of these officers ever investigated when there is suppose to be a whole team dedicated to doing just that?

According to Banks (2004), the courtroom is another place where ethics is constantly being questioned. Lawyers have many gray areas and many times it depends on what their primary concern that will result in actions taken later, such as withdrawing from a case, or discrediting a truthful witness from the opposing side.
Until the mid 18th century, lawyers was not a career trusted by the government because they encouraged lawsuits and appeared more concerned with the financial benefits then they were with benefiting the community. There exists a great deal of discretion from judges and prosecutors, and corruption can be easily persuaded to those in such powerful positions.

Police Brutality can occur because of the amount of power, and discretion officers are allowed to have. However, according to Walker (2001), many conservatives feel the answer to fighting crime is to “unleash the police.” “Unleash” meaning to give the police more power, more resources and an increased numbers in patrolling officers. However, this is not really addressing the issue of crime but is an attempt to try and quick fix a problem by throwing money at it. Allowing, officers to skip over procedures and proper channeling for getting information, making arrests and conducting searches is playing on dangerous grounds. The exclusionary rule as well as other laws have been put in place to protect the public for a reason.
Allowing more power will not help nor will increasing the number of patrolling officers. Many studies have shown that increasing patrols, increasing officers, and giving them more power will not reduce crime. It is by using community oriented policing that crime will start to become affected. Community oriented policing tries to focus at the problems at hand and find a permanent solution. For example, if there was a problem with people speeding a good way to solve this may be to install speed bumps instead of having an officer there give out speeding tickets all day.

Police Brutality in Baltimore

This disturbing footage shows Officer Salvatore Rivieri, confronting a group of young skateboarders, in particularly a 14-year old boy named Eric Bush who are trespassing. Usually encounters with trespassers results in a simple warning. However, this was not the case with Officer Rivieri. Although the boy didn’t appear to say much, Officer Rivieri appeared extremely angry and agitated even from the start. Officer Rivieri’s temper gets even worse when Eric refers to him as “dude.” The officer then grabs the young boy and his skateboard, puts him in a head lock, and tosses him to the ground. Officer Rivieri then begins to yell at Eric and lecture him. This video is a perfect example of how police brutality can be verbal, emotional and physical. Officers such as Rivieri are dangerous to the police department. The police department should keep a close eye out for warning signs of police brutality in officers such as unprovoked irritability and aggression.

CLICK HERE!

This incident was reported on February 15, 2008. This second footage shows Officer Rivieri again! Apparently there was a young artist from Washington D.C. getting reactions out of people by putting a remote control car under a box and moving it around. Officer Rivieri gets extremely agitated by this moving box and begins kicking it and the remote control car. He then yells at the young artist to leave the premises. As a result of these incidents officer Rivieri is suspended with pay and not conducts work behind a desk.

The Rodney King beating and the history with racism

The Rodney King beating is a video that has been seen worldwide. Rodney King was repeatedly shot with stun guns, kicked, and beaten with batons causing broken ribs, a broken ankle, skull fracture and possible brain damage. The Rodney King beating was shocking proof that police brutality and racism are issues that still exist today and cannot be ignored any longer. Which is why when the officers were acquitted of the charges it lead the 1992 L.A. riots (one of the biggest riots known in the US). Even during the riots the police used most of their efforts to protect the wealthy Anglo-Saxon communities, leaving the minorities (Korea Town) to fend for themselves. Minorities have had a constant problem with police harassment and brutality.

The police have been used as instruments by the government to enforce racism from the colonial era all the way up until today. The police were used to enforce slavery, Black codes, Jim Crow laws, and overall government enforced racism. Africans have had to fight and die for every liberty they’ve received such as freedom from slavery, voting, citizenship, equality, and as of lately equal employment.

“Although Blacks make up only about 10 percent of the US population they accounted for 51 percent of those killed by the police between 1960 to 1968.”(Platt et al., 1982) Also African Americans are highly over represented in prison populations. About one third of young African American males are under some type of police supervision. Although racism is not as blatant as it was 40 to 50 years ago it still exists. Often times the police may stop someone simply because he is black and looks “suspicious” or “matches the profile.” Other types of racisms are policies and laws made that show harsher punishments towards minorities but leniency towards the elite (such as the leniency on white collar crimes).


http://archives.cnn.com/2001/LAW/03/02/beating.anniversity.king.02/