AMERICAN PUNISHMENT

Current Issues in American Punishment

Current Issues in American Punishment

Introduction

This paper will be a reaction paper to the quote of Alexis Durham mentioned in the description. In which we will explore global correctional objectives, the effectiveness of the approaches that have been tried to realize correctional objectives and possible new approaches that appear to be promising in addressing the crisis in our correctional institutions. In addition, this paper will use as a references of Johnson research that examines the effectiveness of approaches that have been employed to realize correctional objectives, including some relatively recent approaches.

Global Correctional Objectives

Global Prisons and Correctional management are growing positively, such as in areas of best practices and policies to meet the approval of our challenging Nations. Prisons management in the world is also striving to this direction, which have also contributed to the objectives of the establishment of the Correctional Service Association. In other to promote best practices, staff motivation etc National Prisons in the world have been encouraging interactive, inter, intra Correctional personnel's visitation (Andrews & Bonta, 2003).

The Effectiveness of the Approaches That Have Been Tried In Attempts to Realize Correctional Objectives

Over the years, jurisdictions reported on a variety of correctional approaches consistent with the principles. Many were already well established others were new or recent innovations. These correctional approaches included (but were not limited to):

Substance Abuse Treatments;

Increasing the use of Diversion Programs;

Increasing the use of Alternative Measures;

Community-based programs for low-risk offenders;

Increasing the use of restorative justice and mediation approaches, and;

Increasing the use of risk assessment instruments and assessment technologies

These efforts, along with events and developments, have contributed to a lower and declining level of sentenced offenders and rate of incarceration (Andrews & Zinger, 1990). However, community corrections caseloads have continued to grow. In addition, Provincial and Territorial remand populations continue to rise. Recently efforts have been made to better understand these dynamics.

New Approaches That Appear To Be Promising In Addressing the Prison Crisis in Our Correctional Institutions

The initial research that both discredited and defended “rehabilitation” as a correctional strategy relied on narrative literature reviews to assess the effectiveness of treatment programs and this will the approach which appear to be promising to address the prison crises in correctional institutions (Johnson, 1995). A narrative literature review is a qualitative method of summarizing a body of structural studies. For example, researchers interested in the effectiveness of correctional treatment would collect program evaluation studies, determine the number of studies that produce an effect versus the number that do not, and then summarize whether correctional treatment as a whole appears to be effective at decreasing offending. Key limitations of the narrative review are its imprecise measure of the research question and its susceptibility to researcher bias (Gendreau, 1996).

Certainly, treatment programs are not the only strategy employed to help reduce recidivism among offenders. The correctional system also utilizes criminal sanctions such as incarceration (e.g., jails, detention centers, prisons, juvenile correctional facilities, community residential centers). Supervision/monitoring (e.g., probation, parole, intensive supervision ...