MANAGING OFFENDERS

Managing Offenders in the Community

Managing offenders in the community

Introduction

Punishment is the natural discourse turned to by the authorities, in order to correct and reform individuals involved in wrongdoing, and depending upon the nature of the offense, punishment tends to vary.

Wrongdoing has existed ever since man set foot on Earth, and the main reason behind punishing an individual is to reform the offender, so that they would not commit the crime again, and also to prevent that particular individual from falling into a cycle of crime. Once an individual commits an offence, there is every chance that he/she would recommit the offense, thus leading to a cyclic chain of offense, dragging the offender in a quagmire, from which escape is difficult to manage. It is the goal of authorities throughout the world to bring crime rate down and to reform the offenders in such a way that not only do they refrain from committing crime in the future, but they could also be re-incorporated into the society.

Consequently, there are several ways and means through which offenders may be reformed and thus, re-integrated into the society, including incarceration and rehabilitation. There are various pros and cons for both methods; however, there is a role for both when it comes to reforming the criminal elements of society, depending upon the nature and degree of crime. Moreover, it is important to note that these methods of punishment should be implemented selectively and judiciously, according to the nature of offence, in order to prevent the offender from indulging in the offence again and ensuring public safety.

Discussion

Kenneth Clarke, Lord Chancellor and British Secretary of State for Justice, in a statement, said that punishment alone cannot prevent people from reoffending even though it is a very important part of a free and fair society. He further went on to say that within a year, half of all the adults released from prison are reconvicted, and the numbers are even higher for those serving short notices. Furthermore, he said that criminals are recycled through the prison, courts and community sentences, resulting in the creation of new victims of crime and putting extra financial strain on the economy.

In order to cut crime, Clarke opined, the government needs to be far more successful at handling prisoners who are released after serving their sentence.

Secretary of State for Justice, Kenneth Clarke, in the above statement, tried to make it clear that punishment itself is not the solution for the prevention of crime, and that in most cases, imprisonment has failed to reform individuals guilty of wrongdoing. Secretary Clarke has time and again stressed the need for exploring ways other than incarceration, in order to deal with offenders more effectively, so that they could be reformed and corrected in the true sense, and could be reintegrated into the society as responsible citizens.

Offenders and Offending

Imprisonment is primarily aimed at punishing the offender, rehabilitation and public safety. Individuals involved in more serious or numerous offences, usually serve jail ...