Social Justice Project

Social Justice Project

Introduction

The concept of social justice originates from philosophical dialogue but is widely used in Law and social sciences (Jost and Kay, 2010). In the contemporary perspective, social justice is also known as distributive justice. The concept of social justice is relevant if implied in various educational and theoretical works and in legal perspectives (UN, 2006). Generally social justice can be defined, in which, (a) benefits and burden in society are distributed according to certain criteria or principles; (b) procedure, norms, and rules that govern the decision making (political and other forms) protect the fundamental rights, liberties and entitlements of individuals and groups; and (c) human beings are treated with full dignity and respect by authorities as well as by other relevant social actors. These three aspects of the definition actually cover the distributive, procedural and international justice. Social justice is a property of social systems. Social system, unlike other systems, does not promote unnecessary sufferings, exploitation, abuse, oppression, discrimination and nepotism (Jost and Kay, 2010).

The issue of prisoner re-entry and recidivism has always lingered around the law & social justice, and civil class of the society. The issue of recidivism and re-entry in not just related to the people who are being released or re arrested. Viewing the whole situation from a broader perspective gives a vivid image of the scenario. Recidivism and successful re-entry are a part of social justice - law, and sociology, their impact on society as well as on future prospects is very significant. If the issue is not dealt properly, the inefficiency would not just remain within its domain but will have due impact on the overall performance of the state machinery as well as society.

Social justice is based on equality of rights of all the peoples and possibility for all human beings without discrimination, to benefits from economic and social progress everywhere. Social justice is more than enhancing income and providing jobs. It is about the dignity, rights and voice for working men and women as well as economic, social and political empowerment.

Overview

Since 1970, prisons were considered an effective tool to fight against crime, but over the passage of time, the prison population grew by 705% during 1973 to 2009. This substantial growth has due impact of the federal spending on corrections. Many states are having a serious look at the recidivism rate as a key indicator of the return they receive from their correctional measure investments. The crime has been falling since early 1990s and is currently at the lowest level since 1968. Many factors contributed to this downfall, one of the main aspects are the prison expansion; other factors also contributed equally including law enforcement practices, changes in drug markets and an aging American population (PEW, 2011). The inmate population of United States has grown at an agile pace.

Recidivism

The word recidivism is derived from the Latin for “recurring”, this term relates to the issue of criminals returning to past behaviors after being indulged in ...