US CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM

US Correctional System

US Correctional System

Introduction

Throughout the history, American correctional system has made efforts to reform offenders. The adoption of rehabilitation took place in the 1900s, which led to the revamping of the justice system. The purpose of establishing rehabilitative sentences was to conduct a sound treatment of offenders. However, the crime wave of the 1970s resulted in the drop of rehabilitation in order to manage the rising rate of crime and more strictly punish the offenders. This was to safeguard the judgments of US correctional system because the American society was criticizing it in terms of its effectiveness.

It was though that rehabilitation was lenient towards the offenders. Eventually, there was a decrease in rehabilitation sentencing in favor of criminal punishment sentences. For the reason, that rehabilitation did not reduce recidivism. Nevertheless, since research proves that rehabilitation programs reduce recidivism by using cognitive-behavioral it is still practiced (Savelsberg, 1999).

Discussion

According to Banks (2004), the US correctional system punishes an offender by keeping in view the following considerations: the punishment must be meted out for providing justice to the victim for the harm done, the offense must be evidence based, and the offender can be easily identified and is proven guilty. Besides that the US correctional system with the aim of being fair for everyone makes sure that the offense was the intentional doing of a person rather than the natural consequences of any action. Also, the punishment should be sentenced by an authority or an institution against whose rules the offense was committed. For the reason, that without that the act is just hostile act and not punishable. Besides, a direct action by a person without the special authority to punish is called revenge or a hostile act and not punishment.

The offenders are punished because they deserve to be punished and ...