Criminal Justice 101

The US Correctional System gives a lot of offenders the chance to change their ways, by helping the rehabilitate them self’s. Rehabilitation is the attempt to reform an offender or also used a rehabilitated meaning the reform of an offender (Schmalleger). Forms of rehabilitation in the correctional system would be court ordered by a judge for an offender that is addicted to drugs or alcohol to be sentence to rehab to kick there addiction. This can be very helpful for repeat offenders that crimes they commit are due to their addiction to drugs/alcohol. There are different kinds of programs to help with the rehabilitation of an offender, programs such as “Office of Program Accountability and Support: This office supports the division by providing support services, and overseeing data collection and analysis of participation within programs offered to inmates and parolees. Office of Offender Services: This office is broken into two separate units. One supports the In-Prison Programs, and the other supports Community and Reentry

The way the criminal justice system should handle crimes has always been a debated subject. For over the last forty years, ever since the war on drugs, there are more policies made to be “tough on crime”. From then, correctional systems have grown and as people are doing more crimes, there are plenty of punishments for them. In the mid 1970’s, rehabilitation was the main concern for the criminal justice system. It was common that when someone was convicted of a crime, they would be sentenced to prison but there would also be diagnosed treatments to help them as well. Most likely, they would have committed a crime due to psychological problems. When they receive treatment in prison, they can be healed and would not go back to their wrong lifestyle they had lived before. As years have gone by, people thought that it was better to take a more punitive stance in the criminal justice system. As a result of the turnaround of this more punitive criminal justice system, the United States now has more than 2 million people in prisons or jails--the equivalent of one in every 142 U.S. residents--and another four to five million people on probation or parole. The U.S. has a higher percentage of the

By the lack of rehabilitation programs in the state and federal prison systems, the chances of convicts releasing and returning back to prison increases rapidly. The lack of rehabilitation is one of the most leading causes to an offenders relapse or to a new crime that will be committed within 3 years from the offender’s release. A rehabilitation program

It is thought that punishment prevents an individual from committing a future crime, or reoffending. Despite this belief, research examining the effects of incarceration and prison conditions has demonstrated

Rehabilitation, what is rehabilitation? Rehabilitation is the action of restoring someone to a normal life through training and therapy after incarcerated, addiction or illness. Rehabilitation can be used for an offender who has committed a crime and is incarcerated, someone who is struggling with addiction or illness. Rehabilitation was originated in 1779 by the British Government as part of the Penitentiary Act, rehabilitation would consist of punishment along with treatment for the offenders. (Benjamin Disraeli 2004). The purpose of rehabilitation is to treat the offender in order for the offender to return to society and be able to contribute, rehabilitation is also a punishment for breaking a law.

Under these we have the district courts which are “the major trial courts in Texas, which usually have general jurisdiction over a broad range of civil and criminal cases” (pg.251). In addition we have a county judge (one judge in each of the 254 counties who presides over county court) a county court has jurisdiction over respective individual counties hence the term “county”. In larger counties (more volume of cases) we have statutory county courts at law (hears less serious cases than district courts) In statutory probate courts generally found in urban areas we have these specialized courts whose jurisdiction is limited to probate and guardianship matters. Beneath, we have justice of the peace courts that are local trial courts that have jurisdiction over small claims and very minor criminal misdemeanors. On the lower end of the totem pole we have municipal courts who essentially are “local trial courts with limited jurisdiction over violations of city ordinances and very minor criminal misdemeanors; municipal courts are located in each of Texas’s incorporated cities and towns” (pg.253). The municipal courts also have jurisdiction over violations of city ordinances (regulations by city

In Maryland, there are 4 levels of court including district, circuit, court of special appeals, and court of appeals. The lowest court is District court, most people experiencing court will be at this one. This court deals with less serious crimes including traffic and boating violations, misdemeanors, domestic violence, landlord disputes, and small claims. Circuit Court, which is the next lowest court, generally handles more serious criminal cases, major civil cases, certain administrative agencies, and domestic violence cases. The Court of special appeals, the intermediate appellate court, sees any reviewable judgment, or other action of the circuit court. The court of appeals, the highest court, hears cases involving the death penalty, legislative

V=Wisconsin’s court system and the Federal Court system are similar in structure, having a lower level court, a Court of Appeals, and a Supreme Court. Wisconsin’s lowest court is a municipal court, which can covers civil and criminal cases. These courts cover violations and offenses and a judge decides based on statutes. The next court level In Wisconsin is Circuit Courts; they cover criminal and civil cases. They are divided into jurisdictions and hear small claims, criminal, and juvenile cases. These cases usually have a jury and are determined by state statutes. No Federal Court parallels the lower state courts; instead, they have District Courts. District courts hear cases both civil and criminal and have no appellate jurisdiction.

Recidivism. We have heard that word over and over and yet we seem to find ourselves with the same problem, the overcrowding of jails, or even individuals reoffending. In many ways, people believe that punishing for a crime does not work and one of the most effective ways to prevent individuals from re-offending is simple, rehabilitation. Throughout the following essay we will be discussing a particular drug offense and consider a type of rehabilitation program in which would best serve that particular offender.

Rehabilitation can have two different meanings- to bring (someone or something) back to a normal healthy conditions after an illness, injury or drug problems; or to teach a criminal in prison to live a normal and productive life. Approaches to treatment range from individual to group methods. Correctional officers must discover what works for which offender in what context.

<br>Another common name for the Magistrates' Court is "the police court". This name was given to this particular court due to the fact that a majority of cases brought before this court involve the police having made an investigation of some kind and laying a charge. The prosecutor in these cases is usually a policeman.

While incarcerated the individual may have the opportunity to receive rehabilitation. Does it mean that the individual will be rehabilitated? One can only imagine. This is a debatable issue. Is punishment or rehabilitation more effective in combating crime?

Rehabilitation can be classified in several areas, whether a person gets help for drug/alcohol addiction, or gets training while incapacitated for a new skill set to help that person get a job when they eventually gets out. Rehabilitation can also go along with incapacitation and deterrence. The main goal of rehabilitation is to put the offender on a new path and away from the criminal path. The fourth goal of criminal sanctions is restorative justice.

There is significant variability in the outcome connected with the type of treatment, for example, how well it is put into action, and the personality of the wrongdoer to whom it is applied. Programs used to re-establish offenders to lessen recidivism are effective if they include proven standards and are aimed to the detailed needs of the offenders; this type of rehabilitation treatments are time and again positive and reasonably significant. The specific sources of that variability have not been well explored, but some principles for effective treatment have emerged (Cullen & Lipsey, 2007). Offenders who gain their high school equivalency diploma while incarcerated are prone to get a job after release, researchers reveal. In addition, those who go through vocational training are highly probable to get jobs with better wages and offenders that went through any drug treatment program during incarceration are less probable to go back to using drugs outside of confinement. When effective programs are implemented, offenders that recidivism could be reduced by 15 to 20 percent (Petersilia, 2011). This is not to express that criminology is a challenge that can always be resolved. There is an explanation for why people go to prison and depending on the circumstances there is incredibly little or nothing can be done to alter the options

Ultimately, prisons should require the rehabilitation of all offenders. Rehabilitation can transform negative behavior and prevent crime and is a superb alternative to only being confined. The increase of rehabilitation in prisons would lower the recidivism rate. Rehabilitation is imperative to prisons as it teaches offenders of a life free of crime. Retribution is not a justifiable route to take in order to prevent offenders from relapse. Punishment of prisoner promotes negative behavior. The purpose of prisons should be to rehabilitate the criminal and structure the individual into a civilized person. Overall, rehabilitation can alter an offender’s life for the better, modeling the person into a civilized individual.