Effectiveness of Prisons and Jails to Rehabilitate

On January 18, 1989, the abandonment of rehabilitation in corrections was confirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court. In Mistretta v. United States, the Court upheld federal sentencing guidelines which remove rehabilitation from serious consideration when sentencing offenders. Defendants will henceforth be sentenced strictly for the crime, with no recognition given to such factors as amenability to treatment, personal and family history, previous efforts to rehabilitate oneself, or possible alternatives to prison. The Court outlined the history of the debate: Rehabilitation as a sound enological theory came to be questioned and, in any event, was regarded by some as an unattainable goal for most cases. The Court cited a Senate Report which†¦show more content†¦The second article written by Tamar Lewin, of The New York Times highlights some information and several studies that shows that education programs in prisons and jails help reduce the rate of recidivism. according to a study for the Department of Education Inmates who receive schooling- through vocational training or classes at the high school or college level are far less likely to return within three years of their release, (The New York Times). The article also points out those schooling aids in public safety by getting more parolees to be active and healthy members of society. A source for The New York Times, Stephen J. Steurer, says and I quote We found that for every dollar you spend on education, you save a dollar by avoiding the cost of re- incarceration (The New York Times). Nonetheless, the article is so eagerly notes that even though it has been proven cheaper to educate and rehabilitate than to consistently re- incarcerate former prison and jail inmates â€Å"it very difficult to get public financing for such classes (The New York Times). Lastly, the article touches on the state of affairs of the educational opportunities given. It describes the situation as Varying widely by state, with half or fewer prisoners getting some form of education in most states, and,Show MoreRelatedPrison is no Changing Prisoners1187 Words   |  5 Pagespeople claim that prison does not change people. Research indicates that after indulging in criminal activities, approximately 70% of the released prisoners return to jail within a few years. Most of them fall in three broad areas: †¢ Violent offending †¢ Sex offending †¢ Addictions (Prisoner Rehabilitation) This shows that there are many different types of criminals some more violent than others. 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