Prison Systems
CJS/230
March 28, 2010
Axia College of the University of Phoenix
In the United States of America, there are several different types of incarceration facilities that criminal offenders, both convicted and accused my end up. The two most distinguishable different facilities post-conviction are the state prison systems and the federal bureau of prisons. These units house a wide array of criminals, from the lowest of low scum to the high profile “Hannibal Lector” types. The range of crimes is equally different, from sexual offences and aggravated murder charges all of the way down to so called white collar crimes and too many DWI’s. In short, the intricate designs and diversity contribute to an experience all to its
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According to Foster (2006), about thirty-five percent of offenders fall into this category. From there, you have the minimum security prisons. Smaller prisons with fewer internal controls and a larger ration to guards and inmates dictate these facilities. Finally, you have what is commonly known as trustees, or open-security facilities. They hardly resemble prisons, and typically don’t even have locked doors or fences to confine the inmates. Other prison types include the infamous super-max unit that holds the most evil and deadly of inmates to the highest custody level possible and special housing units with security conditions similar to super-max farms, but house disciplinary offenders for shorter periods rather then long-term. There are many differences in the state prison systems out there. For example, custody levels, as previously mentioned, are typically governed by the crime that the criminal has committed and the security threat that they are classified as having. They also have to keep in mind that there are rules that must be followed, and as such, the frequency and severity of the infractions, usually called “good time”, can lower or raise the level of custody. You also have to take into consideration the types of units out there and their purpose in order to adequately describe the variances. Some are meant to educate and rehabilitate, as well as others are designed to progressively prepare offenders for
Prisons consist of social structures just as general society does. There is the upper class, which consists of the rich and powerful. The rich can pay off guards and other prisoners who may cause problems for them, and gang leaders whose reputation scares other inmates extremely that they are not challenged nor denied requests. “…and if everybody knows that gangs control the fate of all inmates, then criminals will be afraid to cross gang members there” (Wood). Gangs can control whether you live or die in a prison. Being a leader of a gang will put you at the top, being in the middle consists of being part of a gang or associates of a gang. The very bottom or the lowest consists of new inmates (who have not had time to move up yet or exploit
There are five state prison systems in which exist in today's penitentiary systems and they are maximum-security prisons, close-high security prisons, medium-security prisons, and open security facilities. Variations between these five systems are common and uncommon because in a
Corrections have existed throughout society for many years and continued to change and evolve in the United States reflecting society’s values and ideals throughout the centuries. In the criminal justice system, corrections exist in more than one form. Not only do corrections refer to jails and prison systems but they also pertain to community-based programs, such as probation, parole, halfway houses, and treatment facilities. Past, present, and future trends in regard to the development and operation of institutional and community-based corrections vary between states but corrections have grown immensely since the early 1800s and have continued to expand
A private prison or for-profit prison is a place in which individuals are physically confined or incarcerated by a third party that is contracted by a government agency. Private prison companies typically enter into contractual agreements with governments that commit prisoners and then pay a per diem or monthly rate, either for each prisoner in the facility or for each place available, whether occupied or not. Such contracts may be for the operation only of a facility, or for design, construction and operation. (Wikipedia)
Prison populations have been on the raise since the early 1970s. Today we incarcerate over 2 million men, women and juveniles in the various correctional facilities around the country. These facilities can range from local jails or detention facilities to the new so called "Supermax" prisons. Conditions can also vary across the spectrum for these different correctional institutions. Each type of inmate has his or her own challenges when faced with incarceration. Many factors play into determining "the experience" they have. Age and sex are one of the things that determine what type of institution you are committed to. Adult male prisoners are committed to adult male prisons.
When we think about prisons, jails, and courthouses, our minds are meant to draw a connection to cold, hard, justice and fair punishments for guilty and deserving parties. Yet, in our judicial and prison systems around the world, this idea is nowhere close to reality. From inhumane punishments, to mass incarceration, and “trapping” people in the system based on race or financial status, justice is far from being served.
Prisons and jails hold some similar characteristics but are completely different models in which they serve in the criminal justice system. Some of the types of crimes that America faces today are: violent crimes, property, white collar or organized crime, and public order crimes (Worrall, 2008). The criminal justice system sets the regulations and policies of how an offender will be held accountable for their inappropriate actions. The criminal justice system is a process that takes time and money from society. The following information will briefly discuss the main purposes for the jail and prison systems, which will focus on the length of sentencing, funding sources, and private sector ownership. Let’s begin by explaining the length of
The state prisons today were founded on the basis of the 1700s to 1800’s during the Age of Enlightenment. The English correctional facility referred to as a “gaol,” commonly known as a jail. They housed men, women, children, the mentally ill along with the civil and criminals. The individuals suffered from idleness, diseases, despair and malnutrition. The gaols were maintained by local authorities, classification did not exist, and the purpose of gaol was to detain or hold people for court.
The Texas prison system houses 155,000 inmates, making it the largest prison system in the United States. There are 3 different types of jail systems. They are county jails, state jails, and state prisons. Depending on the nature of the crime and whether or not it is a first offense decides if the punishment will be probation or incarceration in a prison or jail. County jails house people accused of a felony and misdemeanor
As compelling as all the three theories involved in the incarceration of criminals are, some hold more merit than others due to the persuasive strategies and points they put across. In this respect, I feel that prison as a school of crime deserves the most merit of the three observed. Low-risk inmates who were not career criminals upon conviction seem to be the most vulnerable candidates to the negative effects of incarceration and recidivism. The prison culture found within every prison results in prisonization affecting every inmate. Misconduct in the sense of definition per institution is nearly unavoidable in some cases. It becomes a matter of not getting caught as opposed to zero engagement. Every person in prison is exposed to enhanced
One can become a prisoner of war, criminal, labor camp, immigrants, youth detainees, military etc.… it consists of different levels from: administrative, to death row, open, maximum security and supermax, including different components: cell, solitary confinement, commissary, health services, Psychology department, case management, finances, cafeteria and more. Prisons in the United States are regulated by the government on a local, state, and federal level managed by a warden.
Prison is a place where no one wants to end up. If you commit a crime and found guilty there is a good possibility that you will end up in a prison. There are high security prisons and low security prisons that someone can end up in depending on what type of crime they commit. There are a lot of bad situations that still can happen inside the walls of a prison if someone gets involved with a gang and deal with gang violence or someone just gets on the bad side of another inmate. You are never safe once you get inside those walls.
The three most common categories of prisons in the United States are minimum, medium and maximum security. Minimum security prisons house the least dangerous of felons, and thus are place the fewest restrictions on inmates. Medium security prisons hold those convicted of what are considered minor crimes. Maximum security prisons contain perpetrators of serious crimes who are serving long sentences. An offshoot of the maximum security prison, the supermax, was developed in response to prisoner violence. There are several distinguishing features of each prison type that beg further exploration.
All through history the correctional framework has been seen as the vital method for managing culprits, however its capacity has changed all through time. It has served as a pit for confining suspected lawbreakers, a home for the vagrant, an organization for the crazy, a feared spot of notoriety, quarters for purging and restoration, and a multitude of listed charges. The trials and changes of history have created and molded the foundation that we perceive today. In a matter of seconds, the United States jail populace far surpasses that of some other nation on the planet. The political atmosphere, extreme on wrongdoing approaches, determinate sentencing, and expanding expense of detainment facilities have fundamentally expanded quantities of
Prisons are institution that are designed to handle people who have committed a conviction with different crimes. The people in these intuition are called inmates or prisoners due to crimes. The time that they have depends on the crime which can vary between two months or life in prison. Once in the prison, inmates undergo rehabilitation, incapacitation, retribution and deterrence which are meant due to the crime they have committed. The government is in charge of these facilities and manage to control the inmates. One ginormous problem is Prison Overcrowding that we have had since the beginning of federal prison. This is caused by having to many criminals in a penitentiary. Some of these criminals have not done a single violent thing in their life put have to do time due to the laws they have broken.