Prison Term Policy Recommendation

I am about to discuss a touchy subject; a subject that is very controversial. Your opinions on this matter is of great importance to me because I am writing a Prison Term Policy Recommendation. If you could possibly send some friends over and comment on this issue, I'd be very grateful.

The following is my thesis for the recommendation and following that, I will provide the steps that I believe is necessary for rehabilitation.

In 2005, robbery in the United States increased by 3.9 percent, up from 2004. (Federal Bureau of Investigations, 2006) The legislature has proposed a bill that would double the maximum prison term for armed robbery. There is no guarantee that this measure will deter those who consider a criminal life and use a weapon to obtain an object of value however, there are recommendations that can be implemented into this measure that can be of some use both to society and the deviant. These recommendations include strict procedures that one must follow and complete before being released back into the world. These procedures require behavior modification, education and vocation training, work experience, counseling and proper nutrition and exercise. With these procedures intact, it is the recommendation that deviants be rehabilitated rather than just incarcerated.

The rehabilitation methods:

• Behavior Modification
• Education and Vocation Training
• Work Experience
• Counseling
• Proper Nutrition and Exercise

I know that rehabilitation was implemented in some areas and it appeared that these methods proved fruitless however, I really don't think a cogent method was implemented. Right now, hundreds of thousands of prisoners sit in prison where they eat, sleep, lift weights, watch TV and do very little work. Most of their time spent is in their cells. I know that a lot of people feel that they deserve to sit in their cells but what about those who will be eventually released? Did you know that the recidivism rate for those people released is 51%? (Federal Bureau of Investigations, 2002) Of course this statistic may be a little lower or higher considering the United State's recidivism study was done in 1994 and the last time it was updated was in 2002. However, since 2004, crime has increased. The point is, rehabilitation needs to be given another chance because obviously keeping these people incarcerated does nothing but allows them to think about what he/she could have done differently to avoid being caught. These people need something else to think about; like how to survive in life and be successful the proper way.

References:

Federal Bureau of Investigations. (2006). Uniform crime report (Robbery). District of Columbia: Department of Justice.

Federal Bureau of Investigations. (2002). Reentry trends in the u.s. (Rearrest Within Three Years). District of Columbia: Bureau of Justice Statistics.