This lecture introduces the student to the concept of Incarcerative Science. The lecture provides a brief history of the American Correctional System, a discussion of the purposes behind Corrections, and a brief analysis of the organizational structure of the American Correctional System as an integral component of The American Criminal Justice System.
Incarcerative Science is the study of Incarceration. That is, it is the study of Society's Treatment of the Convicted Criminal Offender. The Goal of Incarceration is the same as that of Treatment: To Integrate The Convicted Offender Into Society As A Productive And Law Abiding Member Of The Community.
Just as there is with Sentencing, so too there is a rationale behind the different strategies and tactics that are employed in the Treatment of Convicted Offenders. The rationale behind Incarceration is an attempt to achieve four goals of The Criminal Justice Profession. These goals that underlie the Incarcerative Process are:
As it is done within the Sentencing Phase of the Criminal Justice Process, so too is it done here at the Treatment Phase of the Criminal Justice Process. The majority of Incarcerative methodologies attempt to merge all four of the goals proposed by the Rationale of Incarceration. Often, though, these purposes are not equally weighted within these methodologies.
Usually, the punishment and/or penalty that is imposed through Incarceration reflects the STATE's intention as evidenced by the Sentence handed down by the Judge, which is to cause the Offender sufficient pain and suffering to deter them from future criminal activities.
By 1999, there were more than 2 Million Offenders who had been incarcerated in either Jails, Prisons, or Penitentiaries. Incarceration is reserved as a serious sanction which is imposed against heinous crimes that have harmed Society and its Citizens. Incarceration, utilized on a wide scale as a broad response to Crime, is an almost uniquely American invention. Indeed, over the past two hundred years, The United States Corrections System has been the cradle of Incarerative Science Development. Indeed, the U.S. Correctional System serves as a driving force which directly influences Systems of Incarceration throughout the world today.
Incarceration is used against a Convicted Offender as a Punishment and/or Penalty for having committed grave offenses against Society. As a Punishment and/or Penalty, Incarceration is imposed with the purpose of severely limiting the Convicted Offender's ability to commit new Offenses Against Society while being punished. It also serves to cause the individual to no longer desire to commit offenses against society in the future.
Thus, while warehoused in a Penitentiary [Long Term Federal Facility], a Prison [Long Term State Facility], or a Jail [Short Term Local Facility], a Convict is unable to commit more house burglaries. That is, unless the Convict victimizes his/her fellow inmates by burglarizing their "houses"...
Such behavior is a very dangerous, foolish, and decidedly deadly infraction of the "Rules Of The Hood." The pain of imprisonment includes restricted liberty, lack of privacy, and uncomfortable dwelling conditions. Also, the food tends to be less than appetizing... by regular citizen standards. These punitive conditions are at once the desire of The Public as a response to Criminal Culpability, and a potential threat to the desires of The Public to prevent and control crime. "How So?", you might ask.
Treatment refers to the belief that there is some characteristic in the personality of the Offender or in the situation that has lead to the Offender's unwanted behavior. The idea is that this characteristic or situation can be fixed. The Penalty and/or Punishment imposed upon the Convict is designed to change the personality and circumstances of the individual in such a way as to cause him/her neither to need nor to desire to engage in further unwanted actions and/or inactions.
There is an inherent problem within this particular philosophy; those who are incarcerated are left for long hours with nothing more to do than to grow angrier at their plight and to think about what they want to do when they get back to Society. Unfortunately, these thoughts are not often positive and contributive to the Social Goodwill.
In fact, it is more often than not that the Convict is contemplating a better way to commit his/her crimes... a way that will guarantee him/her not to be caught in the future. Of course, these thoughts are often fallacious. For that reason, these individuals are caught and returned to institutions of incarceration soon after their release back into Society. As a result, The Corrections System has gained the reputation of being a Crime College, a school where offenders go to learn how to commit bigger and better crimes! That is the threat that exists within the Treatment Philosophy.
Nevertheless, even though the Institution Of Incarceration is not an effective means of controlling and preventing Crime, it still endures as the preferred mode of Offender Treatment Strategy within The United States Of America. This Institution of Social Control has been around for more than 200 years in The United States. As Society has changed, the purpose and use of the Incarcerative Institution has changed with as well.
In the early years, warehousing alone was expected to exert a beneficial influence upon the Offender, allowing them to reflect upon their wrongs and encouraging them to repent their ways. Later, the intent of these institutions was to reform the Offender through Job Skills Education while inflicting strict rules of Discipline upon them. The Reform Era of American Corrections gave way to the Medical Model of Corrections; Offenders were treated as ill and in need of medical treatment.
Under the Medical Model, the Offender received Medicines, Dietary Adjustments, Surgery, and when necessary Euthenasia. The Medical Model of Corrections yielded to the Psychological Model [Community Corrections Era] of Corrections, in which the Offender's link to the community was encouraged to be maintained while exerting self-healing therapy and Social Skills Training upon the Offender as a means of encouraging proper integration into the Community as a healthy, productive member of Society.
The Medical Model of Corrections eventually gave way to the Integrated Corrections Science Model. The Integrated Corrections Science Model, sometimes referred to as the Comprehensive Corrections Model, seeks to utilize a combination of treatment methods which range from warehousing to medical treatment to education to counseling, in the hope that the Offender recovers from his/her criminal condition and makes the choice to alter his/her thought and behavior patterns from Crime-Centered to Lawful-Centered. This then will help the Offender to become a healthy, Law-Abiding, Productive, and Contented Citizen of The Community. At least, that is the hope of our modern Correctional System.
This lecture presented basic knowledge about the American Corrections System. The pains associated with Incarceration include loss of Liberty, lack of Autonomy, limited availability of Goods And Services, Lack of Heterosexual Relationships, and loss of Security. Thse deprivations are a two-edged sword: They encourage the Offender not to commit future crimes, and they cause the Offender anger and resentment against those who have inflicted these pains upon them. The purpose of Corrections is to Fix A Broken Person. The QUESTION Is: Can We Fix A Broken Person Through Incarcerative Science? What do you think?