Assignment:
Respond with 150 words and 2 references with 1 being the textbook, biblical reference
Cullen, F. T., & Jonson, C. L. (2017). Correctional theory: Context and consequences (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN: 9781506306520.
Incarceration is an expensive business. Prisons have become more like warehouses than a place where corrective actions take place. As we learned in this first chapter, the United States is addicted to incarceration (Cullen 2016). The cost to keep a convicted felon incarcerated per year is around 29,000.00 dollars (Illinois Department of Corrections, 2017). Corrections programs are based on punishment and hoping that deterrence takes place so that the offender won't do it again. The general public prefers a justice system that spells out what the rules are and what happens to anyone when those rules are violated (Cullen 2016 p. 171). Expensive programs such as boots camps and scared straight programs require specialized staff and are short fixes to underlying problems of the individual.
This type of programming was meant to build self-esteem and character. The programs are a mild form of intervention and have a slight positive change but rarely translate into recidivism. However, cognitive thinking and pattern and negative pattern behaviors cannot change in such a short period. Additionally, there were no post-release programs to prepare prisoners for returning to the community, resulting in recidivism. (Study Shows Bootcamps are a Failure, 2004). As Cullen has shown us that boosting self-esteem has little to do with criminality and recidivism (Cullen 2016). Client-centered non-specific counseling also fails in changing the offender's culpability.
In a study done by Dr. David Ho, we learn that sex offender programs do not rehabilitate offenders before their release from incarceration. The data also shows us that forty percent of sex offenders who participated in a prison-based program re-offend in some way, and at least six percent sexually in less than six years (Scutti, 2015).
In James 5:16, the Bible tells us to pray for one another, that prayer is an essential element in the healing process. The prayers of faithful shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him; and if he committed sins, they forgive him. When the healing process happens, we become righteous and can rise above anything (King James Bible online, 2019).
References
Illinois Department of Corrections. (2017)
King James Bible online. (2019).
Scutti, S. (2015, January 28). Medical Daily. Recidivism Rates For 'Rehabilitated' Sex Offenders Show Treatment Programs Fail: Doctor.
Study Shows Bootcamps are a Failure. (2004, November 15). Correctional Boot Camps: Lessons from a Decade of Research., p. 12.
Cullen, F. T., & Jonson, C. L. (2017). Correctional Theory: Context and Consequences (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications Inc.