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Karly Brown

Professor Angela Mitchell

UWRT 1103

31 March 2018

Research Essay: Rehabilitation in The Justice System

The effectiveness of the criminal justice system remains a highly debated topic, leading

to the importance of rehabilitation within institutions for the incarcerated. The Oxford English

Dictionary defines the criminal justice system as, “The system of law enforcement that is directly

involved in apprehending, prosecuting, defending, sentencing, and punishing those who are sus-

pected or convicted of criminal offenses” (OED Online). An important term not included in the

definition is rehabilitation. Exploring the steps taken towards rehabilitation assisted in the devel-

opment of questions becoming needed to further my research. It is important to understand the

purpose of incarceration along with the rehabilitation programs offered in institutions. The psy-

chological impact incarceration has on a criminal, plus the significance it has on their chances of

returning when released can determine if incarcerating criminals strengthens them for society.

The progress of the criminal justice system shows through recidivism rates and comparisons be-

tween other countries success. The percentage of citizens with knowledge on the criminal justice

system remains unknown, insisting that many would benefit from knowing basic information

while living in a country led through democracy. The unanswered questions guided the research,

which enables an average citizen of the United States to understand and generate an educated

opinion on the effectiveness of institutions in America’s criminal justice system with the current

amount of rehabilitation provided.

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To thoroughly explore the effectiveness of the criminal justice system the comprehension

of the rehabilitation programs offered proclaims importance. “The restoration of a person to for-

mer privileges, status, or possessions by official decree, declaration, etc.,” is the definition of re-

habilitation according to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED Online). Prisons and jails through-

out the United States involve multiple different rehabilitation programs that are possibly pro-

vided, such as high school classes, college courses, vocational training, and counseling. While

many institutions offered programs, through research I discovered some do not. The US Depart-

ment of Justice explained, nearly all federal prisons offer vocational training, but only 44 percent

of private prisons and 7 percent of jails (“The Economic Impact”). The department also stated

that 84 percent of state prisons offer high school classes, while only 27 percent of state prisons

offer college courses (“The Economic Impact”). Roughly all federal prisons have alcohol and

drug rehabilitation programs, which is beneficial. The general public may not understand the

large need for rehabilitation programs, but the Bureau of Justice Statistics declared 68 percent of

state prison inmates had not received their high school diploma (Harlow, “Education”). Rehabili-

tation programs for the addicted should hold a large focus because several inmates received sen-

tencing because of behaviors that supported their addiction habits and/ or found guilty due to

possession of illegal substances. The National Center on Addiction and Substance abuse wrote,

“65% of all U.S. inmates meet medical criteria for substance abuse addiction, only 11% receive

any treatment” (“New CASA”). Inmates participation in the programs identify as not mandatory,

suggesting why fewer participate now than a decade ago (“New CASA”). Statistics magnify

when discussing the topic of rehabilitation programs in the criminal justice system because they

can verify where and why improvement is needed.

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An important question analyzed while researching was: Does being incarcerated better

someone for society? Institutions in the criminal justice system intend to teach inmates right

from wrong through consequences, but psychologists that worked with prisoners explain that

they do not establish enough attention on rehabilitation. Inmates receive expectations to re-enter

society as a productive citizen after being released. Based on the National Institute of Justice

study within three years of released 67.8 percent of prisoners were rearrested, within five years

76.6 percent of prisoners were rearrested, and of the prisoners who were rearrested, 56.7 percent

were rearrested by the end of the first year of being released (Office of Justice Programs). There-

fore, the high recidivism rates in the United States indicate incarceration does not better the ma-

jority of criminals. Previous discoveries validate the introduction of the next question: Why does

the majority of released inmates get rearrested? It could represent a reflection evoked by the

challenges the individuals experience when trying to obtain a job because of their criminal rec-

ord. Men with criminal records create about 34 percent of all nonworking men ages 25 to 54,

noted by a recent New York Times/CBS News/Kaiser Family Foundation poll (Hamel, “Kai-

ser”). Without a job, transferring into a productive citizen becomes nearly impossible because no

job symbolizes no income. A lack of income can result in no home, no car, unpaid bills and these

situations can lead individuals back into their inappropriate behavior in order to survive. Rehabil-

itation programs can produce a difference if they are used properly; in a way that educates and

guides individuals so that they become prepared to properly re-enter society. Ultimately, the goal

of incarceration is to encourage inmates to stray from their criminal behaviors but it could be

viewed as setting the individuals up for failure through a never ending cycle of crime and bad de-

cisions. Institutions are capable of using a balance of punishment and rehabilitation that intro-

duces a second chance to the incarcerated.

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Punishment guides the institutions in the criminal justice system, instead of rehabilitation.

Providing mental health services and contributing scientific evidence to studies about the pur-

pose of imprisonment fulfills the job of a psychologists within a prison. Psychologists are closely

connected to rehabilitation, indicating why they validate as a great source of information on the

topic. They work many of the rehabilitation programs provided, such as screenings for mental

illnesses, group and individual therapy to assist with substance abuse, re-entry to society coun-

seling, and more. The prison population has rates of mental illness at least three times the na-

tional average, equaling 15 to 20 percent of the incarcerated (Benson, “Rehabilitate”). Research

has shown some prisoners experience high levels of anxiety as well as other harmful emotions

when placed in solitary confinement for large amounts of time (Benson, “Rehabilitate”). The

emotions can continue when released because they lack the skills needed to properly cope with

society. Psychologists that contribute to the criminal justice system explain that the resources

vary due to the facilities being understaffed with psychologist plus the ones working experience

a large bulk of caseloads. A psychologist at Texas Tech University who has worked in federal

and state prisons and studies treatment methods for inmates, Robert Morgan, PhD, said, "Right

now there's such a focus on punishment--most criminal justice or correctional systems are puni-

tive in nature--that it's hard to develop effective rehabilitative programs” (Benson, “Rehabili-

tate”). Punishment may be the way prisons function now, it does not present as the most effective

or that it will continue to overpower. “When properly implemented, work programs, education

and psychotherapy can ease prisoners' transitions to the free world,” said Craig Haney, PhD, a

psychologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz (Benson, “Rehabilitate”). Research is

constantly being generated in hopes of achieving a successful prison system that benefits both

the general public of America and the prisoners.

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When the United States criminal justice system is compared to other countries it ad-

vances to an unpleasant shock. The US has the highest incarceration rate in the world, obtained

from the Bureau of Justice Statistics data (Office of Justice Programs). Stated on the American

Civil Liberties Union website the US holds only 5 percent of the world’s population but more

than 20 percent of the world’s prison population (“The Prison Crisis”). Issues within the criminal

justice system seem apparent, especially with the prison techniques used. Researching Norway,

which has the world’s most successful prison system assist in exploring areas of improvement in

the US. One source stated, “Norway’s incarceration rate just 75 per 100,000 people, compared to

707 people for every 100,000 people in the US” (Benko, “The Radical”). Norway focuses on re-

habilitating their prisoners by attempting to prepare them for release so inmates will be ready to

re-enter society. Many Norway prisons are set up for normalcy, for example Halden prison in-

cludes actual furniture, fully equipped kitchens, no uniforms, artwork, and bar-less windows. A

prime example that Norway’s main focus does not point to punishment and instead aims towards

sending all inmates back into society without their criminal behavior. Their prison systems show

signs of success, Norway’s recidivism rates are one of the lowest in the world at just 20 percent,

compared to the United States 76.6 percent within five years of being released (Benko, “The

Radical”). One concern with providing a prison focused on rehabilitation is the cost. The Halden

prison in Norway spends more than $93,000 per prisoner per year and the US spends about

$31,000 per year, which is three times less than Norway (Benko, “The Radical”). Due to the

large incarceration population annually the US manages to spend more than Norway. The suc-

cess of other countries continue to raise awareness on the most efficient approach when rehabili-

tating inmates.
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Currently, the perfect prison does not exist so the US prison system undoubtedly has

room for improvement. Multiple American citizens do not have any direct ties to the criminal

justice system so they aren’t necessarily inclined to understand the system and how it could im-

prove. To better educate myself on the topic researched, individuals who had first hand experi-

ence with the criminal justice system held a priority. The first example is Bernard Kerik, a for-

mer police commissioner of New York City who plead guilty to tax fraud and served three years

in prison (“Prison Rehabilitation or”). In an interview Kerik said, “You’re going to give him an

education, if you don’t teach him an education, if you don’t give him a GED, if you don’t teach

him discipline and you don’t teach him respect and you don’t. And we don’t, absolutely we do

not choose what he learns. He learns how to steal, cheat, lie, manipulate, gamble, and con. Most

importantly he learns that if he has a verbal altercation with someone it’s going to end in a cut-

ting or a beatdown” (“Prison Rehabilitation or”). Kerik was referring to what happens when

someone is incarcerated within the US prison system. People gain knowledge unconsciously,

therefore a beneficial education for inmates holds an importance if they’re expected to improve.

The overall opinion of Bernard Kerik portrays that prison does not better people for society and

if anything it worsens them. He feels as though this is due to the lack of rehabilitation programs,

specifically the ones that educate inmates as well as the quickness to sentence someone to prison.

Kerik prevails as a great source of non-biased knowledge on the topic because he obtained first

hand experience. He took part in both sides of the criminal justice system; someone who sen-

tenced people and tried to stop crime then later he became a prisoner due to crimes he commit-

ted.

After weeks of well developed research that was guided through multiple educated ques-

tions based on the effectiveness of the United States criminal justice system, I built a personal
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opinion. I do not believe that the system is effective which is due to the lack of rehabilitation

programs within the prison system. As I researched the topic I remained open minded because I

felt as though it would allow me to obtain the most honest information. I realized that the major-

ity of the information did not support the way the institutions within the US system perform.

Based on recidivism rates, incarceration rates, and opinions from those with first hand experi-

ence it seems relatively impossible to not agree that the system needs improvement. The im-

provement in the institutions would benefit the average American as well as the incarcerated

population. Less crime in the US creates safer communities. Efficient amounts of rehabilitation

programs such as academic education, vocational training, therapy, and counseling would better

prepare inmates once they’re released and need to re-enter society. It would assist prisoners in a

physical way because it would allow them to get a job but it would also help them mentally due

to the negative impact incarceration can have on ones emotions. Finally, I feel that if rehabilita-

tion programs are asserted within the institutions in the criminal justice system of America, it

could be the difference that reforms criminals into productive citizens of society.

Overall, the criminal justice system plays a large role in America since over 2 million of

the population remain incarcerated. It foreshadows the ability criminals have for a chance of im-

provement for society. The research provided basic knowledge along with the opinions from in-

dividuals who have personal experience with the prison institutions. Large amounts of the infor-

mation shinned a light on the need for improvement through more and better equipped rehabilita-

tion programs. The importance for the average citizen of the United States to be aware of the cur-

rent techniques being used within the criminal justice system remains; in hopes to bring aware-

ness to the need for change. Many people fail to realize that the criminal justice system not only

impacts criminals but also the United States as a whole.

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Works Citied

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Benko, Jessica. “The Radical Humaneness of Norway's Halden Prison.” The New York Times,

The New York Times. 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/03/29/magazine/the-radical-hu-

maneness-of-norways-halden-prison.html#. Accessed 17 Mar. 2018.

Benson, Etienne, “Rehabilitate or punish?” American Psychological Association. vol. 34, no. 7,

2003, http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug03/rehab.aspx. Accessed 22 Feb. 2018.

Hamel, Liz, et al. “Kaiser Family Foundation/New York Times/CBS News Non-Employed

Poll.” The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 2016, www.kff.org/other/poll-find-

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“New CASA* Report Finds: 65% of All U.S. Inmates Meet Medical Criteria for Substance

Abuse Addiction, Only 11% Receive Any Treatment.” The National Center on Addiction

and Substance Abuse. 2016, www.centeronaddiction.org/newsroom/press-releases/2010-

behind-bars-II. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018.

Office of Justice Programs. National Institute of Justice. 2014, https://www.nij.gov/topics/cor-

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“Prison Rehabilitation or Revolving Door Criminal Justice?” YouTube, Uploaded by TheLipTV,

23 Apr. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHLT8zI7JbU

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“Programs Keep Inmates From Returning To Prison.” LAW from NPR. 17 Jun. 2014.

https://www.npr.org/2012/10/10/162652805/programs-keep-inmates-from-returning-to-

prison.

“The Economic Impact of Prison Rehabilitation Programs.” Penn Wharton Public Policy Ini-

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dents/blog/news.php. Accessed 6 Mar. 2018.

“The Prison Crisis.” American Civil Liberties Union. 2011, www.aclu.org/prison-crisis. Ac-

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