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Tatelyn Crowley-McKay

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What is the point in jail and punishment? most the time you come out feeling more rebellious!

Especialy if you were sent for life. what would be the point for you wpuld never come out so you would never get another chance you might as well be dead really? I'm not trying to be offencive in anyway but i'm just interested to know how that's geting taught a lesson?

please comment your views on this argument

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Closing Statement from Tatelyn Crowley-McKay

These are all really really good explanations, thanyou i now have a much better understanding :)

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    Phillip McKay

    • +4
    Feb 6 2012: Having worked in prisons and with young offenders for 20 years i hope to offer something of value to your important question Tate.
    Most of the people in prisons have mental health issues and have probably been abused during their childhood. They have grown up in low socio economic groups, been exposed to drug use from an early age, and often come from a family where the offending is intergenerational. Often they have dropped out of school early because they have learning difficulties like ADHD and poor impulse control (which means they have trouble inhibiting acting on ideas that come into their minds like "steal that car" Often these people are unable to think of the consequences like you and I might.
    So given these set of circumstances, we have a problem. Society wishes for protection from angry violent people and people who might steal there things. For millenia the idea of bannishment has been the answer - send them away from the group. Bannishment is prison. Good simple idea. Problem solved. But not really. Just swept under the carpet. For a little while. These people will return to society with lower prospects of finding work/income, often homeless and with increased mental health issues. Problem not solved - problem worse.
    I have experienced the prison culture and it is the prisoners culture/ mind set that dominaes the environment. Wardens watch on whilst toxic ideas, disrespect, and intimidation flourish. There is education available for those who are motivated but usually education is a low priority because of the dollars and teaching methods may not cater to those with learning difficulties.

    As you know i work with a program called U-Turn which looks to change thinking and anti social behaviours whilst teaching skills that could be used in the workforce. This is part of an idea called restorative justice and these principles are very good at repairing harm and changing thinking and actions. sorry run out of space
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      Jessica Figueroa

      • 0
      Feb 6 2012: If most of the prisoners have mental health issues, prisons should have psychologist to help this people by using conditioning and motivate them to become better people. psychological help should not be an option, it should be a requirement to get out of jail because there is NO punishment given to this people for what they did and if there is no punishment people hardly learn from their mistakes.
      "The majority of prisons and jails are fill with men and women that have behave very badly to begin with, and they are put into this places where they have the best resources around them to help them figure out how to be better predators." Sunny Schwartz author of the book: "Dreams From a Monster Factory"
      I'm a psychology student and i would love to work with this people because even if they did something bad, they are still humans that need to feel good with themselves and learn that bad behavior wont give them a good reward.

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