Introduction
In his book, Foucault (1975) addresses the essential ways in which discipline might become a helpful asset for the field of corrections and improve the process of creating the required freedoms for proper control over the population of wrongdoers. The author also sees the prison-industrial complex as an opportunity to switch to a much more subjective view of corrections and achieve higher levels of self-control among the incarcerated individuals. Foucault (1975) eventually advocates for the development of a stronger regulatory network that would.
Critical Analysis
According to the information provided by Foucault (1975), incarceration is an inimitable form of control that cannot be neglected due to its statistically significant effectiveness. The key limitation of Foucault’s (1975) arguments is that the majority of counter-productivity claims cannot be pushed forward based on the agenda of punishments. Another implication also hints at the limitation associated with the implausible opportunity of addressing the crime rate with the help of atypical solutions promoting discipline and stricter punishments.
Application
The key implication of the policy-related information shared by Foucault (1975) is that the majority of institutions – from political and economic to social and penal – are all perceiving human bodies as a resource. For the existing paper, it may be claimed that prisons could be perceived as an amalgamation of socialization, invention, and domination (Foucault, 1975). Nevertheless, it remains crucial for the organizations in the correctional setting to keep the level of obedience at a rather high level to protect the correctional system from collapsing.
Synthesis
Conceptually, the information discussed by Foucault (1975) could be linked to the cultural transmission theory. The rationale behind this would be the existence of certain historical experiences that would be passed across the community in order to improve possible access to justice and correctional resources. Penal reforms cannot be introduced without a decent level of understanding of how societies function under the pressure of increased control and strictness.
Insight
On a wide scale, Foucault’s (1975) hypotheses contribute to my knowledge of criminology because they highlight the role of the apparatus of corrections. A detailed review of evidence proves that there is a need for more routine interventions that might be introduced without any obstacles so far. According to Foucault (1975), correctional settings should be aiming at improving wrongdoers instead of destroying them on a long-term scale.
Critical Criminology, Social Justice, and an Alternative View of Incarceration
Synopsis
Welch (1999a) outlines the key principles of corrections in the second chapter of his book, paving the way for additional details related to how correctional methods influence wrongdoers. They tend to overlook the concept of discipline when coping with the scales of control applied within prisons, which makes them prone to experiencing prison sentences. Because of that, offenders promote an opinion among themselves that prisons are detrimental to their well-being.
Critical Analysis
The first one that should be addressed is the lack of healthy collaboration between low-paid inmates and industry moguls (Welch, 1999a). Therefore, individuals have fewer chances to recover and gain access to respective resources within the given period. On the other hand, Welch’s (1999a) theoretical assumptions do not touch upon privately-owned prisons that tend to have a much more adverse impact on inmates who have to work for crucially low payments without any opportunity to alter the situation.
Reaction
Question 1: Why do you think incarcerated populations have to struggle with employment opportunities after release (even though they were involved in the prison-industrial complex program)?
Question 2: What do you believe to be the most effective method of addressing mass incarceration nowadays (except the prison-industrial complex methodology)?
Application
The key implication of the prison-industrial complex, as discussed by Welch (1999a), is the hidden hint at the idea that there are quite a few social issues that get lost across the network of jails and prisons that becomes bigger on a daily basis. The efficacy of increased imprisonment rates is a myth that is somehow supported by the government despite more than enough records from the past proving that incarceration has nothing to do with job opportunities and societal reintegration (Welch, 1999a).
Synthesis
When prisoners are exposed to the opportunity to get a job, they overlook the role they play in the criminal justice system and become affected by the lack of potential benefits. Welch (1999a) is in line with the social disorganization theory, owing to the sociological predictors characteristic of local populations suggesting that every incarcerated individual has been affected by the community.
Insight
The prison-industrial complex does not connect to the concept of human rights. It is easier to understand that prisoner needs in terms of health care education or job opportunities have to be addressed to reduce the crime rate on a long-term scale. Even so, the democratic future of the US should not interfere with the willingness to respond to social transformation and prison resistance.
The Corrections Industry
Synopsis
The information presented by Welch (1999b) in Chapter 13 reflects on the fundamental changes that occurred in the field of punishment over the years. One of the key findings is the close association of penal punishments with modern politics. These factual data revolve around the idea that punishments do not always serve as the key to the process of reintegration discussed by Foucault (1975).
Critical Analysis
The first implication is that some of the prison employment programs are not as complex and adverse as they are portrayed by the media (Welch, 1999b). The process of rehabilitation is much more successful in inmates that keep themselves busy and try to stay out of trouble while generating new products and services within the prison system. The second limitation mentioned by Welch (1999b) was the inability to attract labor unions to the process of inmate employment.
Reaction
Question 1: Why do you believe that the prison-industrial complex is a solely negative concept that has an adverse effect on the community when there are multiple benefits associated with the economic state of the country?
Question 2: Where, as per your concern, is the line between ethical practices and excessive prison-industrial complex approaches that do not go in line with the need to establish a stronger criminological environment?
Application
The implication of Welch’s (1999b) findings is the consequential strengthening of structural racism that contributes to segregation while also concealing it from the public. The concealed unemployment rates make it harder for inmates to overcome their jobless state and actually become a decent all-around worker with a positive reputation. The growing number of inmates who are concealed and disrespected makes it harder for the government to address the issue.
Synthesis
The prison-industrial complex theory can be associated with the social control theory due to the high prevalence of questions associated with deterrence across both these concepts. The punishments administered by the criminal justice system seem to be irresponsible when it comes to vulnerable populations because there is no emphasis on the needs of those populations, and the detention facilities tend to exert their control over prisoners (Foucault, 1975). It is also reasonable to assume that the certainty of punishments administered by the criminal justice system is affected by the severity of incarceration reasons.
Insight
The prison-industrial complex contributes to an improved understanding of criminology because it reveals (despite being rather covert) the key limitations of incarceration. There is a need to develop initiatives that could be utilized to actually resist the expansion of the incarceration industry so as to contribute to the establishment of nationally visible movements aimed at the reduction of unlawful incarcerations and exploitation of minority populations.
Current Event Related to Prison-Industrial Complex
The article written by Ajuong (2020) touched upon the need to address the UK’s government initiative to build new prisons. This directly relates to the prison-industrial complex theory that may be approached as a conflict of interests where the economy gets supported, but prisoner rehabilitation is overlooked (Foucault, 1975). Accordingly, commercial incentives linked to prisons across the UK impact the consequences of opening new facilities. The case of Prince Fosu is one of the most relevant examples of how the prison-industrial complex affects incarceration and redefines the concept of imprisonment with an emphasis on the business side of detention (Welch, 1999a; Welch, 1999b). Detention time turned out to be degrading and inhuman for Fosu because he somehow died in plain sight, as care providers failed to address the majority of his crucial needs.
References
Ajuong, A. (2020). How the prison industrial complex disproportionately harms minorities. TheArticle. Web.
Foucault, M. (1975). Discipline and punish. Vintage Books.
Welch, M. (1999a). Chapter 2: Critical criminology, social justice, and an alternative view of incarceration. In M. Welch, Punishment in America. SAGE.
Welch, M. (1999b). Chapter 13: The corrections industry. In M. Welch, Punishment in America. SAGE.