Introduction
Crime is considered one of the rampant vices of the world. In view of this, it has become important for nations to set up incarceration facilities to contain increasing crime levels (Cole, 2008). However, psychologists and psychologists have cried foul over the role played by prisons in rehabilitating prisoners. They regard prisons as institutions of punishment, rather than rehabilitation. The ex-inmate faces a challenging life once released from prison. Entry back into society is a daunting task that requires adequate parolee’s psychological preparation (Craig, 2003). Rather, society should also be prepared to accept the parolees back into normal life. This paper discusses the effects of imprisonment, prisons’ role in correction efforts, and society’s role in ex-inmates’ training.
Prison Population
It is vitally important to appreciate the fact that 500,000 Americans were released from prison in 2003. The population characterized by poverty, lack of skills, devoid of family support, and stigmatized by the society suffered serious social and psychological problems (Jesenia, 2004). Statistically, the world’s prison population was 9.25 million. The number has since increased, especially in countries where authoritarian rule is evident. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Middle East is a good example (Levinsion, 2002). The USA’s inmate population is the largest in the world. Statistics taken in 2006 indicate that 2.5 million inmates were in the USA. In addition, 25% of worldwide incarcerations take pace USA. Whereas the UAE had about 365 people per 100,000 serving in prisons, the USA’s incarceration rate stood at 739 people per 1000.
Parole Conditions
The Parole situation in America is quite shocking. It is important to note that whereas crime levels have dropped over the past years, prison populations have tremendously increased. Cases of re-incarceration are rampant, even as parole boards conduct endless reviews (Cole, 2008). Most parolees find the parole conditions unfavorable. Unemployment and housing discrimination are common features that force much back into prison. Non-compliance to parole conditions is usually to blame for increased prison populations. Who then is to blame for this trend? Is it the prison departments, the society, or the inmates themselves? It is important to understand the exact problem that surrounds the prison life and re-entry into society (Jesenia 2004). Whereas imprisonment contributes to crime reduction, society’s psychological support is vitally important for complete rehabilitation.
What Prisons Do
It has been established that prisons inadequately prepare prisoners for life after prison. The prison departments do not offer transport or accommodation services to ex-inmates. The release of inmates is usually met by ‘excitement’ and confusion. The future of the ex-inmates is usually unclear, as they face a changing world. Prison life is usually characterized by ignorance of the existing state of affairs (Cole, 2008). The prison departments usually conceal some prison matters of concern.
Consequently, conditions that are unacceptable to prisoners remain unknown. Efforts by journalists to expose such conditions are usually futile. The public remains in the dark. Other activities, such as homosexuality, are usually rampant in prisons. The lack of freedom, failure by the prisons to psychologically train inmates and social isolation usually make life difficult for inmates once released from prison (Lorna, 2005). The USA prison system in particular is worrisome. Increased levels of incarceration matched by rising and falling crime rates are a clear attestation that all is not well in terms of rehabilitation (Levinsion, 2002).
Most people believe that criminals should be taken off the streets. However, the view that incarceration is not effective should not be ignored. The relationship between incarceration and crime levels has remained inconsistent. This therefore nullifies the total dependence of imprisonment for crime reduction. Incarceration conditions such as molestation by guards, rodent infestation, rape and inadequate medical care make inmates more rebellious and violent than before. The major role of prisons has been to punish rather than rehabilitate inmates. The long term effects of imprisonment dictate the type of life adopted thereafter (Craig, 2003). The notion that most inmates are violent is untrue.
In fact, 70% of the inmates are non-violent before their imprisonment (Levinsion, 2002). The violence that characterizes the prison life transforms them to violent people. This transformation is carried on even after such inmates are released from prison. The prison fails to address the root cause of crime. Most people engage in crime due to poverty and broken families. For instance a person imprisoned for being a con may find life more difficult once released from prison (Santos, 2003). The inmate, once released is usually penniless and stigmatized. He/she might end up in crime due to unemployment.
In addition, prisons offer no family education to inmates. A family man finds it difficult to cope with the family life once released from the prison. The social isolation, increasing family needs and roles and changing economic policies are important elements that the prison fails to address before inmates are released. It is important to understand the effects of imprisonment before coming up with solutions to address them. The effects are discussed next.
Effects of Imprisonment
Whereas reformative effects of imprisonment are evident throughout the world, negative psychological and social effects have been observed. These effects are: deprivation of the right to freedom, increased poverty levels, inadequate health facilities and impaired social cohesion. Freedom in prison is curtailed. The locking up of inmates subjects them to information ‘darkness’. The personal choices, preferences and fashions posited by free people are absent in prison life (Santos, 2003). The inmates become adapted to a closed system over time. Freedom to association, speech and movement are limited within the prison environment.
The release of inmates becomes a challenge for them. How are they expected to cope with a free world once again? In addition, the prison life creates a condition of social isolation. Whereas free people easily associate and mingle, the inmates are isolated by the society. Consequently they regard themselves as social outcasts. Psychological unpreparedness before their release makes their life post-prison life difficult (Petersilia, 2003). In this view, the society becomes solely responsible for psychological training.
The prison life is characterized by deplorable health conditions. People living a normal life make a choice on where to stay, which hospital to go and what type of food to take. However, inmates have limited choices (Jesenia 2004). The health and sanitation conditions are inadequate. Rodent and bug infestation, lack of condoms and poor diets characterize prisons. The spread of HIV/AIDs is rampant in prisons. Inmates who leave prison unhealthy find it more difficult to cope in the free world.
In addition, most inmates hail from poverty-stricken regions. An inmate imprisoned for 10 years finds it difficult to accept that economic policies and conditions have changed (Jesenia 2004). His/her release is faced with a lot of resistance. Who should address their conditions, accept them as they are and guarantee them the hope for a better tomorrow? The society therefore steps in to address the plight of these inmates.
Case in the USA and the Middle East
The effects of imprisonment are usually experienced by all worldwide inmates. In the USA, most incarceration cases are drug related. Despite the fact that the prison population is the highest in the world, little has been done to reduce the incarceration rates (Levinsion, 2002). The government has injected billions of dollars to address the fight against crime. It is of the view of most psychologists that such effects of imprisonment may be averted if other rehabilitation methods are adopted. The Middle East experienced devastating effects of imprisonment. Countries such as Iran have been on the spotlight for very wrong reasons.
The country’s prison department has been criticized for failing to address rape cases in prisons (Lorna, 2005). The UAE on the other hand has been criticized for applying restrictive laws on inmates (Levinsion, 2002). For example, an unmarried couple was imprisoned for kissing in public. Both were imprisoned and later deported. Such developments are detrimental to the positive rehabilitation of ex-inmates. The society becomes the only source of hope for victims of rape, homosexuality and drug addicts. The fact that the prison reduces the number of criminals on the street is not enough to guarantee the public of its security.
What a Society Does
The society has and will always be engaged in ex-inmates’ rehabilitation. Several community initiatives exist to offer psychological, economic and educational support to offenders and parolees. Such organizations include Community Justice Project and the Victim Offender Mediation Association (Petersilia, 2003). The parolees are trained on ways of getting back to the society. Such organizations have worked with courts to ensure that restorative justice is sought. The organizations have reported reduced recidivism rates. In addition, they have helped parolees and ex-inmates recover from social isolation.
The role played by academic institutions is considerable. The Utah Department of Corrections facilities have over the years been received students from different institutions. The students teach inmates the necessary family skills required once inmates are released from prison. Life management skills are also taught. The students appreciate the fact that inmates hail from different financial, social and family backgrounds. This realization is important in addressing specific needs (Smith, 2006). Inmates with immediate family members are handled differently from those without. Lifestyle management skills involve inculcating budget and planning skills vital for post-prison life. Research indicates that inmates who undergo training have improved life management skills and family skills. Consequently they are able to live in harmony with their family members and friends (Hartwell, 2005).
Personal efforts by individuals are most importantly vital. The understanding of a inmate’s frame of mind is necessary. The prison and the outside world have different lifestyles altogether. The rapid change from one lifestyle to another is characteristic of all inmates. The change is usually detrimental to the psychological stability of inmates (Smith, 2006). Jean was released from prison in 2010 after spending 20 years in the prison. Upon release, life had completely changed. More skyscrapers than before, harsh economic conditions and increased demand for education made life unbearable.
A check of $ 45 was not enough to cater for his needs. The amount was even low considering that the economic downturn had hit most countries. It took the intervention of well wishers to enable him find an economic ground, start a business and find a place to call home. Was the prison department aware of the economic changes? The society therefore plays a crucial role in the entire rehabilitation process. Failure by the society to offer psychological training leads to increased recidivism rates.
Inmates are usually characterized by the desire to recover lost time. In addition, they are faced with too much resistance (Stuart, 2006). Consequently, they exercise little or no patience at all in their endeavors. It took three years before Jean could be back on his feet. It took the devoted support of his parents and friends to really make him economically and psychologically sound. The realization that businesses were crushing due to the economic downturn was unexplainable. Jean would not entertain such debates.
The counseling offered by parents, friends and professionals bore fruit. The resistance was overcome and effective rehabilitation accomplished. Friends offer social and mental support to ex-inmates. Research has shown that ex-inmates who stay alone find it difficult to appreciate what the society offers (Stuart, 2006). Friends help them overcome the social stigma associated with past crimes. Recidivism rates are therefore low. The society is therefore vital in the rehabilitation of ex-inmates.
Ex-Inmates and Unhealthy Re-Entry
Ex-inmates respond differently to prison release (Petersilia, 2003). Whereas some become successful in the transition process, some fail and find themselves back into the prison. Several steps should be taken in situations where unsuccessful transitions are rampant. They are; building constructive relationships, addressing their needs, making them contribute to the society and assessing their strengths and weaknesses. Constructive relationships are developed by identifying mentors (Petersilia, 2003).
The mentors are not only important in reuniting ex-inmates to their family members. Rather, they help in creating a platform for community development (Hartwell, 2005). Secondly, addressing the needs of ex-inmates is vital. Churches, NGOs and other organizations should allocate economic resources to ex-inmates. This ensures that the basic needs such clothing, food and medical care become affordable.
They should also be guided on how to make realistic financial and social plans (Stuart, 2006). Thirdly, ex-inmates become healthy by making necessary contributions into society. Engaging them in voluntary works helps rebuild their social skills. Making amends for their wrongs may be necessary for complete social reintegration. Lastly, it is important to really understand the potential of the ex-inmates. Whereas some are technically empowered, others are good entrepreneurs. Such skills and educational experience are vitally important in the complete rehabilitation of ex-inmates.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear that society plays an important role in the rehabilitation of ex-inmates. The prison has helped in reducing the number of criminals on the street. However, the prison has done little in preparing the inmates for life after prison. Rising levels of incarceration have been witnessed even in situations where crime levels are low. People have cried foul over the inability of prison to offer life management and family skills to inmates. The result has been increased recidivism rates. The intervention of several community organizations, schools and the society has helped address rising recidivism levels.
These efforts have indeed affirmed that the prison punish rather than rehabilitate. Conditions of unhealthy re-entry into society are inevitable. In such cases, building constructive relationships, addressing their needs, making them contribute to society and assessing their strengths and weaknesses is necessary. It is therefore correct to assert that; whereas imprisonment contributes to crime reduction, the society’s psychological support is vitally important for complete rehabilitation.
References
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Craig, H. (2003). Mental Health Issues in Long-Term Solitary and ‘Supermax’ Confinement. Crime and Delinquency, 49 (1).
Hartwell, S. (2005). The Organizational Response to Persons with Mental Illness Involved with the Criminal Justice System. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
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Levinsion, D. (2002). Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment. Thousand Oaks.
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Petersilia, J. (2003). When Prisoners Come Home: Parole and Prisoner Reentry. Oxford University Press.
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