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Summary Of Why Prisons Don T Work By Wilbert Rideau

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In the article “Why Prisons Don’t Work” by Wilbert Rideau, a murderer sentenced to life in prison, the author argues that the purpose of prison today is ineffective towards the issues of modern society. While public safety is important, it should not be the main priority. The approaches taken are improper and do not affect the right targets, resulting in the public failing to learn from previous mistakes. He argues that prisons should be used for rehabilitating those on track to a criminal life, and not only for public safety. Change the purpose, and it changes the results. Rideau’s argument is valid because the chosen punishments don’t work, there is no use of rehabilitation, and there is a lack of positive influence.

Although I …show more content…

They are so used to the lifestyle that they get comfortable and embrace the culture. This results in their detachment from society, making any sort of rehabilitation difficult with the unlikeliness of them grasping the supposed effect of the consequence. An example could be of the protagonist in the movie American Me. He was arrested for gang activity and was sent to juvenile hall. In juvenile hall, he did not learn from any of his mistakes, and ended up murdering a fellow inmate, resulting in his sentencing to …show more content…

The purpose needs to be changed so that there will be more success in the future to result in less crime. Instead of paying for the establishment of new prisons, they should release the older inmates who no longer pose a threat to society. This would allow more space for younger criminals to be emitted. These new prisoners could then be worked with and lead to a path of proper change with positive influence. It would allow them to grow with the correct mindset and get away from the negative factors of crime. To say that this would be a long process is an understatement. This would definitely have to be gradual, for nothing comes that quick and easy, especially when dealing with societal change. An example of youth rehabilitation could be the television show Beyond Scared Straight. In the television show, they take troubled adolescents to the nearest correctional facilities. Certain criminals confined there are chosen to show the teens the experience of a jail or prison, and that that’s where they will end up unless the straighten up. For the most part, this works, and they clean up their

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Today’s court and justice systems, as well as our prison system, are flawed and don’t do enough to not only hinder any further crime from occurring, but put those who may cause further complications in our society in jail. In the article “Why Prisons Don’t Work,” Wilbert Rideau, a murderer sentenced to life in jail, explains his reasons and provides evidence on why our prison system is counterproductive. According to Rideau, many of those who are thrown in prison, were convicted due to their unskilled, impulsive, and uneducated actions. Putting these men in prison may seem like a good idea, but there are underlying reasons why prisons don’t work.

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Rehabilitation methods should be the primary action taken for any non-violent crime but especially for juveniles

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However, crimes are committed whilst in prison, such as drugs and assaults. Some critics say the ‘three strikes and you are out’ law where repeat offenders get a longer sentence are wrong, as the third strike could be a lesser crime such as public disorder. Nevertheless, if just incapacitation and no rehabilitation some critics say will be costlier to society as they will go out and reoffend and, they are not employed and pay taxes. Rehabilitation is also a punishment which should improve the offender's behaviour and stop them committing crimes. Advocates of rehabilitation state prison does not work; however, critics of rehabilitation state prison does work as the criminal cannot commit a crime against the public while incarcerated (Cavadino, 2007 p 36/56).

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