This may mean an expansion of white-collar task forces designed to investigate such crimes.
Question
Predictions are that terrorist will continue to commit heinous criminal acts against our citizens in the future. If this prediction comes true, what, if any, effects will this have on the corrections system. Will Criminal Justice Administrators need to rethink what "model" (more punitive or restorative model) of justice should be used if more and more terrorist are incarcerated in our prison system?
Why or why not?
If terrorism becomes the focus of the criminal justice and prison system, this means that more and more non-citizens are likely to be incarcerated in the future. The result of this is that the United States must develop a more clearly defined policy to handle suspected terrorists in a legal and ethical fashion, so as not to draw the anger of the international community, or of congress. A new set of specific guidelines must be developed as to definitions of combatants and non-combatants, as to what is cruel and unusual punishment even for non-citizens, and what are accepted interrogation techniques for U.S. officers and police to pursue when dealing with suspected terrorists. The government must provide specific guidance in these areas to soldiers and law enforcement officers.
The model for justice of convicted terrorists has always been punitive, given that terrorists by definition are viewed as individuals who can be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society. Also, terrorists often have ties to foreign organizations or are foreign nationals who perceive themselves as living outside of the law of national community of the U.S. But this does not mean that the entire system must become more punitive. In fact, law enforcement officials have warned that too punitive an attitude can actually encourage terrorist recruitment of Muslims behind bars. "Steps to effectively reintegrate former inmates into...
Radicalization and alienation of inmates is common amongst individuals of almost every political stripe and ethnicity and continuing to actively pursue rehabilitative efforts is needed to ensure this does not occur with Muslim prisoners behind bars for minor offenses.
However, the greatest shift in policing will really occur through the greater integration of state and national agencies, given that terrorism is a cross-border problem that requires cooperation between federal and state agencies to share information, and monitor suspect groups. "A deliberate effort to identify and remedy key gaps in the state's prevention and response posture has given rise to a number of noteworthy initiatives including pilot programs intended to draw on the expertise developed over time by institutional gang investigators, and model terrorism and training awareness courses under development for correctional officers" (Cilluffo 2006: 6).
Works Cited
Cilluffo, Frank J. (19 Sept 2006). "Prison radicalization: Are terrorist cells forming in U.S. cell blocks?" Testimony before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Retrieved 9 Jan 2007 at http://hsgac.senate.gov/_files/091906Cilluffo.pdf
Community corrections." (2008). Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved 9 Jan 2007 at http://www.bop.gov/locations/cc/index.jsp
The Juvenile Justice System." (2007). Law Info. Retrieved 9 Jan 2007 at http://www.lawinfo.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/Client.lawarea/categoryid/140
Understanding Community Policing." (1994, Aug). Bureau of Justice Assistance.
August 1994. NCJ 148457. Retrieved 9 Jan 2007 at http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/commp.pdf
