Jails are also used to incarcerate inmates convicted of misdemeanors and any other crimes whose sentences are less than a year. Meanwhile, prisons are maintained by states and by the federal government and are generally used to incarcerate inmates convicted of more serious crimes (i.e. felonies) who are serving sentences longer than a year. Federal prisons house inmates convicted on federal charges (Schmalleger, 2009).
Is the current jail/prison system effective? Why or why not?
In many respects the current jail/prison system is not particularly effective. For one thing, many have argued that members of racial minorities and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds are much more likely to serve criminal sentences than members of non-minority groups and those from better economic circumstances (Healey, 2009; Schmalleger, 2009). Another problem with the current corrections approach is...
There are also significant problems caused by the housing of nonviolent and violent offenders together because the former become preyed upon by the latter. Perhaps the most serious problem in the U.S. corrections system is insufficient support for rehabilitation and for re-establishment into the community upon release. Without those elements, released offenders have a high likelihood of re-offending (Schmalleger, 2009).
References
Healey, J.F. (2009). Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Class: The Sociology of Group
Conflict and Change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge.
Schmalleger, F. (2009). Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Text for the 21st
Century. Hoboken, NJ: Prentice Hall.
