Custodial versus treatment approaches in criminal justice organizations

Organizational Structure

The debate regarding which form of protocol is more appropriate, custodial vs. treatment, is indeed one of the more controversial subjects in criminal justice today. Custodial treatment refers to the act of putting the convicted criminal in an institution of some sort, such as a jail or prison (hence the term, "custody"). Those who are in favor of this option stress the pros of this type of method, stressing that it is one of society's oldest forms of punishment: "When someone is sentenced to jail or prison, that individual is physically separated from society (the modern version of banishment- society's first form of punishment. In doing so, the person is quite literally deterred from committing any further crimes against the general public because (due to their incarceration) they simply no longer have physical access to the community" (Bayley, 2009). Bayley stresses one of the obvious advantages of custodial punishment which is that society has now regained control over the prisoner. Another advantage is that some argue that the prisoner in custodial custody also acts as a deterrent to others from committing the same crime. However, institutions are expensive to maintain, and drain the tax dollars and resources of society. Treatment organizations believe in the fundamental value of human life and believe that all human beings deserve a chance to become productive members of society, often taking into consideration the rough hand in life that many prisoners have been dealt, coming from backgrounds of untold abuse. The advantages of treatment organizations are that they can work; they can give former criminals the opportunity to turn their lives around. The drawbacks are that they don't always work; time and money can be spent on prisoners who just end up reoffending.

Discussion Question 2: Probation and Parole

A judge at trial determines whether an inmate gets probation, an option that can be given instead of time in jail: "It allows the convicted person to live in the community for a specified period of time under the supervision of a probation officer" (doj.wisconsin.org). The role of community corrections in this case is that they're in charge of keeping this individual under surveillance while they're in the community. On the other hand, parole refers to the discharge of a prisoner before the originally scheduled time; meaning, the prisoner has only served part of his or her prison sentence (doj.wisconsin.org). A parole officer supervises the prisoner when on parole; this is under the department of corrections. Parole sentences generally last three years and the offenders are generally in drug related crimes (Warren, 2010). The probation and parole system should fall under the department of corrections as they have the best records of the individual's history and firsthand knowledge of the individual's past and recent behavior; thus, this department is most qualified to determine if probation or parole is appropriate.

Discussion Question 3: Leadership Position

A GS-7 correctional officer and a GS-8 correctional officer would be most likely to advance to higher positions of leadership within the prison, to a field training officer or higher (opm.gov). This is most likely due to the fact that such officers generally start with higher testing scores, more experience and are able to conduct themselves when they first start working in the prison with a high level of independence and autonomy. These signs indicate potential for advancement. For example, "Correctional Officers GS-8 work with a great deal of independence in performing very difficult assignments. They utilize superior skill and insight in observing and interpreting inmate activities, making sound decisions rapidly, and resolving difficult correctional problems" (opm.gov).

WEB FIELD TRIP

Correctionsnation.com

This website is similar to the first in that it also attempts to keep those who work in the correctional field. This website also tries to provide insider information to these professionals about pertinent news in the field. For example, one article stressed that illegal cell phone use was one of the key components to the South Carolina prison riot. Insider information like that can give correctional officers around the world key insight into ways they can better protect themselves and run safer and more efficient institutions. Furthermore, each article provides a deep, introspective look at each issue, so that professionals can really digest all perspectives on a given matter or event. Many of the articles truly do discuss ways for correctional officers to better protect themselves, by discussing the pros and cons of cameras in prisons and ways to combat cell phone smuggling and the latest gear and tools to make such officers more effective.