Rethinking corrections systems and reform approaches

Curtis Durham

M1D1

I agree that the cultural context in which a criminal justice system is located has a substantial effect upon how crimes and the rehabilitation of criminals are viewed. For example, drug addiction is now viewed as more of an illness, versus a moral failing. The impact that the environment can have upon the criminal after release is also assessed when trying to reintegrate him or her back into society. A purely punitive approach is no longer seen as an effective deterrent to crime: thanks to greater scientific study, we know as a society that the personal and macro-level conditions that produced the crime must be taken into consideration.

JOHN RHODES

M1D2

I agree with you that to some extent all modern philosophies of justice are underlined by ideas of retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, and incapacitation, although different people emphasize these components to different degrees. The idea of retribution sees the criminal as a rational actor who has willingly transgressed and thus deserves to be punished in the 'moral economy' of justice. Deterrence has a very practical purpose: to ensure criminals do not commit more crimes. The principle of deterrence also presumes that people who commit crimes are rational actors and make logical decisions weighing the costs and benefits of committing a crime. In contrast, rehabilitation focuses on changing the criminal morally (reintegration, a form of rehabilitation, specifically emphasizes the need for structured programs to reintegrate the offender). Both deterrence and rehabilitation focus on reducing the likelihood that crime will occur again, although rehabilitation takes a compassionate view of the offender as well as tries to prevent future victimization. Finally, incapacitation takes a slightly different emphasis of these other three methods: it tries to reduce the likelihood that crime will occur by separating the likely criminal and victim, such as restraining orders against accused perpetrators of domestic violence. These varied philosophies are not necessarily incompatible, but a different emphasis on different philosophies can create very unique approaches to the same crime.

SONJA MYLES

M1D2 Goals of Sentencing

Brain imaging suggests that on a biological level, the brains of criminals have become fundamentally altered in terms of their responses to rewards, and feel 'rewarded' by the criminal activity they are pursuing -- rather than viewing crimes like drug addiction as a moral problem, this indicates that psychological conditioning and creating reward responses for more positive behaviors is an essential component of reducing recidivism.

RICHARD DELEON

M1D2

I agree that solely focusing on retribution is dangerous and the results of deterrent or incapacitation strategies can be difficult to predict, in terms