Alternative Punishment for a Population of Inmates
The need for a major overhaul of the U.S. prison system, and its purpose, is becoming increasingly recognized by human rights organizations around the world (for example, see Bewley-Taylor, Hallam, and Allen, 2009; Pew…
Punishment program design and implementation
Punishment programs entail the removal of something undesirable or unpleasant from, a person in response to behavior that is unacceptable by an individual. Punishment is meted out by an authority; either a group or a single person, and punishment is always carried out formally under a system of law or informally in other kinds of social settings such as within a family. Negative consequences that are unauthorized or administered without a breach of rules are not considered to be punishment. In addition, fundamental justifications for punishment include retribution, rehabilitation and incapacitations such as isolation in order to prevent the wrongdoer's having contact with potential victims. In line with this, only retribution is part of the definition of punishment and none of the other justifications is a guaranteed outcome. However, inflicting something negative or unpleasant to a person without authority is considered revenge rather than punishment. Moreover, punishment differs in the degree of severity of their unpleasantness, and may include sanctions such as reprimands, deprivations of privileges, infliction of pain, and death penalty. Punishment may be corporal which refers to punishments in which pain is intended to be inflicted upon the transgressor. Besides, punishment is also judged as either fair or unfair regarding the degree of their mutuality and proportionality. Punishment is an integral part of socialization, and punishing unwanted behavior is often part of a system of behavioral modification which also includes rewards. In this regard, this paper discusses intermediate punishment program in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.