Extent of Rehabilitation of Offenders in Prisons in England and Wales - Essay Example

EXTENT OF REHABILITATION OF OFFENDERS IN PRISONS IN ENGLAND AND WALES Introduction Upholding the rule of law and complying to set standards, ethics, guidelines and regulations is mandatory for societies globally. The rule of law is, reinforced in social, political, legal, economical, and cultural and in financial contexts to prevent individuals from committing vices and helps in fostering peace, order, decorum, unity and love among members of a community (Crow, 2001). In any community setting, infringing and compromising on the rule of law results in incarceration, excommunication, reprimand, and any other form of punishment. Majority of economies globally in both developed and developing countries are grappling with increasing rates of first time offenders and re-offenders, which has resulted in bloated prison cells (Lipton, et al., 1975). It should be, noted that the present-day increase in population has been accompanied with an increase in petty offences and criminal offences as witnessed in the deteriorating conditions in prisons associated with over-crowding. In order to limit offenders from re-offending, there is greater need for the government agencies concerned, the private sector and other related stakeholder to develop and implement workable and relevant rehabilitation policies (Bernfield, et al., 2001). In addition, establish effective and efficient rehabilitation programs, look for alternative remedy for punishing and dealing with offenders other than incarcerating them and invest in developing well-equipped rehabilitation framework, workforce and facilities (Robinson & Crow, 2009). This will ensure offenders reform while in prisons and they are able to receive competent and adequate after care that will facilitate their going back into the society after the prison term is over. Rehabilitation is essential in addressing the underlying factor that compels offenders to commit crimes and re-offend despite the harsh and negative consequences that follow (P.H.C. & H.A.C. 2005). The report will critically discuss the extent to which the prisons of England and Wales can rehabilitate offenders. Extent of Rehabilitation Efforts in England and Wales Rehabilitation is defined as setting up systems and structures that help and assists offenders to reform and become individuals who can go back into society and pose no risk and obey the rule of law, educate them, empower them , deal and address their psychological, emotional and spiritual dysfunction and offer counsel (Russell, 2006). The importance of formulating and developing best rehabilitation practices by government across the globe is necessitated by the increased burden the economy and the tax payer has to bear in order to sustain prisoners in prisons (Lipton, et al., 1975). Among areas that drive the costs up of sustaining prisoners in prisons in England, Wales and other parts of the world are in food provision, maintaining the dining and workout areas, the transportation of prisons, maintaining an equipped infirmary and costs of doing laundry. Also, cost of electricity and water bills, disposal of wastes, sustaining maximum security, employment and remunerations for prison staffs such as cooks, wardens, counselor, doctors and teachers among others, installation of security systems, establishing prison schools, vocational training and libraries (N.A.O. 2008). These high costs may lead to cost cutting on some aspects such as laying off prison workers such as wardens, which has a negative effect of enhancing violence, increasing the chances for escape by convicted offenders and ineffective rehabilitation efforts (Crow, 2001). Effective rehabilitation in England and Wales has and remains to be fundamental for reducing the level of damages caused by crimes to the community such as theft, corruption, fraud, embezzlement, destruction to property and at worse, loss of lives. It ensures minor offenders are, addressed early enough before their level of crimes escalates, offenders are able to access treatment programs at ease, the number of offenders going into prisons are maintained to the minimal, the number of reformed and rehabilitated offenders coming out are many, and the levels of recidivism is greatly reduced (Bernfield, et al., 2001). There are open and closed prisons in Her Majesty’s Prison Service that range from prisons grouping meant for low risk prisoners to high-risk prisoners. Prisons in England and Wales are, mandated to punish offenders for offences they have proliferated and therefore, they are, denied liberty, prisons isolate the offenders from the society and finally, prisons are, meant to safeguard against re-offending (N.A.O. 2008). In the rear 2010, the government of England and Wales pledged to initiate a spirited mechanism to revolutionize the rehabilitation systems, which was, accompanied by tabling of a four-year comprehensive strategy by the Ministry of Justice, which puts rehabilitation as the main point of concern during the structural overhaul. The plan constituted of steps necessary to utilize social impact bond and develop a funding model to ensure sustainability and effectiveness of rehabilitation for offenders. In the past, the prisons in England and Wales have not received adequate support to facilitate productive rehabilitation of prisoners owing to weak rehabilitation policies. In addition, diminished trust by the public on the effectiveness of judicial systems, and the least emphasis and priority given to rehabilitation policies, systems and structures, as a means to minimize rates of crime, of reducing the rates of overcrowding in prisons and safeguarding against offenders re-offending (N.A.O. 2008). In England and Wales although policies and plans have been in place to facilitate and reinforce rehabilitation of offenders, not much has happened due to disintegration of the rehabilitation values, lack of adequate confidence and increased skepticism of using rehabilitation as a means to punish prisoners. In addition, increased cynicism from various quotas and sectors related to judicial and prison systems, on the capacity for the penal system to improve. There has been, a tendency to release offenders who have finished their terms into the community without offering them any effective after care and maintenance, thus, contributing to the high levels of re-offending (P.H.C. & H.A.C. 2005). The rehabilitation systems in England and Wales is expected to radically improve with implementation of the social impact bonds and social impact bonds markets which will facilitate collaboration between public and private sector in provision of rehabilitation programs, minimizing re-offending, and guaranteeing a permanent source of financing that will help broaden effective rehabilitation systems. Effective and community- endorsed rehabilitation efforts is becoming a reality for England and Wales’ population with the recent use of modern technology, that is the web, which has enabled the government to post prison reports and the cases of re-offending for all prisons. Reports show the need for effective and adequate rehabilitation for offenders has never been this high, as the number of offenders that are susceptible and predisposed to re-offend has reached an all time high which is double for offenders incarcerated for less than an year contrasting re-offending of offenders incarcerated for long duration of time (Davies, et al., 1995). In a bid to tackle the chronic and structural ailing of the penal systems in England and Wales, the government has in the recent past, amended and improved the system of sentencing that is, meant to minimize abuse of prisons, especially overcrowding (Fox, 2003). Enhanced cases of violence among individual prisoners, violence among prison wardens and the prisoners, increased conflicts within the prison system and the administration are among negative consequences of overcrowding in prisons (P.H.C. & H.A.C. 2005). Additionally, fast spread of infectious and sexually transmitted conditions, reduced efficiency of safety and security measures in prisons, inadequate facilities to handle high influx of offenders seeking treatment for drug abuse and correction services and high levels of recidivism (Russell, 2006). Furthermore, high levels of poor health and sanitation, breakdown of wastes and refuse disposal, and outbreak of serious infections such as Tuberculosis (Davies, et al., 1995). Rehabilitation systems need adequate endorsement through establishment of fully equipped and staffed treatment programs while community corrections must be essentially established, funded and effectively executed to be able to offer sustainable solutions to prisoner re-offending (Lipton, et al., 1975). As it stands currently, the government of England and Wales has taken progressive steps in enhancing rehabilitation mechanisms. This has seen the penal system offer regular and relevant training and employment of more staff required as counselor, teachers, psychologists and other experts (Russell, 2006). The rehabilitation policies have altered the mindset that rehabilitation is a favor and a means to let offenders go easy, but perceiving rehabilitation as the fundamental human right for prisoners, an alternative for imprisonment and an effective way of reforming offenders (Robinson & Crow, 2009). Rehabilitation ensures upon discharge of an offender, they receive after care and they are able to sufficiently and effectively transit from the society to the prison environment and from the prison environment back to the society with ease (Brewer, 2000). The government has invested large amount of resources in terms of capital, finance and materials to develop more rehabilitation, treatment and correctional facilities, developing special rehabilitation programs for vulnerable groups such as the juvenile, mentally ill, drug addicts, and hard-core criminals (Russell, 2006). This is coupled by opportunities prisoners have been offered in Her Majesty’s Prison Service, where they are counseled, trained and educated to become loyal society members, professionals in various disciplines and the opportunity to enhance their skills, talents and knowledge in economic activities that will help support them outside the prison gates (Davies, et al., 1995). Despite the strengths of the current penal system and the implementation of the business strategy proposed by the government in 2010, the strategy fails to indicate in detail the scope and extent of coverage of the structural reforms. The use of social impact bonds pose the challenge of scaling up the rate of returns that will produce enough fiscal resources to finance a broad structural reforms. There is need for the government to constitute a new institutional and structural model for penal systems that puts into consideration contemporary needs of the prisoner, the judicial system, correctional systems and those of the wider community (Lipton, et al., 1975). Rehabilitation is, meant to deal with the core catalyst for offending and re-offending among offenders, which the government has not been able to competently, do (P.H.C. & H.A.C. 2005). Rehabilitation best practice consists of rehabilitation policies and systems that are aligned with the principles of fostering equity, fairness, social and legal responsibility, justice, promoting the lives of offenders and exposing them to reformative, healthy, secure and safe environment in and outside prisons (Brewer, 2000). In contemporary society, practice of rehabilitation is not as much an issue of establishing methods of effective treatments, but an issue of developing conditions conducive enough to sustain diverse intensive alternatives. According to (O’Toole & Eyland, 2005), where there is ease of use of a variety of strong options, there is a high chance to minimize recidivism while minimal options enhances recidivism. The extent of rehabilitation in prisons of England and Wales has encompassed use of offender behavior programs. These programs are rehabilitation plans developed to establish the motivating elements that compel people to commit offences and crimes and thereby, monitor and discard the motivating elements. The programs includes Enhanced Thinking Skills, Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage it, Cognitive Self Change Program, Cognitive Skills Booster Program, Resettlement programs, Chromis, CARE (Care, Actions, Relationships and Emotions), Sex Offender Treatment Programs and JETS Living Skills (Davies, et al., 1995). All the above-mentioned rehabilitation programs are, meant for different categories of offenders namely juvenile offenders, violent and sexual offenders and petty offenders. There have not been sufficient resources adequate to facilitate effective rehabilitation efforts to suit every offender in England and Wales. Rehabilitation efforts have been, obstructed by majority of offenders lacking basic skills, contracting mental and social disorders and dysfunctions, inadequate transition systems for offenders to use once discharged and stigma directed to offenders by the society even after undergoing successful rehabilitation process and serving full prison terms (Robinson & Crow, 2009). In England and Wales, the government has not been able to offer rehabilitation services to violent and criminal offenders owing to the risk they pose to themselves and to others (Fox, 2003). The rule of law in England and Wales put more emphasis on the knowing the past of the offender than in supporting the offender to desist especially in association with acquiring jobs, which is indicative of a culture that believes in tough laws and control that characterizes common law used in England and Wales (Davies, et al., 1995). Nevertheless, the government in England and Wales have recognize the important role rehabilitation efforts, systems and structures does play in minimizing the rates of prisoners re-offending, as a means to reform prisoners, which is core reason for imprisoning convicted offenders and minimizing the damage caused to the judicial systems upon by reverberation of overcrowding in prisons (Brewer, 2000). Establishing new and broader prison facilities acts as a temporary solution to a challenging and a persistent issue and therefore, rehabilitation is a permanent or a longer lasting solution to reducing the rates of crimes in England (Davies, et al., 1995). England and Wales has the capacity and the will to initiate and sustain effective, adequate, and sustainable and efficient rehabilitation for its prison offenders. With a change of the structural and institutional model used as a basis of the penal system, empowering offenders by offering then basic skills, education and eliminating the crime motivating factors is among the surest way the government can use to reduce the rate of re-offending especially for petty offences and juvenile offenders (Robinson & Crow, 2009). In the government reports, owing to the increased rate of serious offences such as rape and murder by ex-prisoners, the government has since the year 2001, allocated funds on offender learning (Fox, 2003). This is to help identify the causative agents to commit crimes and repeat them while the prison industry is, mandated by the government to allocate more than ten million hours an year on offender purposeful activity (Brewer, 2000). In addition, the government of England and Wales has increased its finances for probation systems to more than 65%, and has endorsed efforts to sustain treatment programs and intervention measures for drug and alcohol addicts (Davies, et al., 1995). The government has put in place mechanisms to ensure effective re-integration of offenders into the society through creation of public awareness on the effectiveness of rehabilitation, offering training to prison staff and the offenders on how to facilitate successful rehabilitation processes and offering offenders with literacy and numeracy skills and expertise. In 1996, the state invested in establishment of rehabilitation facilities in a bid to minimize recidivism (Fox, 2003). There is need for England to resort to the demonstrations centers in rehabilitation founded by Sr. K.Joseph that help set guidelines and inform on the practice and standards of rehabilitation. There is need to place rehabilitation systems under the central government away from the local health authorities. Conclusion The report has critically discussed the extent to which the prisons of England and Wales can rehabilitate offenders. Rehabilitation is defined as setting up systems and structures that help and assists offenders to reform and become individuals who can go back into society and pose no risk and obey the rule of law, educate them, empower them , deal and address their psychological, emotional and spiritual dysfunction and offer counsel. From the report, it is clear that rehabilitation efforts in the said state have been on the rise, as the government seeks to offer solutions to the increasing challenge of re-offending and prison overcrowding. Re-offending for offenders is a serious issues since, majority of the re-offenders commit much serious crimes such as murders and rapes as opposed to their first time and prior crimes and offences. The government has put more efforts in reforming the structural systems of the penal systems, offender training, prison staff training, seeking alternatives to imprisonment, offering effective re-integration systems, offering treatment and correctional programs and establishing funds through use of social impact bonds as a permanent source of finance to fund rehabilitation programs and systems in her fourteen prisons. However, the government has not been able to indicate in detail the scope and extent of coverage of the structural reforms. The use of social impact bonds pose the challenge of scaling up the rate of returns that will produce enough fiscal resources to finance a broad structural reforms. References Bernfield, G.A., Farrington, D.P., & Leschied, A.W. 2001. Offender rehabilitation in practice: implementing and evaluating effective programs. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Brewer, K. 2000. Psychology and crime. Manchester: Heinemann. Crow, I. 2001. 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Offender Rehabilitation: Theory, Research and Practice. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Russell, C. 2006. Alternatives to Prison: Rehabilitation and Other Programs. New Hampshire: Mason Crest Publishers. Read More