Does prison rehabilitate criminals?
May 30th, 2008 by Website admin
Mark has an opinion piece called ‘Does prison rehabilitate criminals or just make them worse?’ on the Friction TV website. Watch it here.
Mark Johnson
news, interviews and features on Mark Johnson, author of Wasted
June 25th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Prisons can rehabilitate if education and self discovery are placed at the heart of the programme. Many people sent to prison have no idea of who they are, what they want, where they are heading and any idea of their purpose. They feel no sense of value as human beings because very little in their childhood affirmed or reinforced whom they wished to be. Most important, many lack the basic confidence to believe in their potential and to lift themselves from the rut they might be in on to something more enhancing. Hence a cycle of deviant action to either hurt themselves or society.
Very few people should be sent to prison. Having them doing community work, developing that person’s self esteem, affirming and helping them to realise their own value and worth would do far more to rehabilitate them than continuing incarceration.
June 30th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
not really.
especially when we are taking about the youth of today.being a youth myself i know alot of young men who have come across the justice system in their lives,but do not have a care in the world if they go to prison,simply because prison is “minor” meaning,they do not fear prison.prisons have become more a place of luxury than punishment.prisoners seem to have more rights than many law obiding citizens and it seems that victims friends and families suffer more than the actual offender.
for example,murderers on average get around 12 years,how can 12 years in a prison where you are allowed tvs,gyms,pool tables,dvds,social interaction,jobs and workshops,be any form of justice for victims families and friends.if life really did mean lifei think there would be a rapid decline in youth murders.
prisons should be tough,especially for murerersrapists and peadophiles.minor crimes should be punished by community service or national service!
the prison service in this country is an actual joke to be honest.we might aswell just let them all out and be done with it for all the good prisons are doing
August 5th, 2008 at 3:50 am
If your people suffer from being ill educated and their manner corrupted from infancy, then punish them for those crimes to which their first education delt them, then what else is to be concluded but that you first make thieves and then incarcerate them?
September 16th, 2008 at 11:24 am
I dont think prison is the answer for most. I agree with your view that these people have been punished all their lives. I as a mum think smacking a child teaches them to smack and it goes on. I do think these people need love caring and kindness. But i think more money and time need to be put in to these people. But my biggest concern is the root of the problem and we can help the up and coming members of these gangs. Shit you can see the potential gang members now at the age of four and i could name you a few. The primary carers (parents) i believe are a massive factor in alot of these cases. Being a parent isnt easy and you are learning all the time. But i strongly believe that some parents, carers need a bit of training counselling and support. The parents that are drinking taking drugs need help. They cannot function their own lives in a “norm” way how do we excpect their children to grow up whole and grounded adults, they cant. So then who’s problem is it. Social workers?? Think they need to be more feisty, political correctness is holding everyone back should we shouldnt we. This is a subject close to my heart and needs to be handled without kid gloves. This might not solve the problems on the streets now but in years to come it will, when it will probarbly be much worse.
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:49 pm
My brother abused me for a number of years and in a number of ways. Despite a time on remand and time on probation for abusing another girl, he still treats me with contempt. Probation officers and prison officers can only do so much, the offender has to put in some effort as well.
November 11th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
I have been a persistant offender from the age of god knows what in and out of trouble with all sorts of authorities, ( police, schools etc etc ) and I strongly believe that my disfunctional childhood has had a massive part of how I responded and reacted in and around society, I spent a very short time in prison and learned very little on how to change myself and become a part of society, what I did learn was how to become involved in other crimes that I hadnt done before, after losing everthing most valuable to me in my life by running on complete self will I realised that I really needed help, police cells and prison doors were and are not enough to help me balance myself emotionally so I checked myself into a rahabilatation centre for treatment to my addictions and to adress me + my behaviours, simply locking people up does not work, there needs to be a programme for offenders the same as there needs to be a willingness to change from the offenders themselves, I also strongly believe that the government needs to make a change in how the authorities can intervene when abuse is suspected in family homes, from my experiance a large percentage of people in addiction, prisons + criminality come from very abbusive homes and this needs to be adressed in a very serious fashion, why keep abusing and punishing people who have had this all of their lives if they are prepared to try and change their lives, in my own personal oppinion if the government could make a change in the way the system has been running Im sure you will see a change in the offenders ( ex )