Robert Martinson's early work is inseparably associated with the historical weakening of the popularity of the rehabilitation system in the United States of America. Martinson's work was based on the then-existing rehabilitation programs, some of which included group counseling, educational and vocational programs, parole, and community treatment, among others. The report "What Works?" attempted to find out if any of the existing rehabilitative programs had positive impacts on recidivism (Lemke, 2017). Martinson's report traces its roots to a long-standing debate between the liberals and conservatives on how rehabilitation programs should be executed. The liberals favored that offenders should only suffer only for the crimes they had committed while conservatives proposed that offenders should feel the pain they have caused others. Conservatives thus stood for retribution, while the liberals agitated for just deserts (Cullen & Jonson, 2016). Martinson's view was that the existing rehabilitative efforts had no appreciable effect on re-offense except on a few isolated cases. Martinson’s work laid a foundation on which policymakers embarked on a process to rethink how the handled crime and the need for a penitentiary system.
Martinson’s report gave weight to the argument by conservatives that lenient programs counseling were not efficient approaches to punishing criminals. The report that came to be christened “Nothing Works” gave spectacular credibility to the need for effectiveness in the rehabilitation programs ( Cullen & Jonson, 2016) . However, Martinson’s study did not result in the death of rehabilitation; instead, it weakened the commitment to treatment programs. After the release of the findings by Martinson's, I think the society detached itself from the old system, which was based on the principle of liberalism. Gradually, the policymakers and implementers slackened, giving way to a harsher rehabilitation system in the country. I feel that criminal punishment should be more rehabilitative rather than exceedingly punitive. In my view, the current rehabilitation system disregards the rights of offenders as a human being. As a liberalist, an offender should not be punished to deter others, but they should be disciplined only for their offenses.
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Robert Martinson’s report led to the weakening of rehabilitation programs, which had an ounce of human touch. Slowly, the current system is defined by punitive programs complemented by poorly implemented rehabilitation programs such as counseling. Policymakers should consider reviving the old system with a provision to invoke punitive programs only in extreme cases.
References
Cullen, F. T., & Jonson, C. L. (2016). Correctional Theory: Context and consequences . Sage Publications. Retrieved from 93.174.95.29/_ads/5DFC44939B159F3450B7C3846EF9D8D9
Lemke, R. (2017). Martinson Report. The Encyclopedia of Juvenile Delinquency and Justice, 1–2. doi:10.1002/9781118524275.ejdj0207
