Two primary models are used in the correction of the people who have broken the law. The models are based on the mode in which they are enacted and what the expected result is. They are the custodial model of incarceration that is used in the United States, and it aims at increasing the discipline and the order that the country has set. The second model is the rehabilitative method that is evident in the United Kingdom, and its main aim is to change the offender of the law into a better person who is useful in society. This essay focuses on the two models of correction and their differences and similarities and explains which method is more effective in the control of crime.
The custodial means of incarceration as stated mainly majors on maintaining the order that has been laid out by the law of the land. In doing so, the method tries to remove the people who break the law from the rest of the population. The offenders are therefore placed in special facilities where they are prevented from any more offences. This method is dominant in the maximum security prisons where the offenders are kept away from the rest of the people. The United States has the highest application of this principle because it has the highest rate of incarcerated individuals (Salinas, 2017). This is about five times the average rate of incarceration in other countries. The argument behind this model is that it protects society from these individuals. This method was implemented in the 1940s and was one of the earliest modes used in justice. There are three types of prisons in the United States depending on the types of inmates that are locked in them.
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First, there is the maximum security prison where the levels of security are very high, and the offenders are mostly violent and disruptive inmates. The movement in this prisons is kept at a minimum with a lot of security checkups for the people who stay in them. The second type is the medium security prisons which are for inmates who are jailed for violent offences but do not require a lot of surveillance as it is in the maximum security prisons. The inmates are allowed some degree of movement at certain times of the day, and the security checks are not as severe as it is in the maximum security prisons. Finally, there are minimum security prisons which hold the inmates who have not committed any violent crimes and do not pose any significant threats to the other inmates and the other officers who they may interact with. The inmates are allowed to move around freely within the prison (Lab et al., 2004).
The rehabilitative model is aimed at making the offender change their character after proper tutoring on the means to change their behavior. There are several ways to rehabilitate an individual depending on the mistakes that they committed. An excellent example is of an inmate who has been convicted for stealing due to poverty. This inmate can be changed by teaching them a means to get their basic needs such as carpentry skills that may help the inmate after they are released from the institution. The prisons have adult education programs, language courses and mental and physical health programs. As the inmates are in prison, the various plans enable them to get connected to the outer world despite the restrictions of the prison walls. This is an excellent method to cope with crime as it tends to favor both the nation and the offender.
In this setting, the inmates can be released from their prison sentences before the time that they were convicted to reach. This is called parole, and the offender is accorded due to a significant change in behavior such as refraining from drug use. The parolee has to be supervised by a parole officer before they are granted parole to ensure that they are ready to go back to the outside world. This supervision continues even after the release of the parolee. It only stops after the inmate has shown a consistent trend in behavior that is pleasant in society.
The two models are similar in some ways. To begin with, they all aim at making the society a better place by protecting the innocent individuals from those who are dangerous and commit crimes. The custodial model does this by removing the people from the community or limiting their freedom such as when one is placed under house arrest (Hirby, 2018) while the rehabilitative one does this by changing the character of those who are involved in offences and making them acceptable people who benefit the community. In addition to that, the methods also ensure that all the criminals are first removed from the society for some time to avoid disruptions and any more acts of injustice. This is a protective measure taken to protect the people. The offenders are kept in this facilities until they either complete their term of punishment or when they have reformed enough to be accepted back to the society.
The methods are different in their primary objectives. The main aim of the custodial model is to punish the inmate while the main objective of the rehabilitative model is to change the character of the individual. In the rehabilitative system, it is possible for the individual to be accorded pardon before their sentence is over while in the custodial system it is not allowed. The individuals who are given a custodial sentence have to go through the whole term of punishment for their crimes. In the rehabilitative system, the individuals are allowed to maintain some connection to the outside world by use of education programs among other means while in the custodial model, the criminal is not allowed to have many links to the outside world (Craig, 2004).
The rehabilitative method is the best method to use in the correction of individuals. This method makes it possible for the offenders to fit back in the society even after their jail sentences and this prevents them from reverting to their criminal ways. It also reduces the amount of revenue spent on the facilities used to correct individuals since the inmates can be released as soon as they are reformed (Javornic, 2017). The two countries should adopt the rehabilitative model to cope with the crimes that they may be facing. This is due to the efficiency of this method in curbing crime and changing an individual’s personality.
References
Craig, S. (2004). Rehabilitation Versus Control: An Organizational Theory of Prison. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publicatiohttp:///ns/abstract.aspx?ID=208220
Hirby, J. (2017). Role Of The Correctional System. Retrieved from https://thelawdictionary.org/article/role-of-the-correctional-system/
Jarvonic, A. (2017). Criminal Justice Majors: Are They Tougher on Crime? [Ebook] (pp. 33-37). New York City: DigitalCommons@Pace. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/honorscollege_theses/159
Lab, S. P., Williams, M., Holcomb, J. E., King, W. R., & Buerger, M. E. (2004). Explaining Criminal Justice.
Salinas, G. (2009). A Preliminary Analysis: Prison Models and Prison Management Models and the Texas Prison System [Ebook] (pp. 5-43). Texas.
