Probation and Life in Prison Essay

Probation In the early days of our country, severe punishments were often meted out with little regard to the seriousness of the offense. There was no such thing as being sentenced to probation in the 18th century. The concept of probation, or giving a convicted criminal a chance to redeem himself without serving time in prison, was first introduced in 1841 by John Augustus. In August of that year, Augustus decided to try a radical approach with a man convicted of being drunk and disorderly. The man swore to Augustus that he would change his ways if only he did not have to serve time in the House of Correction. Augustus believed the man and he posted bail. Augustus went on to help others in the same fashion and eventually became regarded â€Å"a private angel and guardian of men convicted of crime† (Friedman, 1993, 162). Massachusetts was the first state to formally recognize this option in criminal sentencing in 1878 with the remaining states following suit throughout the rest of the century and onto into the early part of the 1900’s. It would take some fine-tuning to bring probation up to its current standards. Early probation officers enjoyed no formal training and many states were without prerequisites for passing this form of sentencing. In the early years, probation was often given in exchange for a guilty plea most often to married men, those who held jobs and exhibited no apparent vices. Judges used the sentence of probation prodigiously for several decades. It was only in the 1980’s, when the public clamored for stiffer penalties, that probation lost favor. In 1986, only 28% of male felony defendants were awarded probation as compared to nearly half of those convicted in 1970 (Friedman, 1993, 409). Probation initially became popular as the thrust of the legal system shifted from focusing on the â€Å"what† (the crime) to the â€Å"who† (the criminal) and how to best reform the offender (Friedman, 1993, 168). More recently, the focus has become a bit more equally fixed on both preventing the crime and rehabilitation of the criminal. Today, offenders on probation are closely monitored by correctional officers through surveillance in the community. Often, some sort of restitution is also involved with the goal of making the offender accountable and responsible in order to rejoin the community without potential further risk (Jones, 2). This option allows the offender to serve a sentence under â€Å"house arrest† and maintain a job rather than be integrated into the prison system, which is already strained to its limit. The level of supervision varies based on the crime committed. For those convicted of drug charges, a more constant monitoring system is used, often electronic. Another alternative is to use a â€Å"combination of prison time and work release/community service† (Jones, 3). Probation is often used as a condition of plea bargaining for a lesser sentence in exchange for information or a guilty plea. Plea bargaining came about as a quick, and cheap way, to move defendants through the legal system and probation helps to keep minor criminals out of jail. The concept of probation has evolved in many ways since its inception in the 1800’s but it still incorporates the integral idea of giving a convicted criminal a degree of trust. Prison Life: Comparison and Contrast with Life in General Society According to the dictionary, the definition of a prison is â€Å"A place for the confinement of persons in lawful detention, especially persons convicted of crimes; a place or condition of confinement or forcible restraint or a state of imprisonment or captivity.† Prisons first came about as a means of correctional punishment. In colonial times, punishment was often a way to shame the criminal in public; putting someone in prison did not have the same effect as putting him or her out in public view to submit to shame and scorn. When prison was used for sentencing, jail terms were generally short and in most cases less than 30 days. It was not until the 1800’s that prisons were built in more abundance and courts used them for sentencing on a regular basis. Today prison systems vary widely according to level of security and the state in which they are located. The aim of each and every one is still the same, however, and that is to deprive a convicted criminal of freedom. For a prisoner there is no freedom of choice. He is told when to wake up in the morning, when it is meal time, when to work, when to exercise, when to go to bed. There are no food choices or menus and the prisoner must either eat what is given him or go hungry. No comforts of home await him in his cell; the prisoner is lucky to be able to have a selection of books and perhaps a photo or two to keep him company. At night, lights are turned off at a particular time. Cell checks can be performed at any time of night or day. There is no privacy for bathing or bodily functions. The prisoner is unable to have any items that are not approved by the system. He also has no choice regarding a cell mate unless undue violence forces a cell change. Most prisons do not allow televisions or even radios as forms of entertainment; even when they are allowed there is no satellite or cable attached and no choice of programming. The work program is enforced in many prisons with prisoners being allocated to do jobs that benefit the community or provide food or clothing for the system. Any â€Å"luxury† items must be earned and paid for with pitifully low wages. In comparison, life in general society is full of choices. As a free citizen, people in this country are allowed to choose where they live, where they work, what they eat and what they do. There are no proscribed times in which they are forced to do anything and if they are unhappy at their job, they are allowed to quit and find work elsewhere. The times in which free citizens awaken in the morning and go to bed at night are at their own discretion; if someone wishes to never turn out the light and stay up all night, he may do so. He has the ability to go out and purchase items at will, as needed or desired. The private citizen can choose to live as he wants whether that be in clean or messy surroundings, in a house filled with knick knacks and furniture or a more austere setting. Entertainment options abound. In short, nothing short of illegal activity is prohibited for a free citizen. Whether in prison or out in general society, there are still rules made by our national and state governments to be abided by and morals which govern our actions. In prison it is more closely monitored while in general society citizens do not warrant such close supervision. As well, people in either situation must earn what they have. Loss of freedom is the biggest difference between living in prison or living outside. Contrast and Comparison of Georgia and Florida State Prisons In the Georgia state prison system, the dormitories shown are used for housing groups of prisoners who require minimal security. Rows of bunk beds are stacked two high and furnished with a thin blanket and pillow. A box beneath the bunk is the only place for personal items. The lighting is industrial and the flooring is utilitarian and easy to keep clean. It is surprising that there is a wide expanse of windows. Other than the addition of appliances and counters, the prison kitchen looks much the same as the dormitory. It looks to be well stocked, much as a large commercial kitchen might be furnished. The health intake area is set up like a school room with rows of small wooden desks headed by a larger desk manned by a prison employee. The state of Georgia’s correctional system offers a boot camp, a diversion center, probation detention, and transitional centers in addition to the state prisons. The state runs several farms, which provide all the food for the prisoners incarcerated at the low cost of $1.51 per prisoner per day. The Florida state prisons use a traditional cell configuration built in two stories overlooking a central corridor as well as the dormitory concept. According to the website, most of the Florida correctional facilities use dorm housing. The bunks in these dorms are not stacked but are situated individually in rows. A row of small, high windows lines one wall while fluorescent lighting illuminates the area. Cells house either one or two men and have two cots that pull down from the wall with a thin blanket and pillow on each. There is one small window in the exterior wall and a narrow door. A sink and open toilet are the only other furnishings. Death row cells are even more sparse and small with a total size of 6’ x 9’ x 9.5’. They have no window and a barred entrance. Death row cells are configured for only one person. The majority of inmates in the Florida state correctional system are enrolled in either a substance abuse program, a vocational education or adult education program. They also participate in Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises or Prison Industry Enhancement work programs. Inmates also grow some of their own food and both prison systems seem to be doing a good job of keeping food costs down through farming their own vegetables. The two prison systems are similar in their housing set ups. Cells and dormitories are sparse and barren. Both systems require prisoners to be involved in production of the food used within the facilities and offer work programs. Both Florida and Georgia’s state systems offer probation and transitionary facilities. The Florida state correctional system has more programs available and more options for rehabilitation of prisoners. The Georgia system seems to offer more minimal security facilities although they did not have a virtual tour of anything other than dormitories posted on their website and they most certainly house death row inmates. Georgia’s website is set up more for the convenience of family members of those incarcerated while the Florida website focuses more on the hard facts of prison life as a deterrence measure. While both states offer model facilities for incarceration of criminals, neither system looks particularly inviting or homey. References Friedman, Lawrence M (1993). Crime and Punishment in American History. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. Jones, Calvin. â€Å"Alternatives to Standard Methods of Incarceration†. Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Retrieved November 8, 2007 from the FDOLE Web site: â€Å"Virtual Prison Tour. Georgia Department of Corrections. Retrieved November 8, 2007 from the GDOC Web site: http://www.dcor.state.ga.us/AboutGDC/VRTour.html.

Case analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

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Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Environment - Essay Example Its upscale class image and competitive prices attract customers looking for value for money. Like its main industry rivals, the company has business interests in banking and property development, two sectors that have been hit hard in the current economic recession. Sainsbury’s is older than its rivals and used to be the biggest and the most profitable, but management missteps some fifteen years ago allowed its rivals to surpass it, Tesco in 1995 and Asda in 2003. In a 2004 management revamp, a new CEO, Justin King, revitalised the business by refocusing on meeting the increasingly fickle and demanding needs of its customers, offering better products at affordable prices. The four-year Making Sainsbury’s Great Again (MSGA) Plan launched in 2004 exceeded expectations and a new plan, From Recovery to Growth, was crafted for the period 2007-2010 to build on the company’s recovery to expand and drive further growth. These ambitious plans were designed to combine ongoing improvements in boosting operational efficiency to develop a better experience for its customers (Annual Report 2008: 7-10). The new plan focuses on five strategic goals: offer great food at fair prices, accelerate the growth of complementary non-food ranges, reach more customers through additional channels, grow supermarket space, and active property management. Through its aggressive marketing strategies, information technology leadership, and clear grasp of the needs and wants of its customers, Sainsbury’s target is to catch its next largest rival, Asda. Given the current challenging economic environment, Sainsbury’s is confident that it has a good management team in place ready and able to execute on its plans with a high degree of success (Annual Report 2008: 11). Share prices (Appendix) of Sainsbury’s (LSE: SBRY) went up from 279.25p on 1 December 2008 to 319.25p as of 6 April 2009, an increase of around 14% for the quarter, which is

Food safety issues and Outbreaks in Americas Food Supply Research Paper

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Criminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Criminology - Essay Example As a result, the Federal Bureau of Investigation doers not collect information on itself (Robinson, 1966). Rather, it relies on the other law enforcement agencies to report the crimes that are brought to their attention. According to a census that was carried out by the Bureau of census in 2002 revealed that 93 percent of the population that submitted the reports was the law enforcement authorities while 89% of the populace came from the metropolitan areas, with 90 percent being in the rural counties (Wolfang, 1963). From the time when Uniform Crime Report was established in 2003, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has offered sporadic evaluations of the type of and nature crime in United States. This program’s main aim was to produce a dependable group of unlawful statistics for use in police force management, management and operation. This has made it be one of the nation’s principal social indicators. The Uniform Crime Reports assist the American public to search for information on variation in crime rates. In addition, criminologists, sociologists, criminal justice students, legislators and municipal planners use information in the Uniform Crime Reports to carryout different researches and planning responsibilities (Wolfang, 1963). National Incident-Based Reporting System is an event-oriented coverage structure employed by the law enforcement agencies in United States to collect information on crimes. It is designed to collect information on any single crime scene that occurs. State, local and federal agencies produce these reports from their information systems. Data is obtained and captured from every crime occurrence and recorded in Group ‘A’ crime group. The crimes in the Group ‘A’ category are 46 offences classified into 22 crime classes. Certain details about the offences are collected and documented in the NIBRS system. Moreover, there are 11 crimes recorded in Group ‘B’ with just

The Importance of Postgraduate Education Research Proposal

The Importance of Postgraduate Education - Research Proposal Example There are a variety of postgraduate degrees and diplomas, which a person can pursue in Australia. Mostly, the postgraduate diplomas and certificates are awards that are given to the students who have taken part and completed degree or vacation courses. This postgraduate diplomas and postgraduate certificates may also be awarded to those students who have completed their master’s degree course. It is most common to those who have taken part in postgraduate courses and part-time postgraduate courses. One of the most popular postgraduate options is the postgraduate master’s degree program. The postgraduate master’s courses mostly require that an individual pursuing the course to take a minimum of three years full-time study and provide advanced training in a subject field that is beyond what is normally achieved at undergraduate masters levels. The courses in master’s degree programs vary considerably depending on the subject matter but typically involve some combination of both taught and research elements (Australian government, 2011, web). This postgraduate program is quite prerequisite so that it can obtain funding from the appropriate funding bodies. This postgraduate degree program has a number of options, which an individual willing to pursue it can choose. One of them is the postgraduate master’s in business administration, popularly abbreviated as the MBA. This course is a management course, which looks at managing the organizations in order to ensure that they fulfill their objectives. The program is further divided into various options to suit the students. This includes options in operations management, strategic management, human resource management, finance and banking, and accounting option.

Graduation Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Graduation Speech - Essay Example On the other hand, it is a day of joy given that we have finally come to the end of the journey we began 14 months ago. Today's event is the reason why each and every one of us has been here for the past 14 month. Therefore it is a time to celebrate our achievement. In May 2006, when we, cohort 4, commenced our studies, today was a far away dream. The thought of graduation itself was still extremely distant - there was no light at the end of the EMBA tunnel, only the beginning of a journey to a destination about which we were still unsure. We have great diversity in the group. Diverse in terms of gender (we have all the women from Iceland), age (26 to 48), experience, employment type (private, family, and corporation) and even unemployed member(s), political views (from support for Bush to French liberalism), 12 nationalities and sexual orientation ... WE'VE GOT IT COVERED! When we all first met at the end of May 2006, we did not know what to expect and what we would gain and lose on our journey. Therefore, I will now share the microphone with Ghosson, who will guide you through the experiences that have made today possible. Ghosson: Thank you Martin. This school is exceptional in giving the students a truly international point of view not only in business. Traveling to several places, we have learnt to open our minds. So now let us compare our assumptions with the reality. Traveling with SouthWest airlines in the US gave us the opportunity to see, how employee empowerment works in reality and how customer service expectations differ among people and nations. Visiting WTO in Geneva helped us to understand the state of affairs of international negotiations. Can you imagine 20 years ago people from the East, the far East and the very far East and the West sitting around the table with two African people, who are explaining to us why Russia and US cannot agree with each other in Doha round Exploring Beijing and Shanghai proved to us that China is a global player we have to take into account; some of us discovered the world of not only foot massage and pre-Olympic fever but also their exceptional customer service. Drawing our travels to a close in Moscow we were reminded that knowing the history (of a place) can help us to understand that even the most distant and unknown of things can be great if you make the effort to explore them. Seeing the ballet, visiting museums, dining in a casino are experiences that we will not forget. Thanks the diversity of our origins we have enough locations for reunions to last us several years, let us hope we meet in some of them and continue broaden our horizons. At the very beginning Beth Stoops gave us the most advanced English training and pushed us out of our comfort zone by teaching "Advanced Business Communications". We got to know that the right answer in most of the cases is - IT DEPENDS. In combination with the course called the "Communicating and Negotiating in a Multicultural World" taught by Denis Leclerc, taught us that "you become