Convicted offenders are sent to prison as punishment not for Essay

Convicted offenders are sent to prison as punishment not for punishment. What implications does this proposition have for an understanding of prisoners' right - Essay Example In placing a criminal in prison there are many effects that will occur (Carrabine, 14). The process of imprisonment is a means of punishment. A prisoner is disallowed freedom and their life is basically controlled by the routine of the total institution. A total institution can be defined as all aspects of life (eating, recreation, etc.) being conducted in the same place under the same authority. As prisons developed and more research was done, prisons became institutions of reform as well as punishment. Prisoners are given jobs to promote responsibility and a sense of independence. This approach is supposed to enable criminals to re-enter society as a "morally better person." There is also an indirect result that has often occurred during imprisonment. Prison is viewed as a violent environment that breeds a "better criminal." By only socializing with negative and deterrent attitudes the prisoner is not rehabilitated but gains criminal views of society. For this reason it is importan t to understand the significance of capital punishment (Cavanagh, 4). Some believe that serious offenders need to be rehabilitated. If they cannot be, some argue that the death penalty should be considered. The purpose and consequences of prison is an important issue. It is necessary to study the effectiveness of prisons as a place of punishment, reform, and violence that in itself breeds new crime (Morgan, 26). A punishment is just if it recognizes the seriousness of the crime. "Let the punishment fit the crime" is a generally accepted and sound precept. In structuring criminal sentences, society must determine what punishment fits the premeditated taking of innocent human life. To be proportionate to the offence of cold-blooded murder, the penalty for such an offence must acknowledge the inviolability of human life. Without a death penalty, the criminal laws penalties will essentially "top out" and will not