Prison Ineffectiveness: Negative Consequences on Prisoners

RUNNING HEAD: Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Justice
Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Justice
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Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Justice 1
Essay Topic: Prison is ineffective because most people come out worse than they went in
The purpose of this essay is to enlighten the reader about the negative consequences of prison on
the people living in it. The Prison is commonly known as the correctional institution that is an
integral part of the Criminal Justice System of the country along with the police and courts. The
prison along with the police helps the government to manage the practice of ethical activities in
the environment. The prison is an institution that holds captive in the custody and punishes them
for conducting wrongful event that are against the interest of the society. From past ancient
times, prisons have been a way to punish the people for their cause (Petersilia, and Threatt 2017).
As crime and punishment both are public acts so people are held under the custody of police
when they condemn any crime. In the current environment, punishment has taken many forms
that are abided by law however, in ancient times prison were more cruel and harsh. Now the
police have to comply with the rules and regulations while beholding the criminals under their
custody. Prison make the people deprived of the freedom and make them follow the protocols.
Jails are another word of prison where convicts live (Roberts 2018). Supporting the topic of the
essay, it should be noted that prison does not work in the current environment because it does not
help people to change instead it train them to perform wrong actions as well. Suppose, a person
is convicted in the jail for robbery and in the same cell the police has shifted a terrorist, so,
ultimately while living together the thief will come in contact with the terrorist and learn bad
things under his influence as well. So, it can be said that by punishing a person to stay in prison
does not make his situation better instead it worsen their conditions. Many criminologist in the
current society have argued that prison does not change the behaviour of a person, instead there
are very high chances that it negatively influence their prisoners behaviour and they are likely to
conduct offensive acts again once they are out of the prison (Freiberg 2016).
The fact is always that a person becomes according to the nature and living standard of people
with whom he stays. Similarly, in the given case of prison, even if a person goes in jail for
performing a small crime, but when he/ she will meet people who have conduct major crimes
then their personalities will influence them and they will also conduct bigger crimes once they
are out of it. Also, it should be noted that the judicial body send the criminals to jail so that they
can change and attain punishment of the act that they have conducted in the environment (Tubex,
et. al., 2015). But, every person should get the chance to live and attain basic rights under the eye

Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Justice 2
of law; the criminals faces brutality and unfairness by the jailors in the prison. In many prisons,
the jailors behave unethically with the prisoner, these people are already deprived of their
freedom due to their actions, now the jailors should try to change their outlook towards crime.
Nevertheless, such unethical acts will provoke them to do wrongful actions in the society
(Carlton, and Russell 2015).
According to Frank, Beirie, and Mackenzie, 2010, prisons do not alter the behaviour of the
criminals instead they often promote criminality in the environment. The prison officers are
generally performing delegitimizing actions. People have now a days started calling prisons as
schools of crime. Further, it should also be noted that emotions of people plays a major role in
confinement of prisoners. Many researchers have stated that the criminals are unable to cope up
with the guilt of their crime properly in the prisons instead they overlay their guilt with other
crimes as well. When a person spend a log time at place between certain people then they get to
lean things from that environment (van Zyl Smit, and Appleton 2016). Similarly, in the given
case of prison, the prisoners learn things from other prisoners who helps them to make their
contacts with other criminals are follow their footsteps only. In addition, it should also be noted
that a person is attracted towards negative things first in the environment resulting to which they
conduct crime. The judicial gives a chance to such people to live at a place with people who have
conducted similar or bigger crimes, and then they get a chance to follow the path criminality and
perform such actions once they are out of the prison. Some, researchers states that prisons do not
work at all. They also stated that courts are increasing imprisonment but they are not trying to
reduce the crimes. Some sources states that 44.8% of Australian prisoners released from prison
in the 2014-15 returned to jail within two years by conducting bigger crimes. This states that the
prisons are of no use as they worse the conditions instead of solving it (Baldry, Carlton, and
Cunneen 2015).