Sentencing Guidelines Reform Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sentencing Guidelines Reform - Research Paper Example Likewise alternatives have been looked at for offenders of non-violent crime, such as community service. The Need for Sentencing Reforms The prison population has been rapidly growing for many years, with an increase of 7% in the period from 2000 to 2005 (King, 2007). The cost per day per prisoner of keeping criminals incarcerated is significant making the increases in prison population detrimental to the budgets of many states. In addition, there are costs associated with building new prisons if the population increases to that extend, and the associated space and land use. This places heavy demand on policy makers to try and determine sentencing laws and reforms that will limit the prison population. Punishments for crime are developed for multiple reasons including political, such as trying to win votes in an election, however one of the predominant drivers is decreasing the level of crime. The potential outcomes for committing a crime play a large role when individuals decide whe ther to follow through with a crime. For example, crime and punishment can be viewed as part of an economic model, where those who consider crimes weigh up the benefits of the crime versus all the potential costs. If the punishment for crime is high compared to the reward, then they are more likely to reconsider, this is especially true if the likelihood of prosecution and punishment is high (Reynolds, 1990). For this reason changes in sentencing must look at a balance between keeping the number of prisoners low, but still providing effective punishment and deterrent for crimes. In addition, punishment for crime can act to change behavior in criminals. For example, drug offenders are often driven largely by a need which comes from their addiction, and thieves may be responding to greed. Prison life may change this desire in a portion of those who are incarcerated, giving them time to think about who they are and what they are doing. Programs within prison and outside of it that focu s on breaking addictive behaviors, such as treatment options for drug offenders can also be very productive methods of reducing crime rate. This is because without the addiction driving them, many criminals that committed drug offenses will no longer have the same strong need or desire to. Finally, incarceration is not an effective solution in all cases. When a crime is committed out of a perceived need, particularly in the case of drug addiction, incarceration acts as a punishment, but does nothing to reduce the likelihood of re-offense. When the criminal is released, the drivers that caused him to offend in the first case are still present, and re-offense is very likely. Drug Based Sentencing Reforms Sentencing reform legislation has focused on criminals who have committed low level offenses. This section will examine some of the types of legislation in more detail. Thirteen states passed legislation that looked at increasing the available options for drug treatment for the large number of non-violent drug-based crimes. Of these states, nine passed laws that created or extended sentencing diversion for drug offenders. Sentencing diversion involves sentencing sending the criminal to a facility or a program that worked with them in treating their drug problem. This was already present in a number of states, but sentencing reforms worked to clarify ambiguities within the law, thus allowing sentencing diversion to be used in an increased number of cases. Louisiana established a different sentencing diversion model for drug crimes than is used in other states. The model in this state allows for the sentence to be diverted and the individual to begin the treatment program without a statement of guilt, or a

Essay qestions(Middlehood and Adolescence) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Qestions(Middlehood and Adolescence) - Essay Example The nature vs. nurture argument highlights the importance that family, society, and education play in conditioning the growth of the human individual psychologically. In â€Å"Adolescence,† John Santrock (2007) identifies six different factors that determine well being, and these can be related across the various schools of psychology and sociology related to human development theory. The intellectual assets are a combination of the genetic expression in the individual physical structure, brain, nervous system and general body health. The debate on the importance of education, positive family or community support systems, and social resources all relate to the stages of body development from infancy into puberty and the specific types of thinking that are developed in personality, also as related to the emotional imprinting. The psychological development must also be recognized as being unique in the different stages of human growth, and this has been recognized in Western psychology primarily since Rousseau. The nature vs. nurture argument has a broader application in behaviorist conditioning, Freudian neurosis, or the DSM related psychological disorders as they arise through conditioning, genetics, and other factors. Social assets relate to the nurture arguments and sociology, social psychology and other fields of analysis that relate the family, community, cultural, and structural support of the human individual in the growth cycle. Continuity can be seen in the steady progression of growth proceeding physiologically, as well as the development of complex knowledge systems such as science, math, arts, literature, and language. Continuity is part of the education process and growth patterns until adulthood and elderly stages. Discontinuity relates to the abrupt appearance of language, physical movement like walking, running, driving, sexuality, etc. This is seen in a