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QUESTION
- Watch this 11 minute excerpt from a documentary on the Norwegian Prison System:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haHeDgbfLtw
- Given what you know about the Texas prison system from the textbook, make an evidence-based argument explaining whether you think Texas should adopt some of this approach (which is used by countries like Norway and Denmark) or whether countries like Norway and Denmark should adopt some of the Texas approach to prisons. Use and cite at least two solid academic sources from the list belowto make your case. I am not looking for statements of opinion or explanations or justifications of your opinion about the issue, but am looking for evidence-based argumentation using evidence in the form of things like statistics, research studies, case studies, expert analysis and the like from solid sources to support your position.
ANSWER
Criminal Justice: Prison System in Texas
The Texas prison system is the wildest that solitary confinement has been normalized for long days. Pilkington (2023) writes about the prisoners’ woes as they participate in a hunger strike as a form of protest. Given how inhumane most Texas prisons are, rehabilitation options have been explored in various studies. Moreover, the solitary form of confinement in the US has been flagged by human rights groups as torture (Pilkington, 2023).
Norway and Denmark’s prisons have prioritized rehabilitation as opposed to the form of imprisonment in the US that is equalized to revenge. According to Stark’s (2022) excerpt, this form of imprisonment in Denmark and Norway has allowed prisoners to reform and make a transition into society easy. In the US, rehabilitation is not the primary focus of its correctional facilities. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that more than 50 % of released prisoners would likely return to prison within 6-12 months after release (Durose, Cooper, and Snyder, 2014). Seigafo (2017) attributes the high recidivism to the lack of rehabilitative efforts within the prison system.
Texas is an exception regarding high recidivism rates because of the recent revisions to release strategies that have led to a significant decline in re-imprisonment rates. For instance, the Texas Board of Criminal Justice (2022) reports that 204,426 prisoners were on direct misdemeanor or felony probation, 121,102 were incarcerated in TDCJ facilities, and 77,859 were under parole supervision. These reforms have helped reduce incarceration, recidivism, and crime rates altogether. However, Texas has not approached the most significant aspect of rehabilitation and humane treatment in prison because the solitary confinements are still causing a stir among human rights organizations and interested parties, viewing them as rather torturous.
For continued reduction of re-imprisonment rates in Texas, the state could consider including rehabilitation as part of the justice system but not completely emulate Denmark. Seigafo 92017) explains that the opponents to incorporating rehabilitation into the justice system is not a right to be given to offenders. Instead, it is up to other branches of government to deliberate whether the justice system can be converted to focus on rehabilitation. Therefore, Texas remains within its initial position because the US government, through its courts, has not permitted rehabilitation to prisoners except for self-rehabilitation (Seigafo, 2017).
References
Durose, M. R., Cooper, A. D., & Snyder, H. N. (2014). Recidivism of Prisoners Released In 30 States In 2005: Patterns from 2005 to 2010. Bureau of Justice Statistics. http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/rprts05p0510.pdf
Pilkington, E. (2023). Texas Prisoners Continue Hunger Strike In Protest Against Solitary Confinement. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/19/texas-prisoners-hunger-strike-protest-solitary-confinement
Seigafo, S. (2017). Inmate’s Right To Rehabilitation During Incarceration: A Critical Analysis Of The United States Correctional System. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences, 12(2), 183-195. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1034656
Stark, J. (3 March 2017). Breaking the Cycle (Excerpt). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haHeDgbfLtw
Texas Board of Criminal Justice. (2022). Biennial Re-entry and Reintegration Services Report. Texas Department of Criminal Justice. https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/documents/rid/RID_Reentry_Biennial_Report_09_2022.pdf
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