Corrections

What is corrections in law enforcement?

Justifications of Correctional Facilities Deterrence The knowledge that possible or certain consequences will result from illegal activity will likely prevent some individuals from engaging in that illegal activity (Morris & Rothman, 1998). This premise is the foundation of deterrence theory. Deterrence aims to reduce crime through the execution of exact and harsh punishment. It is rooted in the utilitarian perspective that individuals are guided by both pleasure and pain, seeking pleasure and thus avoiding pain (Beccaria, 2003). Motivated by the desire to avoid pain, performed via punishment, individuals will most often avoid the activity which will ultimately result in punishment. The use of punishment, justified by the deterrence approach, will not only prevent others from 6 committing crime, but it will prevent criminals from becoming repeat offenders. Justifications of Correctional Facilities

Retribution the philosophy where punishment is solely justice driven. The Bible passage “And thine eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot(The Holy Bible; King James Version, 1990).” is the hallmark of the retributive approach to justice. Retribution relies on two premises: (1) citizens willingly enter a contract with society that forfeits a small amount of their freedom in exchange for protection from the state, and (2) if that societal contract is broken by someone, then the state has the authority to punish and the punishment imposed by the state essentially corrects the wrong committed by the individual (Pollock, 2005).

Rehabilitation Employing punishment as an aim to alter an individual for the better defines the philosophy surrounding rehabilitative punishment. Rehabilitation through punishment targets negative behavior in an attempt to modify that behavior, which can be facilitated through physical reprimand or psychological treatment (Morris & Rothman, 1998). Physical reprimand is used strictly as behavior modification or negative reinforcement, while the essential retraining of individuals through habit formation, self-reflection, and behavioral guidance form the cornerstones for psychological treatment (Morris & Rothman, 1998).

Incapacitation: The detaining of dangerous or delinquent individuals in a secure environment will not ultimately reform the person, necessarily deter 7 them from future crime, or attain real retaliation; however, it will temporarily prevent an offender from further criminal or harmful activity(Morris & Rothman, 1998). Incapacitation is often invoked with habitual offenders in an effort to detain them on long term sentences.

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