Prison in Society

Sociology

In addressing the issues surrounding jailing, release and recidivism, many social issues come into play. With the United States prison population tripling since 1980 and the high number of returning offenders to jail after release, we have to question what is taking place or not taking place in the way of correcting a situation that is sure to escalate further without intervention.

Jailing:

Jailing is an instrument that society has deemed acceptable in addressing individuals who cause damage or injury to other members of society. Much like the use of ridicule and ignoring, members of society who do not live up to social expectations are removed and isolated from the social system. Unfortunately many of these individuals actually end up in this social class because of the same motive. Individuals who do not fit in or can not find a place in society often turn to crime as a method of survival. In addition some individuals may be trying to fit into a class or social group that exists outside of the social norms and under a completely different set of acceptable standards. Gang violence is a good example of this. Gangs often live outside of the major social structure and often break down even further into smaller classes that are defined by race, location or interests. Their standards of acceptance may be determined on being able to successfully achieve goals that society would consider unacceptable. Stealing a car or murdering a person are sometimes items that a gang might use as an initiation to become a member of their social group. Other individuals may not be acceptable in any group and may see themselves as living individually without any cause for acceptance. Their motives can be purely based on their individual survival. This is often seen in prison environment. Ironically enough the method of motivating an individual to become socially acceptable may actually be a motive to continue the unacceptable behavior.

Release & Recidivism:

Often times release is unsupervised and given without any clear steps or goals of how to reenter society. A method used in some school systems for children who have had problems in a classroom environment with teachers or other students has involved a process in which a clear method of reentering the environment that the student had a problem with are laid out. These agreements are discussed and delivered to both the student and the teacher. With a clear understanding of what is expected and how those expectations are to be met often times the student can return to and function in a way that promotes positive results. Sometimes these steps need to be redefined and reevaluated but the process is repeated until a successful outcome has been achieved. In society we seem to lack the same ability to come up with a method like this that works. Individuals that are released back into society are not given any skills or steps to follow and are let to return to the only way that they know how to handle the pressures of everyday life. This often leads them back into trouble and back into the system of isolation and removal from society. Eventually and rightly so individuals see this separation as being a good thing and come to prefer their separation to the struggles of trying to fit in.