Crime is an act committed in violation of the law and is punishable. However, just because people fall into such situations does not necessarily mean that they are not human and, therefore, criminals should get respect under the law, just like any other person. For this reason, sentencing and correctional reform program were developed in the US with Pennsylvania being the initiator of the operation. In 1787, Pennsylvania Prison Society was established with the principal obligation to mend the living conditions of inmates and refinement in prison. There exist some bodies that joined this movement towards achieving the same purpose. Society for the Prevention of Pauperism later came in with the objective of taking care of children who were jailed and moved them to a better facility as refugees. Thus, the society then changed its name to Society for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency, arguing that poverty acted as a way of making the young ones fall into delinquent behavior and hence isolated them from their incapable parents to seek refuge in a facility in which their basic needs could be satisfied .
Children’s Aid Society became another influential body in combating criminality of the youths. Formed in 1882, the society is still active today. This group implemented the idea of rescuing street children and providing them with temporary homes to reform their immoral behaviors in the streets. This meant that this society favored country-side foster homes over institutions for reforming youths and kids . The society also came up with the plan of mixing the urban children with those from the rural areas arguing that it would help the spoilt urban kids to correct their corrupt and unlawful behaviors. However, some people criticized this move claiming that the rural children mistreated those from the city. Concerns on the increasing ill-treatment in most correctional facilities in the United States led to the further establishment of the American Correctional Association, which came up with more ways of improving conditions in prisons, juvenile and confinement facilities. Currently, this body is considered the largest in the United States with more members attending their conferences.
Other agencies like Chicago Women’s Club as well as Chicago Bar Association emerged to form a more superior legislative system for the children. Its activities involved the provision of audition supervisors who could follow up the character of the youths in society. As a consequence, provision of bail also began for both adults and juveniles where the controllers individually monitored the accused and ensured they appeared in court when needed. The probation program led to the development of National Council on Crime and Delinquency whose duty mainly concerned providing more specialized education to the punishment experts and reforming the juvenile court system . Additionally, more groups arose with the agenda of protecting and promoting the Bill of Rights in prisons and other confinement facilities including the minor. Such organizations included the American Civil Liberties Union as well as the American Friends Service Committee.
The reformation process in correctional centers by these groups majorly worked towards improving the living conditions for the incarcerated citizens. Treating of the inmates with dignity as human beings became a concern that led to the establishment of this reformation program. Reform also meant that the inmates could get good food and clothing while in confinement and also to train them through education on how to transform and become better people in the society. It is only through rectification that prisoners could receive better healthcare services and also exploit their talents. It was also important to reform confinement facilities so that they could readily mingle with people from the outside world ones they finish their jail term. Reformation was also needed to enable the prisoners to connect with their families by enacting laws that could allow visitations in prison.
The program to reform prisons became successfully, and countries such as Pennsylvania established correctional centers that allowed separate and solidarity confinement of prisoners as a way of molding them. This mode of operation faced some critics that it promoted more criminal activities within the prisons, however; this did not stop many countries from adopting this system as a liberal way of treating inmates (Latessa & Smith, 2011). Favorable conditions materialized that enabled prisoners to communicate with their families while serving their terms in prison. Additionally, juvenile facilities enjoyed more special privileges that enabled the young ones to be treated with more caution and care that they deserved to allow them to transform into better people. Human rights practice also began due to the successful implementation of reformation program in correctional centers.
In the present world, this system of transformation has influenced most correctional centers especially about the enforcement of Bill of Rights. Offenders can now freely exercise their rights in while in prison and respected in the desired way. Educating the criminals on what charges they hold for has become an important aspect of Reformation and as a result has enabled then to either plead guilty or not guilty during the plea bargaining process thus saving the courts time. Preservation of human rights is a fundamental element that in turn enables the prisoners to be obedient and be flexible towards the change expected of them. This program has not only promoted the upholding of human rights in the current world but also the provision of better living conditions which empowers criminals to adapt freely to the environment and not to see it as a way of neglect. Despite being isolated from the society, reformations in the correctional centers have permitted prisoners to continue with their normal lives and work towards the betterment of their behavior with the hope of being accepted back into the community as transformed and morally upright beings.
Changes have emerged since the development of this powerful reformation program. Lately, rehabilitation exists as the most preferred means of processing offenders and as a way of punishing them. Arguments have it that crime is not an act committed out of free will but with a pushing force behind it, thus it is important to establish the core cause or mentality that made one to commit an offense as a way of correcting them. Those who break the law such as murders require equal treatment in the same way by inflicting the same amount of harm that they caused the other; however, it is not just to blindly sentence them to death without applying the most significant step. Most serial killers are just psychopaths who need proper psychological counseling as a way of transforming their actions. It is overwhelming to witness how the law is ready to take lives at the expense of saving time instead of rehabilitating capital offenders. Rehabilitation has thus been invented as the most efficient way of correcting offenders as the most humane method but not because they deserve to better treatment.
References
Jrank.org. (2016). Correctional Reform Associations - Historical Role Of Nongovernmental Organizations. Retrieved from Law Library - American Law and Legal Information: http://law.jrank.org/pages/754/Correctional-Reform-Associations-Historical-role-nongovernmental-organizations.html
Latessa, E. & Smith, P. (2011). Corrections in the Community. Burlington: Elsevier Science.
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. (2003). Children’s Aid Society of Pennsylvania. Retrieved from The Historical Society of Pennsylvania: http://hsp.org/sites/default/files/legacy_files/migrated/findingaid3026childrensaid.pdf
