Capture and control; this is the current system of policing in the country. Instead of giving attention to improving options of providing rehabilitation options for the incarcerated inmates, the police office is more concerned about catching more to put behind the bars. As a result, the prison population continues to increase and the need for expanding jail facilities become a great problem not only for the administration but for the whole community as well. Supporting the needs of these incarcerated inmates post distinct problems when it comes to managing the budget allotted for the support of the justice systems imposed in the country.
As response to this issue, the pursuance of a law that would let elderly inmates receive their parole as they reach a certain age seems to be a good sense of control on the population that the administration serves. This law entails to control the budget allotted for the healthcare needs of the elderly inmates. Being isolated from the world and mixed in with fellow inmates who may have different healthcare cases to bear with, elderly inmates are more vulnerable to catching and spreading ailments I the prison homes. This results to massive spending dedicated to medication and healthcare support operations that are directly paid for by the government with the use of the people’s taxes. Notably, while this may seemingly appear unfair on the part of the people, they have no choice but to support the living needs of the inmates while they are within the constraints of the bars of the prison homes. As long as they are incarcerated, their overall welfare depends on the people’s taxes. Since they are not able to work for themselves [except for craft programs that they usually get income from], they ought to be supported by the outside community that has urged to put them in jail.
Hence, when it comes to determining the pros of the parole given to elderly prisoners, it could be noted to fall under three specific categories. First is directed to the concept of budget management. As mentioned earlier, incarcerated inmates who have reached their senior ages are most likely to have increased needs especially when it comes to their healthcare survival requirements. Normally, this includes medication and occasional visit to the doctor or any specific healthcare practitioner. Dealing with their needs is necessary as not doing so shall render the government [as well as its people, the society] inhumane and the justice system unfair. Setting the needs of the elderly inmates aside is not an option. With elderly inmates given the parole to leave the premises of the prison homes, the responsibility of taking care of them is passed on to their family members thus making a great ease off from the budget dedicated to supporting the needs of the other inmates.
Another positive impact of the said rule is related to the lessened conflicts created in consideration with the need to provide specific attention to the emotional turmoil experienced by elderly individuals. For instance, it could not be denied that elderly individuals require response emotional support from the people surrounding them. Some elderly members of the society even develop particular attitudes that at some point may be irritating to other people coming from a different age-range. Given this picture, it is practically obvious to see that handling elderly inmates would take up the time of the jail guards especially when the attitude of such inmates affect the behavior of others often causing conflict and misunderstandings among inmates. Releasing them in such age would put them under the care of those who actually know how to deal with their situations [if they do not have immediate family members to support them with such needs].
An additional positive concern about the provision of parole to the elderly includes better management of the prison homes. Since the extra attention of the jail guards is already taken off from the need to see through the attitudinal reactions of the elderly inmates, they are now able to give support to the general population they need to manage in the prison homes. At some point, their responsibilities would be easier to handle thus giving them a chance to be more effective on focusing on how to rehabilitate other inmates in the prison homes.
Generally, the provision of parole to elderly inmates intend to mandate positive effect on how the population currently incarcerated in the prison homes are managed and supported with their basic needs especially involving healthcare. Easing off such budget issues shall allow the justice systems imposed in prison homes to be more focused on how the other needs of the inmates are given attention to especially in relation to rehabilitation programs. However, not everyone is seeing this specific rule to be a good response to creating a better option of managing the prison homes at present. Some argue that simply being set off out in the streets again would cause the inmates [no matter how old they are] to go back to their old ways. Given the fact that the current rehabilitation programs imposed in prison homes at present are weak, it is expected that when elderly prison mates are released out in the open, their situation of being alone, practically unaccepted and judged by others [sometimes even by their own family members] may cause more problems that would be brought back under the care of the police offices.
Hence, it is suggested by others that instead of providing parole to the elderly, improving in-site services and systems of assistance given to inmates be improved accordingly especially in relation to how such programs are being spent for. It is widely understood that with the improvement of the systems, budgeting issues would also be eased out accordingly. People would have a better option of making sure that the streets are safe and the inmates are properly attended to. Their need to spend their time in jail and serve their sentence as part of their punishment is necessary, not only for them to realize the wrongness of their ways but for the sake of protecting the rights of the victims towards living a more secured and assured lives [given the knowledge that the criminals who have once oppressed them are kept behind bars].
Overall, the application of the provision of parole to elderly inmates drive a distinct attention from the public and from the way police policies and rehabilitation programs are being imposed within prison homes. While others may believe that such option of operation is helpful, others are still convinced that the need for the inmates to complete their sentence punishment amidst their age continue to oppose the provision of parole to the elderly. They argue that they would be willing to pay taxes that support the needs of the elderly inmates than to keep their money to themselves and put their lives on the line instead. The fear of such allowance given by the justice system remains real because of the weak rehabilitation programs applied in most prison homes at present.
Reference
Meara, G.O. Compassion and the Public Interest: Wisconsin’s New Compassionate Release Legislation. Marquette University Law School.
