Rehabilitation of Criminals in America

12 Pages 2961 Words

a solution it carries more weight than if the counselor were to suggest it (Bennett 20-24). Further, in sociology, one of the major theories of delinquency is differential association (Cressey 1955). This means some people learned their ways from ³undesirable² people who they were forced to be in association with and that this association ³warps² their thinking and social attitudes. ³Group counseling, group interaction, and other kinds of group activities can provide a corrective, positive experience that might help to offset the earlier delinquent association² (Bennett 25). However, it is said that group counseling can do little to destroy the power of labeling (Bennett 26). The differential-association theory emphasizes that a person is more likely to become a criminal if the people who have the greatest influence upon them are criminals (Doob 169). Most of today¹s correctional institutions lack the ability and programs to rehabilitate the criminals of America. One can predict that a prisoner held for two, four, eight or ten years, then released , still with no education or vocational skills will likely return to a life of crime. Often their life in crime will resume in weeks after their release. Although the best prisons and programs in the world will not cure the problem totally, improvements still must be made (Szumski 20). Prison inmates, are some of the most ³maladjusted² people in society. Most of the inmates have had too little discipline or too much, come from broken homes, and have no self-esteem. They are very insecure and are ³at war with themselves as well as with society² (Szumski 20). Most inmates did not learn moral values or learn to follow everyday norms. Also, when most lawbreakers are labeled criminals they enter the phase of secondary deviance. They will admit they are criminals or believe it when they enter the phase of secondary deviance (Doob 171). Next, some believe that if we want to rehabilitate c...