C1 readers sent in a great collection of responses’ to the Custody vs. Treatment Debate. We’ve collected them here, along with links to the two opposing arguments.
Treatment argument: “Addicted to Punishment”
.jpg) | By David Fathi, Human Rights Watch |
| American and Canadian societies are similar in many ways – people eat the same foods, watch the same movies, listen to the same music, and make many visits across the border. But these similarities conceal profound differences. For one, the U.S. incarceration rate is more than six times as high as Canada’s, and the United States has a homicide rate more than three times as high as its northern neighbor ... Full Story |
Custody argument: “The Two Great Lies”
 | By Dr. Bruce Bayley, Weber State University |
| Whenever the debate of imprisonment versus rehabilitation arises, the discussion turns to the concept of deterrence. Those who believe in the virtues of rehabilitation frequently cite the “fact” that incarceration is not a deterrent to crime. This is what I call one of the two ‘Great Lies’ in the treatment versus punishment debate ... Full Story |
Here is what people are saying:
Oneknight55 (posted in ‘The Two Great Lies’): “Thank you for the informative article. I’ve been on both sides of the debate (treatment vs incarceration) and have seen both methods work, but not in sufficient numbers to claim any sort of “victory”. Basically it boils down to that, if you have made Crime your career choice, we will leave the light on for you.”
| Mark (posted on Corrections Nation): “I work at three different types of correctional facilities. I believe that it really and truly does come down to the very basic right of every individual: Choice. No matter how hard times get there is always a point where you choose.” |
tuffelhund2003 (posted in ‘The Two Great Lies’): “Dr. Bayley, what you present in your article is correct, prisons and jails can only be a deterrent to the individual incarcerated, not the general public. In the debate of incarceration vs. rehabilitation, often times it is forgotten that to provide rehabilitation you have to have firm control of the facilities that the inmates are housed in. John Diiuilo did a study of Texas, Michigan, and California Corrections in his 1987 book Governing Prisons: A Comparative Study of Correctional Management. What he found was that if inmates do not feel safe because of a lack of security at the facility they will not attend classes, work, or other programs. First, we have to make our facilities the safest they can be if we really want offenders to seek the rehabilitation for themselves.”
| jnccso (posted in ‘Addicted to Punishment’): “Treatment is usually only successful for those who WANT treatment. Most repeat offenders don’t want treatment, they just don’t want to get caught.” |
whtnova (posted in ‘Addicted to Punishment’): “I remember seeing a documentary a couple of years ago that concluded that “punishment” was the only thing proven to be effective and that drug and alcohol rehab was so low and ineffective that even AA quit keeping records of how many remain “sober”. If any of this holds true then what’s the solution? It’s absurd that Mr. Fathi would have us believe that someone was sentenced to 25 years for the theft of golf clubs, when California’s 3 strikes law specifically states “convicted of a serious felony who previously has been convicted of a serious felony”. So how did the golf club thief make himself eligible for the 3 strikes sentencing? 50 years for theft of video tapes? Please Mr. Fathi we are not stupid.”
| Fred (posted on Corrections Nation): “As long as I’ve worked in corrections, I’ve seen both jail and rehab work. BUT, only for those who fully intended to make it work. Most others do not care about being incarcerated because it is time off the streets so they can sleep, eat, get medical attenton, and catch up with their friends and family. To them, rehab is only a means to get out of jail and do what they want. They often find more drugs in rehab than on the street. So, it is there for those who want it and also for those who know how to manipulate the system to get out of jail.” |
George Sklinchar (posted on Corrections Nation): “Liberals who have never walked a block are promulgating programs inside the wire based on college modules that do not reflect the mindset of the criminal element. They assume that since they would respond in a certain manner, everyone else would do the same. This is blatently not true. Administrators are hiding actual data since upper management is fiduciary and we all worry about keeping our jobs. Reports go in showing everything is just fine (on paper), but in reality, we are losing control every single day. If you want to see what reality of current corrections is just looked at the recidivism rates. Under the old “crime and punishment”, we had a 15% recidivism. Our new, progressive “rehabilitation and corrections” is now running in excess of 80%. There is NO deterrence inside the wire... If the powers that be want to actually see what corrections is about and see what the inmate’s mind set truly is, put on a grey uniform, go to a prison as a new Officer and work a block for 3 months. I will guarantee that what they will experience will be nothing like what they studied in college.”
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