Chapter 17- The Bedford Researcher

Chapter 17 of The Bedford Researcher examines the topic of revising and editing. Revising and editing is a key part of ensuring the effectiveness of your draft, and making necessary changes in order to improve it. As you revise your document, The Bedford suggests you imagine how your readers might react to your writing. Question whether or not your readers will trust what you have to say, whether your readers will have other ideas about how to address your issue, and whether or not your readers will find your evidence appropriate and accurate. While revising, is it important you keep in mind how well you've supported you arguments and ideas, your use of sources, the structure and organization of your paper, and the genre and design of your document. When you go over your draft multiple times, it will become difficult to easily spot problems, or errors within your paper. This is why it is always important to ask for feedback from your peers.

Unlike revising, which focuses on the overall structure of your project, editing your document involves checking the effectiveness, and accuracy of the words and sentences in your paper. According to The Bedford, in order to check for accuracy you should check your facts and figures, check every quotation, and check the spelling of every name.  Focusing on the “economy” of your paper is also an important part of the editing process. This basically means to eliminate unneeded words. The Bedford emphasizes the importance of consistency throughout your paper. In order to present information in an organized way, you must use concepts, numbers, sources, and formats consistently.

Chapter 14- The Bedford Researcher

Chapter 14 of The Bedford Researcher explores effective ways to draft your document. This chapter emphasizes the importance of having an “outline” which according to the book, can be used as the “skeleton” of your document. The outline should include plans for a) The points you wish to make, b) The order in which you will make those points, and c) The evidence you will use to support each point. The Bedford discusses the importance of not just having a well-organized document, but a well-organized paragraph. You can do this by consistently following one of the many common “organizing patterns” such as Chronology (identifying the sequence of events over time), description (presenting the outstanding features of an idea), or definition (explaining an idea). Using details within your paper in order to bring an issue to life is an important tactic. You can do this by integrating information from credible sources. This will provide your readers with a more complete understanding of the point you are trying to make.

On the topic of drafting your introduction, The Bedford suggests you use these specific aspects of your topic in order to frame you discussion:
1) The agent (A person or organization that is acting in a particular way)
2) The action (What is being done)
3) The goal (Why the actor carried out the action)
 4) The result (The outcome of the action)

You can ensure that your document is easy to follow by using techniques such as proving a “map”, using heading and subheading, providing forecasts and cross-references, using a menu, and paying attention to design principals.

When drafting your conclusion it is important to reinforce your points. At the very least, you should explain the reasons you’ve offered to support your main thesis. You can also restate your thesis to help emphasize the main idea to your readers. Good strategies for forming an effective conclusion can including offering additional analysis, speculating about the future, closing with a quotation, story, or question, or finally, calling your readers to action.

Review of Literature

Amanda Rogers
English 102
Dr. Sonia Begert
May 10, 2014

Review of Literature

The United States of America is home to the highest number of incarcerated criminals in the world. Our country holds just 5% of the world’s population, and a shocking 25% of the world’s incarcerated population. Many factors contribute to this dreadful statistic such as the war on drugs, poverty, gang affiliations, and overall violence. Of course, in order to keep a level of justice in society, reduce crime rate, and discourage others from breaking the law, criminals should endure some sort of punishment for their crimes committed. However, I believe it is greatly important to distinguish between the act of being hard on crime and being hard on criminals. Punishment in prison has, unfortunately, become the main focus of the correctional system in America.  When an offender is sent to prison, that offender will have to endure the harsh policies, and troublesome living conditions that are currently in place in our criminal justice system.  Many psychologists believe the dreaded confinement conditions, along with a sever lack of criminal rehabilitation programs, make it extremely difficult for inmates to properly adjust to prison life, and in turn, makes it hard for them to ever improve their lives overall. In my project, I will seek to uncover the current policies that are making it so difficult for convicted felons to lead normal, crime-free lives post-release.  Most of the sources consulted in this research project fall into the divisions of criminal recidivism, the psychological effects of prison, the effects of incarceration on families and children, rehabilitation within prison, the rising harshness of punishment within the corrections system, and finally, prisoner reentry trends and policy.

        There have been several excellent works published on the subject of criminal recidivism. The sources I have reviewed on this topic mainly focus on the reason criminals re-offend, the effect it has on society, and strategies for keeping recidivism to a minimum. An example includes Jeremy Travis’s book “But They All Come Back: Facing the Challenges of Prisoner Reentry.” In this book, the author writes about America’s extensive use of prison as a response to crime, and the problems with the prison system which cause a high percentage of released prisoners to land right back behind prison walls. Travis describes the new realities of punishment in prison, and the links this has to criminal recidivism. Additionally, Travis addresses the harm that is done when prisoners are released without the supervision of a parole officer. On a related note, Jeremy Travis, and Christy Visher’s “Prisoner Reentry and Crime in America” explores the topic of the large number of released prisoners each year, and their criminal activity after prison. The authors examine different theories on why criminals re-offend such as increases in violence in their communities, and how to keep the crime rate to a minimum, such as recommendations by politicians suggesting we keep prisoners out of high crime neighborhoods. Additionally, I have reviewed a study conducted by The Pew Center on the States which was written for the Public Safety Performance Project. This study addresses a broad range of issues relating to the controversial process of mass incarceration. The authors use surveys and data from various states to emphasize the “revolving door” effect of criminal recidivism, and how it is adding to the overall cost of prisons. Therefore, this study focuses on criminal re-offending rates, statistics, and what can be done to reduce the rate of criminal recidivism to stop the “revolving door” process.

The many psychological effects prison has on criminals are widely discussed in a considerable amount of the sources to which I have referred. For instance Etienne Benson’s article “Rehabilitate or Punish?” discusses the punitive nature of the correction system in America, and how it is negatively affecting inmates. Benson, expresses the concern of inmates having increasingly high mental health issues due to the punishment-oriented correctional system in America. The author explains how psychologists are doing more research on the cause of crime, and the psychological effects of incarceration to help transfer the focus from punishment, to rehabilitation. He explains, however, that psychological help within prisons in scares, which is rapidly adding to the emotional deterioration of inmates. A study that proves this issue is the “Stanford Prison Experiment”, which was conducted in 1971 by a selected group of students about the psychological effects of becoming a prisoner or prison guard.  Twenty-four male students took on randomly assigned roles as prisoners and guards in a mock prison located in the basement of the Stanford psychology building. The participating students claim their planned two-week experiment had to be aborted after only six days due to the extreme depression and stress it was causing them. The “guards” unintentionally, but quickly, took on a strong authoritarian approach which subjected their “prisoners” to psychological torture. On a similar note, Craig Haney’s “The Psychological Impact of Incarceration: Implications for Post-Prison Adjustment”, published by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, discusses the many psychological changes that prisoners undergo throughout the course of incarceration. Haney argues that the psychological harms inflicted on prisoners have increased over the past 10 years due to the harsh policies and non-existent rehabilitation programs.  Emphasizing Haney’s point, Nicole Crawford’s article “Helping Inmates Cope with Prison Life” confronts the extreme lack of mental health help available to inmates in America. Crawford bases her article around an interview with psychologist Robert Morgan, who has devoted his career to providing basic mental health services to help inmates adjust to life behind prison walls. Crawford writes about Dr. Morgan’s experiences providing mental health services to prisoners. The main point of this article is to raise awareness of the fact that mental health help is crucial for inmates to have a successful adjustment to prison life. An important part of this article is when the author quotes Dr. Morgan as saying that attending to inmates' basic mental health needs also helps with prison safety. To grasp a better understanding of what is involved with the therapy of inmates, I reviewed Marisa  Mauro’s “My Work as a Psychologist in Prison” This article describes the duties and experiences of a prison psychologist. It is written first-hand by psychologist Marisa Mauro who is a clinical psychologist at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Mauro discusses the challenging nature of her job, which includes providing counseling to high-risk inmates including those who are suicidal, homicidal, and mentally unstable. She addresses some of her clinical responsibilities such as mental health screenings, responding to emergency situations, psychological evaluations, therapy, and court-ordered assessments. This serves as an overall picture of what a prison psychologist’s job involves. The psychological changes that are endured throughout the course of an inmate’s sentence can be harmful, and if no action is taken to better these issues, should be considered neglect. I will use these sources to indicate that mental health help should be available to all offenders, as it is a positive thing from which they could greatly benefit both inside and outside of prison.

              

         Being sentenced to prison does not only affect the offender, but the families of that offender. Families undergo many devastating hardships when a loved one is sent to prison. These hardships can jeopardize relationships, and more severely, children. Many sources explore the topic of families affected by prison. Tracey L Meares’ “Mass Incarceration: Who Pays the Price for Criminal Offending?” is an essay that addresses the effect mass incarceration has had on offenders, families, and society. Mears confronts the point that mass incarceration has not necessarily shown a level of crime reduction on the community or neighborhood level. Instead, it has mainly added to the financial and emotional hardships that families of those in prison have to endure. Comparably, Joseph Murray’s “The Effects of Imprisonment on Families and Children Of Prisoners”, which appeared in the book The Effects Of Imprisonment, addresses the difficulties faced by the partners of those who are incarcerated such as loss of income, social isolation, trouble with child-care, and difficulties maintaining the relationship. In addition to relationship hardships, this chapter provides more in-depth research on the effects that having an incarcerated parent has on the children of offenders. Of course it is difficult when a loved one is incarcerated, and unfortunately, the hardships tend to continue even after the offender is set free. Christopher Wildeman and Bruce Western’s “Incarceration in Fragile Families” which appeared the Future of Children explores the consequences family’s face of those whose loved ones have been released from prison. The authors argue that imprisonment severely diminishes the earnings of adult men which compromises their health, and decreases the amount of available family resources. The authors discuss how this can ultimately lead to broken, poverty-stricken families, which may In turn pave the way to delinquent lifestyles for the children of these offenders. These sources direct the focus to the “hidden victims” of incarcerated people. Victims of crime are not just those who were directly affected by the crime itself, but also the families of the offender. Therefore, better policy regarding the support of prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families should be created in order to help ensure a successful life for everyone involved.

            

        Rehabilitation within prison is not something you hear a lot about. This is due to the stronger focus on punishment, and the lack of correctional courses available to prisoners. Iain Murray’s “Making Rehabilitation Work: American Experience of Rehabilitating Prisoners” is an article by a British author who is discussing rehabilitation within the American prison system. Murray argues his point that if rehabilitation helps to prevent even a small amount of crime committed by those who are released from prison, then it is nevertheless, an important part of the correctional process. Although “rehabilitation techniques” vary from prison to prison, the most important form of correction, in my opinion, is that of education. In an article which appeared in The Journal of Correctional Education, Dustin Cantrell’s “Correctional Education as Democratic Citizenship Education” discusses the education programs offered in prison, and the effect they have on prisoners. The author focuses this article around interviews he conducted with educators who have been teaching in prisons for 4-17 years. The educators he interviews express the importance of seeking to transform their students into active, aware, engaged citizens. The educators explain how they’ve witnessed positive changed in their students through prison education programs. Such courses can greatly benefit inmates, changing their attitude and outlook for the better. Overall, increased availability of education courses in prison will improve an offender’s chances of transforming his or her life, helping them to become a successful citizen post-release.

                

        The rising harshness of punishment within the corrections system is becoming an issue regarding the overall health of prisoners. Hank Green’s YouTube video titled “Mass Incarceration in the U.S.” covers the many effects mass incarceration has on criminals and society. Green focuses on the three pieces of what he refers to as the "incarceration pie". The pieces include corrections, punishment, and deterrence. Green puts emphasis on the fact that the "punishment" aspect of the criminal justice system severely outweighs the "corrections" part which makes it difficult and unfair for prisoners who are trying to adjust to prison life, and those who are hoping to live a successful life post-release. Green argues his point that being tough on crime by punishing criminals is a "failed experiment" and deems it bad policy. The questionable punishment policy is further explored in Stuart Henry’s “On the Effectiveness of Prison as Punishment” which is a paper written for the Conference: Incarceration Nation: The Warehousing of America’s Poor. This paper is centered around the question “does punishment work?”  Henry explores important questions such as “for whom is punishment effective?” He also questions whether prison is an effective punishment for crime, or if there may be other methods that would be more useful in reducing crime and decreasing harmful criminal behavior. A good example of just how severe punishment in prison can be is provided in Kirsten Weir’s article “Alone, In ‘The Hole’: Psychologists Probe the Mental Health Effects of Solitary Confinement.” This article addresses the controversial issue of long-term solitary confinement within prisons, and the psychological impacts among those in so-called “supermax” prison. Weir writes about the increased amount of prisoners sentenced to solitary confinement, and strives to answer the question of what really happens to prisoners who are deprived of social contact for extended amounts of time. In a slightly different vein, Ernest  Van Den Haag’s “Could Successful Rehabilitation Reduce the Crime Rate.”  Which appeared in The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology argues that in order to successfully reduce crime rate, the expected severity of punishments should increase along with the probability of suffering them. According to the author, this would decrease the overall “net advantage” of committing crimes.

                

        There has been much written in regards to prisoner re-entry trends and policies. Common to all of the sources I have referred to respecting this subject is that of the lack of access to proper re-entry training courses in prison, as well as the difficulties offender face accessing much needed social resources post-release.  In an article which appeared in Crime and Delinquency, James Austin’s “Prisoner Reentry: Current Trends, Practices, and Issues” uses national data, and a survey of eight states to examine the current policy of prison re-entry programs, and their effectiveness. Provided with charts and statistics on prison population, and who is participating in certain prison “prerelease” programs, Austin indicates that all states have some sort of “prerelease” programs, but usually these courses are voluntary and a set of restrictions apply. Once released from prison, offenders continue to have trouble utilizing sources to help get them back on their feet. Wendy  Pogorzelski, Nancy Wolff, Ko-Yu Pan, and Cynthia L. Blitz’s article “Behavioral Health Problems, Ex-Offender Reentry Policies, and the ‘Second Chance Act’” published by the American Journal of Public Health discusses the underlying problems regarding the “Second Chance Act of 2005”, which calls for easier access of community reentry services for people leaving prisons and jails such as public assistance, housing, health and mental health services, education, and job training. The authors identify the many challenges offenders face post-release relating to the restricted access of public recourses, arguing that because of the “invisible punishments” that come along with current policies, the ability for released offenders to access these critical community resources is incredibly limited. On a related note, Amy L Solomon, Kelly Dedel Johnson, Jeremy Travis, Elizabeth Cincotta McBride’s “From Prison to Work: The Employment Dimensions of Prisoner Reentry:  A Report of the Reentry Roundtable” examines the transition process from prison to the community, and addresses the challenges offenders face adjusting to freedom and responsibility post-release. The main point of this report is that a large number of prisoners are released each year into a community that is not prepared well enough to support a positive and successful transition. To further explore re-entry trends in America, I have referred to a study released by the United States Bureau of Justice Statistics titled “Reentry Trends in the United States.” The statistics were provided by BJS statisticians Timothy Hughes, and Doris James Wilson. Released in 2004, the source provides information on trends such as growth in State prison and parole populations, releases from State prisons, entries to State parole, success rates for State parolees, recidivism, and characteristics of release. These sources put into perspective the botched-system that is currently in place to support released prisoners, and their families. I will use them to further indicate that more stable policies should be in place regarding the opportunity for pre-release programs in prison, and the availability of community resources to prisoners after release.

Chapter 18-The Bedford Researcher

Chapter 18 of The Bedford Researcher is all about the visual aspect of your project-the design. According to the book, the design of your paper plays a big part in the way readers will understand, react to, and work with your document. “design principles” can help accomplish your writing goals. These principles include balance (the symmetric or asymmetric design of items on your paper), emphasis (formatting elements to catch your reader’s attention), placements (the location of elements on your page), repetition (the use of elements that appear consistently through your document, such as page numbers), and consistency (the extent that you place certain elements in the same way throughout your paper). TBR reminds you that a well-designed and organized paper will help your reader to know where to locate information and ideas, and recognize the function of particular pieces of you document.  Organization of your paper can be achieved by using heading and subheadings, creating a table of contents for larger documents, and including passages that are different from the main text such as “for more information” columns. Section B of chapter 18 gives a general overlook of the different types of design elements you can include in your paper. Such as fonts, page layout elements, colors and shading, and illustrations.

Chapter 15- The Bedford Researcher

Chapter 15 of The Bedford Researcher examines how to use sources effectively. This chapter provides emphasis on the correct usage of quotations, paraphrases, and summaries. Of course, using reliable and credible sources is a good way of providing evidence to support your reasons, opinions, and arguments within your project. Additionally, you can also use these sources to contrast ideas and arguments. TBR suggests you express complex ideas from within your sources as concisely as possible by paraphrasing or summarizing. On the other hand, if you want to the express the emotional qualities of an author’s position, using quotations can be an effective method. This chapter reminds you to always support your assertions while making an argument. For example, you do not want to provide the reader with a paragraph consisting of plain facts, because no evidence is provided to support where these facts came from. In addition to using sources for providing evidences, you can also use them to set the mood of your paper. According to the book, Images, illustrations, and quotations  tend to have an emotional impact on readers, and when used appropriately, can lead your readers to react in certain ways. This chapter reminds us how to properly identify sources within your project, such as using parenthetical citations after quotations. The book also reviews how to modify quotes to make them fit within your paper. Again, the importance of distinguishing your ideas from someone else’s ideas is emphasized. 

Turning Annotations Into Literature Reviews- In Class Lab

“The actual risk of the violence today is that it will undermine democracy tomorrow.” This quote by S. O’Neil summarizes the overall effect the Mexican drug cartel is having on American Society. The history of Mexico is tied to three main categories including, drug trafficking, immigration, and law enforcement.

There have been many conversations on the topic of the drug cartel. An example includes “Bishops Urge new strategy in war against drug cartel “published by America: The National Catholic Weekly. This article argues for the rebuilding of Mexico in an emotionally powerful way by asking the Mexican Government “to treat the violence as a public health issue….” On a related note, William Booth’s article "More Nonmilitary Aid Sought for Drug War: Clinton Visits Mexico to Review Approach to Fighting Cartels." Published in The Washington Post in 2010,.outlines a meeting between U.S. Cabinet members and Mexican officials to discuss the Merida Initiative, a $1.4 Billion program against drug trafficking. They discussed non-militarized ways to help and investments designed to strengthen communities and dissuade young people from enlisting in Cartels. Another example comes rom Alfredo Corchado’s article “A fighting Chance” He shares the gruesome statistic  that there have been more deaths in the drug war along the Mexican border than there have been United States casualties in the Iraq war. Because of these issues, immigration rates have been rising.

Proof of rising immigration rates can be found in several sources including the Stafford Law Review where Alan D Bersin published “El Tercer Pais: Reinventing the U.S./Mexico Border.” Bersin articulates how Operation Gate Keeper into effect in the 90’s, and notes the border patrol had nearly doubled 1994.  He further indicates that INS inspectors have increased to in cooperation with U.S. Customs. In a similar source, Ted Brader,  Nicholas A.Valentino, and Elizabeth Suhay’s article “Anxiety, Group Cues, and Immigration Threat” Which appeared in The American Journal of Political Science looks at how the language of the power elite shapes mass opinion and response to immigration policy. They confirm the suspicion that public reaction to immigration costs depends largely upon the identity of the immigrants.

Annotated Bibliogrpahy

Amanda Rogers
English 102
Dr. Sonia Begert
April 29, 2014

Annotated Bibliography

Austin, James. “Prisoner Reentry: Current Trends, Practices, and Issues” Crime and Delinquency 47.3 (2001): 314-334. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.

This article uses national data, and a survey of eight states to examine the current policy of prison re-entry programs, and their effectiveness. The author, James Austin, has a PhD in sociology, and has over twenty-five years of experience in correctional planning and research.  In this article, he provides charts and statistics on prison population, and who is participating in certain prison “prerelease” programs.  The author indicates that all states have some sort or “prerelease” programs, but usually these courses are voluntary and a set of restrictions apply. I can use this information to further argue my point that correction courses for inmates should be mandatory, and available to every inmate without restrictions.

Benson, Etienne. “Rehabilitate Or Punish?” Monitor on Psychology July/August 2003: 46. American Psychological Association. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

This article discusses the punitive nature of the correction system in America, and how it is negatively affecting inmates. The author, Etienne Benson, expresses the concern of inmates having increasingly high mental health issues due to the punishment-oriented correctional system in America. Benson explains how psychologists are doing research on the cause of crime, and the psychological effects of incarceration to help transfer the focus from punishment, to rehabilitation. He explains, however, that psychological help within prisons in scares, which is rapidly adding to the emotional deterioration of inmates. I can use this information to further express to my readers that without proper care and rehabilitation courses, inmates will likely develop sever psychological issues which will withhold them from ever being able to turn their lives around.

Cantrell, Dustin. “Correctional Education as Democratic Citizenship Education”. The Journal of Correctional Education 63.2 (2012): 27-36. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

The author of this article discusses the education programs offered in prison, and the effect they have on prisoners. The author, Dustin Cantrell has a PhD in Education Leadership and Policy Studies. From 2005 through 2008, he served as a full-time instructor of anthropology through the Department of Correctional Education at Ball State University. Cantrell focuses this article around interviews he conducted with educators who have been teaching in prisons for 4-17 years. The educators he interviews express the importance of seeking to transform their students into active, aware, engaged citizens. The educators explain how they’ve witnessed positive changes in their students through prison education programs. I can use this information within my paper to explain how such courses can greatly benefit inmates, and change their attitude, and outlook for the better. Additionally, I will add that education courses in prison will increase inmate’s chances of transforming their lives, and becoming a successful citizen post-release.

Crawford, Nicole. “Helping Inmates Cope With Prison Life” Monitor on Psychology July/August 2003: 62. American Psychological Association. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

This article is about the extreme lack of mental health help available to inmates in America. The author, Nicole Crawford, bases her article around an interview with psychologist Robert Morgan, who has devoted his career to providing basic mental health services to help inmates adjust to life behind prison walls. Crawford writes about Dr. Morgan’s experiences providing mental health services to prisoners. The main point of this article is to raise awareness of the fact the mental health help is crucial for inmates to have a successful adjustment to prison life. An important part of this article is when the author quotes Dr. Morgan as saying that attending to inmates' basic mental health needs also helps with prison safety. I will use that information in my paper to express to my readers that not only are proper correctional techniques important to inmates who are preparing for release, but also important to those who may be serving long term or life sentences. Additionally, I will explain that it is in the best interest of the inmates, prison officials, and society to increase the amount of psychological help available to prisoners.

Green, Hank. “Mass Incarceration in the US” YouTube. YouTube. 4 Apr, 2014. Web. 22 Apr, 2014.

This YouTube video is made by Hank Green who is an entrepreneur, biochemist, and avid "vlogger." He and his brother, John, regularly upload videos on a wide variety of topics to their YouTube channel called "Vlogbrothers." This particular video covers the many effects mass incarceration has on criminals and society. Green focuses on the three pieces of what he refers to as the "incarceration pie". The pieces include corrections, punishment, and deterrence. Green puts emphasis on the fact that the "punishment" aspect of the criminal justice system severely outweighs the "corrections" part which makes it difficult and unfair for prisoners who are trying to lead normal lives post release. He touches on criminal statistics, the cost of prison, and the challenges convicted offenders face once released into society such as finding a job, or utilizing basic community resources. Green argues his point that being tough on crime by punishing criminals is a "failed experiment" and calls it bad policy. This video covers the basis for my entire research project. I can use it to add quotations, facts, and as a general guideline for ideas to expand on.

Henry, Stuart. “On the Effectiveness of Prison as Punishment” Conference: Incarceration Nation: The Warehousing of America’s Poor. 24 Oct, 2003. Ivy Tech State College, South Bend, Indiana. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.

This paper is centered around the question “does punishment work?” The author, Stuart Henry, is a Professor of Criminal Justice and Director of the School of Public Affairs at San Diego State University. At the time he wrote this paper, he served as the Professor and Chair of Interdisciplinary Studies at Wayne State University. In this paper, Henry explores important questions such as “for whom is punishment effective?” He also questions whether prison is an effective punishment for crime, or if there may be other methods that would be more useful in reducing crime and decreasing harmful criminal behavior. This source is incredibly useful to my project, as the author includes the opinions and arguments of those who are pro-punishment. I can use these opinions to further counter-argue my own stand point on the topic of eliminating punishment in prison.

Mauro, Marisa. “My Work as a Psychologist in Prison” Take All Prisoners. Psychology Today. 15 Apr. 2009. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.

This article describes the duties and experiences of a prison psychologist. It is written first-hand by psychologist Marisa Mauro who is a clinical psychologist at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. In this article, Mauro discusses the challenging nature of her job, which includes providing counseling to high-risk inmates including those who are suicidal, homicidal, and mentally unstable. She addresses some of her clinical responsibilities such as mental health screenings, responding to emergency situations, psychological evaluations, therapy, and court-ordered assessments. In my project, I will use this source to provide my readers with the overall picture of what a prison psychologist’s job involves. This will be another great source to further argue my point that mental health help should be available to all offenders, as is a positive thing from which they could greatly benefit both inside and outside of prison.

Meares, Tracey L. “Mass Incarceration: Who Pays the Price for Criminal Offending?” January 1st, 2004. Faculty Scholarship Series. Web. 19. Apr. 2014.

This essay addresses the effect mass incarceration has had on offenders, families, and society, specifically in inner-city neighborhoods with mostly minority residences, and a high male incarceration rate. The author, Tracey Meares, is a Walton Hale Hamilton Professor at Yale Law School, teaching criminal law and administration criminal procedure. She has severed on the Committee on Law and Justice which is a National Research Council Standing Committee of the National Academy of Sciences. This essay addresses the point that mass incarceration has not necessarily shown a level of crime reduction on the community or neighborhood level. Instead, it has mainly added to the financial and emotional hardships that families of those in prison have to endure. She includes passages from real-life interviews held with loved ones of prisoners. I will use this source to convey to my readers the “outside effects” of incarceration. Also, I will explain that a successful reentry is dire for those who count on their incarcerated loved one for survival.

Murray, Iain. “Making Rehabilitation Work: American Experience of Rehabilitating Prisoners.” 4 December, 2002. Web. 19 Apr. 2014

This is an article by a British author who is discussing rehabilitation within the American prison system. He addresses many points in favor of rehabilitation, and also includes arguments made by those who are pro-punishment. The author, Iain Murray, is the Director of Research, for the Statistical Assessment Service in Washington DC. In this article, Murray argues his point that if rehabilitation helps to prevent even a small amount of crime committed by those who are released from prison, then it is nevertheless, an important part of the correctional process. In my project, I will use this source to explain to my readers that the idea of rehabilitation in prison should be just as important to every American, as it indeed, may reduce even a small amount of crime.

Murray, Joseph. “The Effects of Imprisonment on Families and Children Of Prisoners.” The Effects Of Imprisonment. Ed. Alison Liebling, Maruna Shadd. Cambridge Criminal Justice Series. Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge. Willian Publishing. 1 Sept. 2006. 442. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.

This writing comes from chapter 17 of the book “The Effects of Imprisonment.” It addresses the difficulties faced by the partners of those who are incarcerated such as loss of income, social isolation, trouble with child-care, and difficulties maintaining the relationship. The author, Joseph Murray, is a Senior Research Associate at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge. In his career, he has researched the development of conduct problems, crime and violence through the course of life. In addition to relationship hardships, this chapter provides more in-depth research on the effects that having an incarcerated parent has on the children of offenders. I will use this source to direct my readers attention to the “hidden victims” of incarcerated people. I will explain that the victims of crime are not just those who were directly affected by the crime itself, but also the families of the offender.

Pogorzelski, Wendy, et al. “Behavioral Health Problems, Ex-Offender Reentry Policies, and the ‘Second Chance Act’” American Journal of Public Health 95.10 (2005): 1718–1724. Web. 24 Apr. 2014

This article discusses the underlying problems regarding the “Second Chance Act of 2005”, which calls for easier access of community reentry services for people leaving prisons and jails such as public assistance, housing, health and mental health services, education, and job training. This article is co-written by four authors, all of whom are with the Center for Mental Health Services & Criminal Justice Research at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick. This article identifies the many challenges offenders face post-release relating to the restricted access of public recourses. The authors argue that because of the “invisible punishments” that come along with current policies, the ability for released offenders to access these critical community resources is limited. I will use this source to emphasize that convicted felons have a difficult time establishing a steady, successful lifestyle outside of prison, and therefore better policies should be in place to make community resources available to all offenders.

Public Safety Performance Project. “State of Recidivism: The Revolving Door of America’s Prisons” Pew Center on the States. Apr. 2011. Web. 22 Apr. 2011.

This study addresses a broad range of issues relating to the controversial process of mass incarceration. The high cost of prison associated with the recent growth in prison population is emphasized.  This study was conducted by The Pew Center on the States, which, according to their website, is a nonprofit organization “that applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public, and stimulate civic life.” The authors used surveys and data from various states to emphasize the “revolving door” effect of criminal recidivism, and how it is adding to the overall cost of prisons. Therefore, this study focuses on criminal re-offending rates and statistics, and what can be done to reduce the rate of criminal recidivism to stop the “revolving door” process. In my paper, I will use this source to explain how proper prison rehabilitation techniques could lower the rate of which criminals are sent back into the correctional system, which may ultimately lead to a more cost-efficient prison system.

Solomon, Amy L. Johnson, et al. “From Prison to Work: The Employment Dimensions of Prisoner Reentry:  A Report of the Reentry Roundtable” Urban Institute.  Oct. 2004. Web. 20 Apr. 2014

This report discusses the transition process from prison to the community. It addresses the challenges offenders face adjusting to freedom, and responsibility post-release. This is a report of the Reentry Roundtable, which is a forum that brings together community leaders, policymakers, advocates, and formerly incarcerated people who aim to raise awareness of the need for research and practice of proper inmate reentry. The authors of this particular paper all have scholarly credentials, and are associated in various ways with the field of criminal justice. The main point of this report is that a large number of prisoners are released each year into a community that is not prepared well enough to support a positive and successful transition. I will use this source to further indicate that more stable policies should be in place regarding the availability of community resources to prisoner after release.

Stanford Prison Experiment. Philip G. Zimbardo. 1999-2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.

This is a website dedicated to the Stanford Prison Experiment, which was a study conducted in 1971 by a selected group of students about the psychological effects of becoming a prisoner or prison guard.  Twenty-four male students took on randomly assigned roles as prisoners and guards in a mock prison located in the basement of the Stanford psychology building. This website contains extensive information about the study.  The participating students claim their planned two-week experiment had to be aborted after only six days due to the extreme depression and stress it was causing them. The “guards” unintentionally, but quickly, took on a strong authoritarian approach which subjected their “prisoners” to psychological torture. I will use this source to expand on my point that current prison policy is too harsh on the punishment aspect of corrections, and therefore new policies should be imposed to regulate this issue.

Travis, Jeremy. “But They All Come Back: Facing the Challenges of Prisoner Reentry.” The Urban Institute Press. Google Books. 2005. Web. 20 Apr. 2014

In this book, the author writes about America’s extensive use of prison as a response to crime, and the problems with the prison system which cause a high percentage of released prisoners to land right back behind prison walls. The author, Jeremy Travis is the President of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Prior to that, he served four years as a senior fellow affiliated with the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute where he co-chaired the Reentry Roundtable. This book describes the new realities of punishment in prison, and the links this has to criminal recidivism. He also addresses the harm that is done when prisoners are released without the supervision of a parole officer. I will use this source as a reference to the recurring issues with the correctional system in America. I will also use this source to expand my point that punishment is not an effective way to rehabilitate prisoners.

Travis, Jeremy, Christy Visher. “Prisoner Reentry and Crime in America.” Cambridge University Press. Google Books. 2005. Web. 19 Apr. 2014

This book explores the topic of the large number of released prisoners each year, and their criminal activity after prison. This book is edited by Jeremy Travis, President of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and Christy Visher, who is the Principal Research Associate at the Urban Institute. Contributions to this book are made by various authors associated with the field of criminal justice. The authors examine different theories on why criminals re-offend such as increases in violence in their communities, and how to keep the crime rate to a minimum, such as recommendations by politicians suggesting we keep prisoners out of high crime neighborhoods. I will use this source to generate ideas to include in my paper on the topic of lowering crime rate, and ensuring prisoners have a successful, crime-free transition back into society.

United States. Bureau of Justice Statistics. “Reentry Trends in the United States” Hughes, Timothy. Wilson, Doris James. Bureau of Justice Statistics. 14 Apr. 2004. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.

Released in 2004 by The United States Bureau of Justice Statistics, this webpage provides statistics regarding reentry trends in the United States. It provides stats on trends such as growth in State prison and parole populations, releases from State prisons, entries to State parole, success rates for State parolees, recidivism, and characteristics of releases. Overall statistics are provided, as well as data regarding specific states and regions.  I will use to this source to incorporate official data within my project. 

United States Department of Health and Human Services. “The Psychological Impact of Incarceration: Implications for Post-Prison Adjustment.” Haney, Craig. December, 2001. National Policy Conference. January 30-31, 2002. National Institutes of Health. Bethesda, MD. 

The many psychological changes that prisoners undergo throughout the course of incarceration are discussed in this paper written for the “From Prison to Home Project” which was presented at the National Policy Conference at the National Institutes of Health in December, 2001. The author, Craig Haney, Is a Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He holds a PhD from Stanford University, and has written a wide variety of publications on the topic of criminal justice and policy. In this particular paper, He argues that the psychological harms inflicted on prisoners have increased over the past 10 years due to the harsh policies and non-existent rehabilitation programs.  Haney discusses how these factors affect the post-prison adjustment process for criminals. I will use this source to indicate to my readers how the extreme nature of prison negatively affects the offenders ability to adjust to life within prison, therefore making the need for psychological help and rehabilitation programs incredibly high.

Van Den Haag, Ernest. “Could Successful Rehabilitation Reduce the Crime kRate.” The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 73.3 (1982): 1022-1035. Web. 19 Apr. 2014

This article questions the likely effect rehabilitation would have on crime rate. The author, Ernest Ven Den Haag, argues that in order to successfully reduce crime rate, the expected severity of punishments should increase along with the probability of suffering them. According to the author, this would decrease the overall “net advantage” of committing crimes. Van Den Haag was a Dutch-American sociologist, and a John M. Olin Professor of Jurisprudence and Public Policy at Fordham University. Although this article argues against my thesis, I can use it as a reference to gain insight on the arguments one my present while reading my paper.

Weir, Kirsten. “Alone, In ‘The Hole’: Psychologists probe the mental health effects of solitary confinement.” Monitor on Psychology. May 2012: 54. American Psychological Association. Web. 21 Apr. 2014

This article addresses the controversial issue of long-term solitary confinement within prisons. The psychological impacts among those in so-called “supermax” prisons are discussed. The author, Kirsten Weir, is a freelance writer and editor specializing in science, medicine, psychology, and the environment. She has published several articles in many science and psychology related publications. In this article, Weir writes about the increased amount of prisoners sentenced to solitary confinement, and strives to answer the question of what really happens to prisoners who are deprived of social contact for extended amounts of time. I will incorporate this source in my paper as another example of just how harsh punishment in prison can be. I will also explain how solitary confinement is inhumane, and better policy must be in place to regulate it.

Wildeman, Christopher, Bruce Western. “Incarceration in Fragile Families” Future of Children 20.2 (2010): 157-177. Web. 24 Apr. 2014

The consequences family’s face of those whose loved ones have been released from prison are discussed in this article. The authors argue that imprisonment severely diminishes the earnings of adult men which compromises their health, and decreases the amount of available family resources. The authors discuss how this can ultimately lead to broken, poverty-stricken families, which may In turn pave the way to delinquent lifestyles for the children of these offenders. This article is co-written by Christopher Wildeman, and Bruce Western. Wildeman has a PhD from Princeton University, and is currently an Associate Professor of Sociology at Yale University. Western is a Professor of Sociology at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. I will use this source to further emphasize that better policy regarding the support of prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families should be created in order to help ensure a successful life for everyone involved. I will discuss how with better policy, families of prisoners could have easier access to helpful resources which could ultimately decrease the amount of school failure, joblessness, untreated addiction, and mental illness posed among these families.