StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Ethical Treatment of Prisoners - Research Paper Example

Cite this document
Summary
This paper 'Ethical Treatment of Prisoners' tells us that before going into the discussion regarding how inmates have been led to suicide or more crimes because of the treatment that they receive from the correctional officers. “A correctional officer is someone who supervises prisoners and people awaiting trial…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.6% of users find it useful
Ethical Treatment of Prisoners
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Ethical Treatment of Prisoners"

?[Your full full January 17, Ethical Treatment of Prisoners Before going into the discussion regarding how inmates have been lead to suicide or more crimes because of the treatment that they receive from the correctional officers, let us get to know what correctional officers actually are. “A correctional officer is someone who supervises prisoners and people awaiting trial in a correctional facility such as a jail or prison” (Smith). Correctional officers are government employees and they are mainly concerned with supervision and care of the people who are held in prisons. Correctional officers have no powers related to enforcement of law but they are law representatives inside the prison facility. Smith states, “In the prison, correctional officers monitor prisoner behavior, maintain order, delegate jobs or responsibilities for prisoners, and supervise transportation for prisoners who are moved to other locations”. They not only take care of the individual who have been sent to the jails by the courts but also they look after those individuals who have been waiting for the trials in the prisons. Therefore, we can say that the role of correctional officers inside the prison facility is of critical importance. Along with the importance of correctional officers in prisons and jails, there also exists a negative viewpoint regarding the treatment provided by the correctional officers to the inmates. The benefits that the inmates receive from the state such as health care, prenatal care, mental health care, free housing, free food, and free education are viewed somewhat unethical in the today’s world. Some of these benefits even do not apply to the people living in the non-correctional settings. There are some reasons why these benefits are considered unethical or unjustified. Let us first discuss how inmates have been lead to suicide or more crime because of the treatment that they receive from the correctional officers and then we will discuss some of those reasons, which make the state benefits provided to the inmates unethical and unjustified. Reasons for Increased Suicides and Crimes among Inmates There are many reasons, which act as the root cause for the increased level of suicides and crimes among the criminals. Let us discuss some of those reasons in some detail: Behavior of Correctional Officers One of the major reasons behind increased rate of crimes and suicides among the inmates has been the behavior of some of the correctional officers. Some officers do not treat the prisoners politely, which injects the sense of revenge in the minds of the criminals. Inmates expect good behavior from the correctional officers but when they do not get what they expect from the officers, they become more aggressive and violent. The harsh and unkind treatment of some of the correctional officers also plays an important role in creating negative feelings in the minds of the inmates. It is the nature of any criminal to show the feelings of aggression if he or she is mistreated either by other prisoners or by correctional officers. Therefore, it is very important for the correctional officers to control the behaviors and actions of the criminals in an appropriate way in order to control crime rate in the country. Role of State Benefits in Increased Crimes The benefits, which are provided by the state to the inmates, also play a considerable role in increasing the number of crimes and suicides among the inmates. Those benefits are provided to the inmates only in the correctional settings. The benefits such as free housing and free education are not provided to the criminals in the non-correctional facilities, so when the inmates come out of the prisons, their free education facility ends up which creates frustration among the inmates. Some of the inmates want to continue with the free education and free housing facilities even after the punishments ends and when they do not find a proper opportunity to get those benefits in the non-correctional settings, negative thoughts appear in their minds, which make them commit more crimes in order to get the facilities again. Reasons for why State Benefits are Considered Unethical There are many reasons, which make the benefits provided by the state to the criminals unethical and unjustified. Let us discuss some of those reasons in some detail in order to get a better understanding of the issue: Sense of Irresponsibility One of the biggest concerns related to the benefits that are provided by the state to the inmates is the sense of irresponsibility, which emerges in the minds of criminals. When benefits such as free housing, free food, and free health care, are provided to the criminals, they start feeling relaxed and comfortable in the facilitated environment, which makes them commit crimes in order to get those facilities. As far as I think, these types of facilities promote crimes because criminals get such facilities, which are even not provided to them in non-correctional settings. I would not say that free housing, mental health care, free education, or free food always play a considerable role in promoting crimes, however, they do promote them up to some extent. These kinds of facilities make the criminals more negligent and careless instead of making them responsible towards their social and personal responsibilities. Facilities not Available in Non-Correctional Settings Another ethical issue is that some of the facilities are not available to the people living in the non-correctional settings. Free food and free housing are those facilities, which are not provided to the people who are not involved in any sort of crime. Such people have to struggle a lot in order to get proper housing and food, whereas inmates are provided with free housing and food facilities, which make the criminals feel more comfortable in the world of crimes. I personally think that there should be a criteria or a proper mechanism through which the benefits should be provided to the inmates. Moreover, the inmates should be observed constantly by the correctional officers in order to know how inmates behave when they are provided with different facilities. My Viewpoint Regarding the Issue My point of view related to the issue of increased rate of crimes is that the correctional officers should control the behaviors and actions of the criminals in an appropriate way in order to control crime rate in the country. I think that controlling the behaviors and changing them in a positive direction can help the inmates leave all sorts of crimes and live a peaceful life. Role of Virtue Ethics Theory in Solving the Problem Virtue Ethics theory can be very helpful in solving the problem of increased crime rate because it focuses on helping the individual develop good and acceptable personality traits instead of focusing on the actions of the individuals. Cline asserts, “Virtue-based ethical theories place less emphasis on which rules people should follow and instead focus on helping people develop good character traits, such as kindness and generosity”. Utilitarianism and Deontology theories focus more on the actions, which a person performs in different circumstances whereas Virtue Ethics theory helps in making such character traits, which make a person take appropriate decisions regarding different matters of life. In this paper, we are discussing the issue of increased level of crimes and suicides due to the treatment provided by the correctional officers to the inmates. Considering the nature of the issue, I think Virtue Ethics theory can play a critical role in solving the problem by making the correctional officers assist the inmates in changing their negative behaviors and bad habits such as anger, aggressive moods, and greed. “People can develop virtues over time, and so in theory, grow into a better person” (Weineck). Therefore, we can say that Virtue Ethics theory can be very helpful because it emphasizes on the development of good behaviors, which makes the inmates leave all sorts of crimes. Ethical Egoism Ethical Egoism brings a different perspective regarding the issue. According to this theory, the individuals are motivated by their own desires. Moreover, a person cannot influence the actions of any other individual. Ethical Egoism focuses on the importance of self-decision for a person because every person is motivated by some factors of personal interest. Virtue Ethics theory focuses more on importance of good behaviors whereas Ethical Egoism theory is concerned with the importance of one’s own actions based on self-decisions. The viewpoint of Ethical Egoism theory is that the actions of an individual are influenced by the factors of self-interest and the motivation behind those decisions occur due to own interest without any regard for any other person’s interest. Which Viewpoint is closer to mine? Analyzing the viewpoints of Virtue Ethics theory and Ethical Egoism theory, I conclude that the viewpoint of Virtue Ethics theory is closer to my viewpoint regarding the issue. It is because Virtue Ethics theory focuses on the improvement of behaviors and development of good behaviors by emphasizing the central role played by motives in moral questions. Therefore, we can say that the Virtue Ethics theory can play a considerable role in helping the inmates change their way of thinking and play a positive role in decreasing the crime rate in the country. Works Cited Cline, Austin. “What Are Virtue Ethics?.” About.com, n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2011. . Smith, Syre. “What is Correctional Officer?.” Wisegeek.com, 26 Sep. 2010. Web. 17 Jan. 2011. . Weinneck, Allen. “Virtue theory: The ethics of personal development.” Helium.com, n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2011. . Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Ethical Treatment of Prisoners Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/family-consumer-science/1405498-ethical-treatment-of-prisoners
(Ethical Treatment of Prisoners Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 Words)
https://studentshare.org/family-consumer-science/1405498-ethical-treatment-of-prisoners.
“Ethical Treatment of Prisoners Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/family-consumer-science/1405498-ethical-treatment-of-prisoners.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Ethical Treatment of Prisoners

Rights and Duties of Prisoners for Prison Labour

As stated by Johnston6 although conditions have varied over time and between institutions, reformers have constantly voiced concerns over the treatment of prisoners.... Rights of prisoners for Prison labourPrisons are not meant to be particularly hospitable places, punishment as a goal of imprisonment implies a certain level of discomfort.... This growth is creating an increasing encumbrance of tax and considerable warehousing opportunity cost around 2million prisoners....
18 Pages (4500 words) Essay

Should Prisoners Lodging Be More Spartan

I suggest the same applies to some guards and their daily treatment of prisoners.... Although huge investment in prisons and prisoners is costing a country plenty, prison life cannot be painted in glamorous terms.... These critics would argue that conditions of the prisoners should be spartan, if not hard.... The lodging conditions should not be so constrained that the prisoners are deprived of the kinds of choices that manifest their human standing and self-respect....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Outsourcing Prisoners to Different Countries - Potential Benefits and Risks

This paper "Outsourcing prisoners to Different Countries - Potential Benefits and Risks" elaborates on potential profits, gaps, risk factors, and other inevitable issues from a legislative and economic perspective, identifying possible hindrances, issues, benefits to the government and other units, and potential risk analysis.... nbsp; Besides these, work and services obtained from prisoners are said to be beneficial for taxpayers by reducing recidivism and promoting social duty to help criminals return to society, with the use of cheap labor (Hollis, 2008)....
7 Pages (1750 words) Coursework

Discrimination Against Prisoners with Learning Disabilities

An inexplicably huge population of prisoners has mental disabilities; the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that a large number of prisoners in Europe have some kind of mental disorder, specifically learning disability.... Current studies in several countries have revealed the huge population of prisoners suffering from learning disabilities and the severely insufficient attention given to their mental health care needs.... This essay “Discrimination against prisoners with Learning Disabilities” evaluates the extent to which prisoners with learning disabilities are discriminated against in the criminal justice system....
14 Pages (3500 words) Essay

Treatment of Individuals in Prison

It is therefore very important for all professional working in prison facilities to observe basic human rights conventions, ethical standards and policies set by judicial authorities when carrying out their jobs in correcting behavior of prisoners placed under their care.... This pape "treatment of Individuals in Prison" focuses on the fact that one fundamental right for all persons is liberty and this is enshrined on most constitutions the world over.... nbsp; Policy Manual for treatment of Individuals in Prison....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Prisoner Torture Violates Human Rights

The assimilation of such prisoners to the society would become much more difficult.... Generally, it is agreed that there should be no torture with prisoners or tampering or plantation of evidence.... Any investigator is supposed to follow ethical means while pursuing an investigation.... The problem is that many of the so-called moral and ethical issues are subjective.... But often, there is no thin line of difference between what is ethical and what is not ethical, what is just and what is unjust....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

Police Ethics and Police Corruption

This paper explores the ethical issue of the treatment of prisoners by police officers and the resultant problems of the ethical and unethical treatment of prisoners by officers.... he importance and challenges of the jobs of police officers in maintaining ethical handling of prisoners cannot, therefore, be overemphasized.... While utilitarianism emphasizes the central role played by the benefits of ethical actions over the harms, ethical relativism stresses the cultural differences in ethical beliefs and standards across societies  Studies have shown that prisoners do not only feel discriminated or unworthy due to the mere fact that they have been incarcerated; rather, the unethical treatment that they may face while serving their times is also a major contributor to these negative feelings....
6 Pages (1500 words) Term Paper

Prisons and Prison Culture

here are all sorts of prisoners within American prisons for all sorts of crimes.... The paper "Prisons and Prison Culture" highlights that today we are seeing more and more prisoners of petty, low-grade offenses are now being released or granted more lenient consequences for the petty crimes that are being committed.... Privatization might seem cost-effective presently when there are national financial issues, but if the United States government becomes too dependent on private prisons to house prisoners these private prisons could take advantage of that need; easily making what once seemed cost-effective into something entirely too costly and effectively unproductive....
6 Pages (1500 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us