Corrections Changes - Assignment Example

Corrections Changes First Prisons are considered as places of punishment meant to reformlaw-breaking citizens. Prisons bring together into one confined space many varied offenders both violent and non-violent. In most prison environments, the inmates interact with the staff that in most cases they outnumber yet they are required to manage. This causes a lot of safety issues that sometimes result in inmates escaping. Violence in the prisons, including assaults among inmates and assaults by inmates on staff and vice versa are also issues that many prisons have to grapple with (Specter, 2006).

There are several solutions that have been tried and tested that can significantly reduce violence as well as improve security and conditions in the prisons. These would also increase safety for inmates, staff and instructors. Introduction Many programs have been developed to deal with the issues of safety and violence in American prisons. A lot of these programs are meant to address the causes of these two problems as a way of solving them decisively and using new and improved strategies that have been both tried and which can be applied in as many places as possible.

Due to the high numbers of those incarcerated in American prisons, which now hold more than 2 million residents, there have been many studies done on the impact of overcrowding, the types and numbers of inmates in many places as well as the issue of violence in the prisons and a lot of these have come up with strategies to improve security as well as reduce the incidences of violence. 1. Prisons have to have strategies to address the root causes of violence in prisons, which affects the safety and well-being not just of the inmates and the prison staff but also of instructors who visits these institutions to conduct in-house training.

Many vocational training programs have been put in place in prisons, not only to enable prisoners have GED certification by the time they leave prison but also to provide them with skills that would enable them to join or re-join the job market at the end of their sentences (Cuizon, 2013). Thus I would ensure that all these programs are in place in the correctional facility I am placed in. These courses are not just limited to the academic achievement but also to other behavariol and psycho-social treatments such as anger management as well as any other required psychiatric or mental treatments including those that deal with substance abuse issues in order to ensure that the inmates are able to reenter and be re-integrated into society at the end of their prison terms (Homel & Thompson, 2005).

Taking the inmates through these sorts of treatments would ensure that any of the inmates’ personality or psychological disorders are treated and taken care of while the inmates are in the prisons while the vocational training as well as the pursuit of academic qualifications would ensure that the inmates’ time is utilized in a way that reduces the idle time in their hands (Federal Bureau of Prisons, n.d.). One of the known causes of violence among the inmates is too much time with nothing to do which has been known to contribute to violent tendencies.

The trainings for the inmates would also include diversity training so as to ensure that prisoners are aware of all aspects of diversity from racial to gender and others in society and to reduce the kind of racial and diversity friction that occurs in prisons, which also causes inmate violence. Staff training in the prisons should also include skills training in how to deal with communication with clients as well as undertstanding the psychology of inmates, especially those with potential for violent acts.

This would also enable the prison staff to segregate such inmates from the others to minimize the possibilities of violent confrontations (Federal Bureau of Prisons, n.d.). 2. I would implement these changes in a way that was orderly, organized and incremental, to ensure that they all have maximum impact and also put in place smart ways of evaluating their impact as well as their effectiveness. The first measure that would have to be done would be segregation of the inmates, specifically wo ensure that thy were all properly managed and to ensure that there enough correctional officers on hand to take care of a feasible and manageable number of inmates at any given time and within any give area of the prison facility (US Government Accountability Office, 2013).

This would ensure that, the inmates that have a potential for violence are kept away from the rest of the prison population. Once this is done the vocational training needs of the inmates would be evaluated and requisite training programs implemented. The training methodlogy including the venue and space in which the training took place would take into account the different needs and requirements occasioned by such evaluation. It would also be used in determining which instructors are chosen for the task and ensuring that they are properly equipped to perform the training.

The prison officers would also be taken through the correct skills training for them to be better managers of the inmates under their control and also have had their own behavioral psychology profiles done to check their effectiveness under stressful or pressurized conditions (US Government Accountability Office, 2013). Conclusion It is evident that prisons that are well run are safe as opposed to those that are poorly managed. To reduce violence in prisons, the administration should consider improved management structures for the control of violence is not only dependant upon carrying out acceptable policies for regulating the use of force but also on the overall management of the facilities.

These administrative measures will ensure that safety is assured for all who live and work in the prison environment. Other administrative measures will ensure that the procedures laid down are not only strictly adhered to but that their effectiveness and impact can and will be regularly evaluated and measured. References Cuizon, G. (2013). Education in Prison. Retrieved July 5, 2013, from http://suite101.com/article/education-in-prison-a94395 Federal Bureau of Prisons.(n.d.). Inmate Skills Development.

Retrieved July 5, 2013, from http://www.bop.gov/inmate_programs/placement.jsp Homel, R., & Thompson, C. (2005). Causes and Prevention of Violence in Prisons. Retrieved July 5, 2013, from http://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/188706/causes2.pdf Specter, D. (2006). Journal of Law and policy, 22(125), 125-134. Retrieved July 5, 2013, from http://law.wustl.edu/Journal/22/p125Specter.pdf US Government Accountability Office.(2013). Improvements Needed in Bureau of Prisons’ Monitoring and Evaluation of Impact of Segregated Housing.