Essay Sample on Correctional Support Services

Inmates experience different scenarios in their day-to-day lives in prison. They are likely to be demoralized in achieving their individual goals in life as they are considered to be criminals by society. This negative influence begins from the environment around them in prison, which heavily depends on the management of the prison. Further, from their surroundings, prisoners develop and adapt to some cultures and subcultures that enable them to adapt to prison life. However, despite the negative ideas that they generate, prisoners can be assisted in achieving their personal goals and being included in society.

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In a prison environment, different cultures and subcultures develop and later cease as there exist diverse individuals within the prison environment. Some of the cultures that have dominated in several prisons include the reversed status hierarchy (Murray, 2017). This is a culture that is characterized by the honor of actions and behaviors that are against the law. The accommodation of this culture has led to the existence of chaotic and violent prisons that have made the prisoners develop a strict lifestyle and rude behavior. Additionally, prisoners have also developed a subculture of the use of distinctive language (Murray, 2017). Most prisoners have opted to use slang in their communication as they consider it incomprehensible to the prison masters. This subculture has helped them make their communications within prison freely without any fear of assault from the prison wardens.

The prison management culture and authoritative structure, in most cases, do not rely heavily on the prison culture of the inmates. In various researches, prison managers define the roles and objectives of their facilities to their staff (Murray, 2017). This serves as one of the professional duties that they have to accomplish. However, the culture of the inmates in the correctional facility does not dictate the management of the facility. Authorities and management are professionally trained and abide by their professional ethics on the management styles to apply in prison. Therefore they cannot be influenced by the culture of the inmates.

Prison culture may, however, determine the type of treatment that inmates receive in the correctional facilities. An analysis of the correctional measures applied in prisons shows that oppressive correctional measures and penal treatment are used to shape inmates in prisons that have less law-abiding inmates(Murray, 2017). This analysis has therefore provided a style of treatment that is dictated by the culture of inmates where the law-abiding prisoners will receive a reasonably mild treatment compared to the inmates that do not comply with the law. In as much as prisoners are considered to be offenders, they deserve better mental treatment because the issue of mental disorder is a common problem among inmates. The administration of mental health may guarantee the safety of inmates from a mental disorder. Mental health can be achieved in prisons by inviting psychiatric services in prisons (Fazel et al., 2016). This can be done by authorities who, through outsourcing for experts in mental health, will administer psychological treatment for prisoners. The medical experts can also apply mental screening, which can check on the mental state of prisoners. Through such services, mental health is achieved and administered in prisons.

Prisons are correctional facilities, and they possess some unique resources and skills that can help the prisoners to become law-abiding citizens. The programs rolled out in prisons on education, job skills, and even guidance programs can help the prisoner learn the importance of law and law-abiding. However, some prisoners do not change even after undergoing correctional measures in prison. This may be because of the attitude that such prisoners develop about law, and therefore it solely depends on them to change and become law-abiding citizens.

In summary, correctional facilities are aimed at changing the inmates to become law-abiding members of society. These inmates should be accommodated in the community, and they should be offered support to attain their individual goals.

References

Fazel, S., Hayes, A. J., Bartellas, K., Clerici, M., &Trestman, R. (2016). The mental health of prisoners: prevalence, adverse outcomes, and interventions. The Lancet Psychiatry, 3(9), 871-881.

Murray, K. (2017). Prison Subculture. The Encyclopedia of Corrections, 1-2.