Just Society Outline 2
A Just Society (Outline for Final Paper)
Daphane Stevens
CRJ201: Intro. To Criminal Justice
Instructor: Janice Bella
25 July 2016
A Just Society
I. Introduction
There are many corrections systems in the United States today. Some of them house the most dangerous criminals in the world, while others house those who require less security for lesser crimes. However, the purpose of each one is still the same. They are used to detain criminals who have been convicted of crimes that go against societal rules. The goal of a correctional facility is to punish those convicted of a crime, while also rehabilitating them so that they can live a law abiding life upon their release. Corrections professionals such as parole and probation officers, guards in correctional facilities, and jailers in county jails must all be careful not to infringe on the rights of any individual while still making sure that the punishment is upheld. Each professional must also uphold a certain set of standards and also execute justice in an ethical way.
A. Thesis Statement
This paper will be a discussion of the parts of the Constitution that are most relevant to ethical standards of corrections professionals, the way that those professionals use social justice principles to build a more just society, how corrections professions use criminal theory in their practice, and the three main issues that corrections professionals face on a regular basis and the best responses to those.
Part I
II. Body Paragraph #1-Topic Sentence #1
All corrections professionals are expected to adhere to a strict set of ethical standards and make sure that they uphold the Constitution.
A. Supporting Evidence
“Federal courts will hold government officials and agencies accountable for knowing and meeting the obligations the Constitution imposes” (Collins, 2007, pg. 11, para. 3).
B. Explanation
This basically says that corrections professionals, at every level, are expected to uphold the Constitution. If they do not meet those obligations, the federal court system will hold them responsible. There is no reason that the court will recognize as acceptable for the Constitutional rights of any person to be violated.
C. So What?
This shows that all corrections professionals are obligated to comply with certain ethical standards, and that a person’s Constitutional rights should never be violated.
III. Body Paragraph #2-Topic Sentence #2
Even though all citizens are protected under the Constitution, there are a few parts of the Constitution that are relevant to corrections professionals.
A. Supporting Evidence
In dealing with individuals who are incarcerated, there are definite portions of the Constitution that are more relevant than others. The most relevant parts are the First, Fourth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. These Amendments are:
First Amendment: freedom of speech and religion
Fourth Amendment: prohibits unreasonable search and seizure
Eighth Amendment: prohibits cruel and unusual punishment
Fourteenth Amendment: due process and equal protection (National Constitution Center, n.d.).
B. Explanation
This tells us what the Constitutional Amendments are. Knowing what each amendment is, and what rights are protected under them, is vitally important in the daily functions of a corrections professional.
C. So What?
As I am sure most people know, ignorance of the law is no excuse. What this means in a corrections employee’s standpoint is that violating another person’s rights, even if it was not knowingly or willfully, is not tolerated. All people, including incarcerated individuals, have the right to certain things.
IV. Body Paragraph #3-Topic Sentence #3
Corrections professionals must ensure that they uphold the Constitution at all times.
A. Supporting Evidence
All corrections professionals have a set of principles or ethical standards of conduct that they should follow at all times. The American Correctional Association (ACA) sets forth a code of ethics that every member is supposed to strictly follow (American Correction Association, n.d.).
B. Explanation
If this Code of Ethics is followed, which includes respecting and protecting the rights of all people, then most assuredly they will be upholding the Constitution.
C. So What?
It is important that corrections professionals conduct themselves in such a manner as to gain the respect of those around them. By following the rules, understanding the principles set forth, and obeying all laws, corrections professionals will be able to maintain the moral obligations of their job and see that all individual’s rights are respected.
Part II
V. Body Paragraph #4-Topic Sentence #4
There are several theories that are used in attempting to explain why people commit crimes; which are known as criminological theories.
A. Supporting Evidence
“A criminological theory is an explanation of the relationship between people’s characteristics and the possibility that they will engage in criminal behavior” (Nature of Crime, n.d., Criminological Theory).
B. Explanation
By using criminological theories, many assumptions about crime causation are being used for crime control strategies. Many of these strategies focus on deterrence instead of rehabilitation.
C. So What?
In using criminological theories in the everyday practice of corrections, these professionals are more able to recognize why offenders commit crimes, and therefore, aid in the rehabilitation of those offenders which will lead to less crime.
Part III
VI. Body Paragraph #5-Body Paragraph #5
Corrections professionals face a large variety of issues that they must deal with on an everyday basis.
A. Supporting Evidence
“Correctional professionals constantly face challenges as they strive to provide effective and safe operation of the institutions and programs that they supervise” (Waldron, Quarles, McElreath, Valdron, & Milstein, 2009, pg. 389, para. 1).
B. Explanation
By understanding the issues that corrections professionals face on a daily basis, one might gain a better grasp of the reality of their jobs.
C. So What?
It is extremely important that these professionals are respected and treated with decency. The jobs that they perform are some of the most important jobs in the nation.
VII. Body Paragraph #6-Topic Sentence #6
One has to look into each separate issue to find the proper way to address and respond to it. One of those issues is a lack of funding.
A. Supporting Evidence
“When government starts tightening the belt, corrections is one of the first areas to feel the crunch” (Williams, 2009, pg. 6, para. 1).
B. Explanation
A lack of funding can lead to job loss, wage freezes, and cut backs in programs for the incarcerated, as well as community resources. All of these things can lead to unsafe working conditions for corrections professionals.
C. So What?
Funding cut backs are bound to happen in economic hardships like our current one. However, by making too many cuts to the correctional system, those employees in that profession are being put in even more harmful situations.
VIII. Body Paragraph #7-Topic Sentence #7
Another issue that faces many corrections professionals is the low rate of pay and infrequent pay increases given to many of them.
A. Supporting Evidence
There is a perception of inadequate pay for correction professions that can lead to a high turnover rate in this profession (Udechukwu, Harrington, Manyak, Segal, & Graham, 2007).
B. Explanation
There is a high turnover rate in most fields of correctional work, and low pay, as well as infrequent pay raises, which might be the leading cause of that.
C. So What?
It is important to realize that corrections professionals do their job for less than the average pay given to many other professionals in other fields.
IX. Body Paragraph #8-Topic Sentence #8
Yet another issue that all corrections professionals face is a high amount of occupational stress.
A. Supporting Evidence
“Occupational stress is a pervasive problem within all correctional jurisdictions” (Schwartz & Levitas, 2012, pg. 38, para. 3).
B. Explanation
The stress of being a corrections professional can be more than a person can handle. The suicide rate for these professionals is much higher than many other professions.
C. So What?
Stress can cause a large number of other health related problems, including an increased risk of heart attack.
X. Conclusion
As one can see, there are many parts to building a just society. Through the use of equality, solidarity, and human rights, criminal justice professionals are able to maintain justice through punishment. In that punishment, they must also uphold every individual’s Constitutional rights. Each professional must adhere to a strict set of ethical standards in order to execute justice in a fair manner.
Reaffirmation of Thesis:
This paper has been a discussion of the varying parts of the Constitution that are relevant to corrections professionals, the ways that those professionals can use social justice principles to build a just society, the use of criminal theory by corrections professionals, and the many issues that those professionals face daily and the best responses to those issues.
Annotated Bibliography
American Correctional Association (1994). Code of Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.aca.org/ACA_Prod_IMIS/ACA_Member/About_Us/Code_of_Ethics/ACA_Member/AboutUs/Code_of_Ethics.aspx?hkey=61577ed2-c0c3-4529-bc01-36a248f79eba
-This site lists the set of principles and ethical standards that every member of the ACA is expected to adhere to. The ACA was founded in 1870, and now has members from all over the world. Considering the history of this organization, the information obtained from this site should be considered reputable.
Collins, W.C. (2007). Jails and the Constitution. U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved from http://static.nicic.gov/Library/022570.pdf
-This source, written for the U.S. Department of Justice, is all about the litigation cases that have come about from people under correctional supervision using their Constitutional rights to bring lawsuits against correctional agencies. This source shows that U.S. and state courts hold corrections professionals responsible for knowing and upholding the rights of all people, including people who are incarcerated.
National Constitution Center (n.d.). Constitutional Amendments. Retrieved from http://constitutioncenter.org/constitution/the-amendments
-This source is useful in that it lists all of the Constitutional Amendments along with the rights that they protect. The Constitution Center was established by the U.S. Congress to give information about the Constitution in a non-partisan manner. I believe that this site is a reputable source of information regarding this topic.
Nature of Crime. (n.d.). Criminological Theory. Retrieved from http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~cjreg/NCintroduction.htm
-This source gives the explanation as to what a criminological theory is, and how it relates to the topic being discussed. Although, the validity of this site is uncertain, and I am not certain about the reputability of the author, or exactly who the author is. I included it in this paper because it does contain some information that is quite relevant to the topic.
Schwartz, S., Levitas, L. (2012). A New Vision for Correctional Officers. Tikkun, 27(1), 37-40. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=27&sid=d62a7d54-5730-48f6-a86f-e4741d955b0b%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4209
-This article discusses the variety of ways that the corrections system fails the employees that work in it. It states that often, the training they receive is not adequate for the job that they must do. It goes on to explain how stress is one of the biggest issues that professionals in this system encounter. This article is a reputable source of information in that it is a peer-reviewed resource and the authors have adequate knowledge in the things they are talking about.
Udechukwu, I., Harrington, W., Manyak, T., Segal, S., & Graham, S. (2007). The Georgia Department of Corrections: An Exploratory Reflection on Correctional Officer Turnover and its Correlates. Public Personnel Management, 36(3), 247-268.
-This article focuses on the high turnover rate among correctional officers. However, one of the issues that is discussed is the low pay rate and infrequency of pay increases that plagues the corrections profession. This is an excellent source as it is peer reviewed and written by authors who have experience in this area.
Williams, B.D. (2009). Budget cuts must lead to innovation in corrections. Corrections Today, (6), 6. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=31&sid=d62a7d54-5730-48f6-a86f-e4741d955b0b%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4209
-This article goes into discussion regarding the lack of funding for correction services and those in the corrections field. This lack of funding can lead to job loss, pay freezes, and many other things that can create unsafe conditions for professionals in this field. The author of this article was the CEO/President of Safer Foundation, a non-profit to assist people with criminal records in overcoming the barriers they often face.