Community corrections Essay

Community Corrections: Protecting Neighborhoods and Preventing Crimes

Community corrections are actions that help to protect the neighborhood’s residents and prevent further illegal activity. It is important to evaluate the recent crime that was committed as well as the likelihood that the offender will conduct new crimes. The community’s punishment for criminal activity has become crucial to the juvenile and adult judicial systems.

Examples of Community Punishment Programs

Probation and parole are examples of community punishment programs. A program known as parole or probation prohibits the offender from acting independently in order to keep them on the correct path to achieving their objectives and breaking the cycle of crime in their lives. (Alarid, 2016). Restitution is also a community correction method whereby the offender is ordered by the court to repair or repay for all the damages his crime cost the community or whoever he offended. House arrest also is a method frequently used by law enforcers, where the criminal offender is not allowed to move around willingly or leave the house unless for approved activities by the court or work. Lastly, there is community service; this is when the criminal is ordered to work for the community without payment as a way of repaying the general community for the offense you committed.

Distinguishing Community Correction from Punishment

It is proper to recognize that it is separate from punishment because even as the word suggests it is a way of correction and not punishment, to comprehend community correction (Hanser, 2013). By giving penalties, the society will be showing disapproval of certain behaviors like theft or sexual offense and to ensure that the offenders deter from any future violation or others to perform any similar acts of crime, punishment is social retribution for an act that is considered wrong. However on the other hand, correction is majorly a way to correct an unlawful act, by seeking to show offenders that certain behaviors are wrong and will lead to bad consequences with other behaviors being a substitute for criminal activities. Alternatives are offered in community corrections instead of incarceration of juveniles and criminal adults, the methods used in community corrections can prove to be quite cost effective in achieving rehabilitation and control (Hanser, 2013). Offenders should know that it is for their well-being to remain in your community as to avoid the adverse effects of imprisonment and enhance their rehabilitation in a controlled, supervised environment, where they can repair and repay any damages they have cost directly to the community as opposed to just doing time in prison. Advocates of community correction argue that with the offenders eventually coming back to the community after incarceration, it is providing supervision and punishment in the community ensures that the criminals work and receive treatment in the same social environment that they must live in even after they are free (Alarid, 2016). By taking these measures into consideration, the offender’s adjustment to the community after release from the justice system is enhanced, thereby reducing the probability of the offender to offend again.

Jurisdiction and Responsibility

The state or local governments have the jurisdiction on community correction while in other jurisdiction they share the responsibility, although the community correction programs are increasingly under private companies that are subcontracted by the local and state government. The methods of community correction can be used either for first-time offenders to ensure they do not become second-time offenders or even offenders who are already incarcerated except federal offenders, enhance supervision and achievement of set goals.

References

Alarid, F. L. (2016).Community-based corrections. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Hanser, D. R. (2013). Community corrections. Atlanta, GA: SAGE.