The main problem that emerges in the department of corrections is what do they do with these criminal offenders. Should they get tough and lock them up and throw away the key in hope that this will serve as an example to potential criminal offenders. Should they just simply lock up the criminals and isolate them from the rest of society. These are valid options that have been previously experimented with in the United States and to a certain extent are still being experimented with. The trouble with these options is that they create sever overcrowding of our prisons, which in turn digs deeper into the pockets of law abiding citizens. On average it cost about $56 per day for each inmate, which is a little over $20,000 a year. (1999 corrections yearbook) The United States prison populati

The better educated a person is then the better the likelihood that the person will get an honest job and earn a living. Cognitive-behavioral therapy programs are another form of effective rehabilitation. Cognitive-behavioral therapies comprise a number of different approaches which attempt to change behavior by changing the dysfunctional ways an individual thinks -- their attitudes, beliefs, and thinking patterns (Porporino, Fabiano, & Robinson, 1991). Mahoney & Lyddon (1988) suggest that there are about 20 different types of cognitive-behavioral therapies which generally fall into two different areas; moral reasoning and development, and information processing. One of the cognitive-behavioral therapy is Moral Reconation Therapy. The Moral Reconation suggests that people with higher levels of morality are able to behave in a way that is accepted by society. Since criminals behave in a way that is not accepted by society then that mean that they have low levels of morality. Moral Reconation tries to improve criminal offenders moral reasoning to reduce their delinquent behavior, thus also reducing recidivism. Moral Reconation Therapy participants had a lower reincarceration rate (41.2%) than control group (56.2%). (Little) Moral Reconation Therapy is effective in reducing the recidivism of offenders.

Rehabilitation was an option that was experimented with back during the progressive era. Inmates were diagnosed with a problem and were treated for that problem during the time that they were incarcerated in the event that they may rejoin society. Society needs to invest more of their tax dollars in rehabilitation programs than in prisons. In these programs and sanctions there has to be some type of treatment involve that will p

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