Although upon entering prison, a prisoner will probably feel detached from society. Once in prison for a certain period of time it is probable that a prisoner will regard the general prison population as their new society. If you think about it, it is like prison is a separate society where there is a social class structure exclusive only to prisoners. For example, someone who maybe of a higher class on the outside could be at the very bottom of the food chain once they hear those prison doors close symbolizing the start of their sentence. Unlike people outside of prison who are expected to follow the laws put in place by the government, prisoners are expected to follow the laws of the correctional system as well. As prisoners they forfeit many of their constitutional rights. A prison can be seen as a society ruled by a totalitarian government. In Colin Goff’s book “Criminal Justice: in Canada” it states that prison is seen as a total institution. The book also states that total institutions have four distinct elements.

I don’t actually know if removing the negativity from prisons is entirely possible. I do however it is worth a shot to give positive re-enforcement a fighting chance. I don’t mean the type of re-enforcement put in place to pretend that things are good to please the critics. I am talking about actual sincere positive measures being taken to help promote rehabilitation and cut off repetitive violent characteristics. It is also possible to at least take an honest look at increasing the use of sentences that can be used in alternatives to prison sentences.

consideration is that although we think mistreatment of prisoners doesn’t affect us we fail to remember that a large percentage of these prisoners who are emotionally removed will eventually be returned to society. The difference that prison could make in a prisoner’s re-adjustment of being placed back into society is huge. If while during the prison term a convict is positively reinforced through different measures it will in most cases create a better outcome for their re-socialization than it would if the prisoner spent the majority of their sentence under negative, hardened rules and lifestyles.

5 Characteristics of recidivists(Wilkins,1969)

In conclusion, other factors involved in the prison life include gambling, the prison economy and corrupt authorities. As a whole prison life creates negativity and anger and helps reinforce criminal mindsets rather than rehabilitate them. The use of alternative sentencing would be effective in seeing which offenders are recidivists before being exposed to prison. In 1936 a man(J.Wend) conducted a study based on 394 recidivists and developed a list of five characteristics that stood true for most of them.

Some topics in this essay:
, Conclusion Alternatives, Prison Study, Colin Goff’s, Arian-white Italian’s, Justice Canada”, Kingston Ontario, Fowell Buxton, Cape Breton, removed society, perceived threat, society placed, loved ones, prison life, society placed prison, prison term, feel crowded, placed prison, federal penitentiary, halfway house, removed society placed, expected follow laws, principles live inmate, example fictional prisoner,