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Unit 6 Assignment: Annotated Bibliography

Maegan Gleason

Purdue University Global

CM 220

Professor Paige Erickson

July 21, 2021

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Thesis statement: The use of rehabilitation in prison reform is more efficient than harsh

punishment because it lowers prison re-entry rates battling mass incarceration and reduces the

overall crime rate.

Arbour, W., Lacroix, G., & Marchand, S. (2021, January 7). Prison Rehabilitation Programs:

Efficiency and Targeting. Retrieved July 19, 2021, from SSRN:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3761992

This research analysis paper is published by Cirano, Center for Interuniversity Research

and Analysis on Organizations, a private nonprofit government organization in Quebec. This

paper analyzes the research performed to study the current evidence presenting the need for

prison reform. More specifically this paper focuses on the positive correlation of social

rehabilitation of inmates while incarcerated and “reduced recidivism” by 9%. This analysis also

highlights the need to uniquely identify the inmates’ criminogenic needs for rehabilitation to be

successful.

Ofhani P Musekwa, Tshilidzi M Mulaudzi, James F Takalani & Lufuno Makhado (2021)

Correctional rehabilitation programmes’ effectiveness: A phenomenological study of

recidivists in a South African setting, Journal of Psychology in Africa, 31:1, 102-106,

DOI: 10.1080/14330237.2020.1871234 Retrieved

from:https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2020.1871234

This source is from the Journal of Psychology in Africa and analyzes the effectiveness of

correctional rehabilitation programs in South Africa. This studied comes more from the inmate’s

perspective as the authors interviewed ten parole recidivists on their rehabilitation experiences.

The analysis of the interviews revealed a barrier to the rehab services effectiveness. These
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barriers were identified as “the recidivist perceived attitudinal, behavioral, and programmes’

insufficiency”. To overcome these barriers rehab programs, need to be designed to be flexible to

the variety of recidivists experiences and their willingness to receive the service. The study

proved that rehabilitation services will only be beneficial if they can adapt to the various

individual inmate needs and address them accordingly.

The Sentencing Project. (2020). Criminal Justice Facts. Retrieved July 20, 2021, from The

Sentencing Project: https://www.sentencingproject.org/criminal-justice-facts/

The sentencing project is aimed at fighting mass incarceration and extreme punishments

for both adults and youth in the criminal justice system by pushing for alternative methods and

investing in positive community development. The page I chose to reference from the website is

titled Criminal Justice Facts and is specific to stats for the United States. The imprisonment rate

over the last 40 years has increased by 500%. This has been due to changes legislatively to

sentencing such as the War on Drugs which created harsher and longer sentences on both the

federal and state level for drug related offenses. This increase has caused a negative trend of

mass incarceration and overcrowding, financial burdens federally and state, and no change to

public safety. These have had the most impact on people of minorities, blacks and Latinos.

Reform in the United States has made a slow progress in states such as New York and California,

who have eased drug offense sentencing and the passing of Acts such as the Fair Sentencing Act

of 2010. Further efforts still must be made to lower crime, increase public safety, and allot

resources more efficiently. This can be achieved through changing the focus to treatment,

prevention, and long-term public safety measures.

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Zunkel, E. (2018, March 15). Commentary: We've made progress with criminal justice reform.

This Trump pick could undo it all. Retrieved July 18, 2021, from Fortune:

https://fortune.com/2018/03/15/prison-reform-donald-trump-william-otis/

In this article Zunkel discusses Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Sentencing Commission,

William Otis, and his views on the prison reform. A census of the prison population around the

world reveals that although the U.S. accounts for only 5% of the world’s population, we account

for 22% of the worlds prison population. Also, one in every 28 children of the U.S. has a parent

incarcerated. The article also highlights the reform efforts made in the states of Texas and

Georgia. In Texas efforts were geared towards the drug rehabilitation of drug offences to keep

the out of the prisons and into rehab centers. Over the course of 5 years Texas experienced a

drop in incarceration rates of 10% and the crime rate by 18%. Georgia returned the sentencing

power to the hands of judges and eliminated some minimum drug sentencing statutes. Similar

results occurred, a decrease in incarceration rates, and crime rate reduction of 17%. Slower

progress has been made at the federal level. Representing the conservative Federal Society, Otis

makes his views on prison reform clear stating, “When we have more prison, we have less crime.

And when we have less prison, we have more crime.” The problem with this view as stated by

Zunkel, is that he ignores any of the data that provides information to the contrary, and solely is

basing his decision off fear. One objective of Otis was to overturn the ruling in United States vs.

Booker, which helped to establish the federal sentencing guidelines and put the power of

sentence discretion in the hands of judges. Facts ignored by Otis, 75% of federal inmates are

serving sentences of 5+ years and 50% are serving sentences of 10+ years. Otis’s negligence and

nonchalant attitude towards current ethical issues such as racial disparities substantiate the need

to reevaluate his credibility and fitness to serve in his position.