Probation and Life in Prison Essay

ProbationIn the early days of our country, severe punishments were lots meted let on with little regard to the seriousness of the offense. There was no such thing as existence sentenced to probation in the 18th deoxycytidine monophosphate. The concept of probation, or giving a convicted vicious a chance to redeem himself without serving time in prison house, was first of all introduced in 1841 by John Augustus. In August of that year, Augustus obdurate to try a radical approach with a man convicted of being drunk and disorderly.The man swore to Augustus that he would change his ways if only he did non have to serve time in the raise of Correction. Augustus believed the man and he posted bail. Augustus went on to help others in the same fashion and eventually became regarded a private angel and guardian of men convicted of crime (Friedman, 1993, 162). Massachusetts was the first enjoin to stiffly sleep together this option in criminal sentencing in 1878 with the remaini ng states following suit throughout the rest of the century and onto into the early part of the 1900s.It would take some fine-tuning to bring probation up to its current standards. Early probation officers enjoyed no formal training and many states were without prerequisites for passing this form of sentencing. In the early years, probation was often given in transfer for a guilty plea or so often to married men, those who held jobs and exhibited no app arnt vices. Judges utilise the sentence of probation prodigiously for several(prenominal) decades.It was only in the 1980s, when the public clato a greater extentd for stiffer penalties, that probation lost favor. In 1986, only 28% of male felony defendants were awarded probation as compargond to nearly half of those convicted in 1970 (Friedman, 1993, 409). Probation initially became popular as the thrust of the heavy scheme shifted from focusing on the what (the crime) to the who (the criminal) and how to best reform the offend er (Friedman, 1993, 168). More recently, the focus has become a bit more equally fixed on both preventing the crime and rehabilitation of the criminal.Today, offenders on probation ar closely monitored by correctional officers through surveillance in the fellowship. Often, some sort of restitution is as intumesce as involved with the goal of making the offender accountable and responsible in order to rejoin the community without potential further risk (Jones, 2). This option allows the offender to serve a sentence under house arrest and maintain a job rather than be integrated into the prison system, which is already labored to its limit. The level of supervision varies based on the crime committed. For those convicted of drug charges, a more constant monitor system is used, often electronic. Another alternative is to use a combination of prison time and th actors line release/community service (Jones, 3).Probation is often used as a soma of plea negotiate for a lesser sente nce in exchange for information or a guilty plea. invocation bargaining came about as a quick, and cheap way, to move defendants through the legal system and probation helps to trammel minor criminals out of jail.The concept of probation has evolved in many ways since its inception in the 1800s but it still incorporates the integral idea of giving a convicted criminal a degree of trust.Prison livelihood Comparison and Contrast with Life in General SocietyAccording to the dictionary, the definition of a prison is A ramble for the confinement of persons in lawful detention, especially persons convicted of crimes a place or condition of confinement or forcible restraint or a state of imprisonment or captivity. Prisons first came about as a means of correctional punishment. In colonial times, punishment was often a way to shame the criminal in public putting someone in prison did not have the same effect as putting him or her out in public side to submit to shame and scorn. When p rison was used for sentencing, jail terms were usually short and in most cases less than 30 days. It was not until the 1800s that prisons were built in more abundance and courts used them for sentencing on a regular basis.Today prison systems vary widely according to level of security and the state in which they ar located. The aim of each and every one is still the same, however, and that is to deprive a convicted criminal of freedom.For a prisoner there is no freedom of picking. He is told when to wake up in the morning, when it is repast time, when to work on, when to exercise, when to go to bed. There are no food choices or menus and the prisoner must both course what is given him or go hungry. No comforts of home await him in his cell the prisoner is lucky to be able to have a selection of books and perhaps a photo or devil to keep him company. At night, lights are worked off at a particular time. cellular phone checks can be performed at any time of night or day.There is no seclusion for bathing or bodily functions. The prisoner is unable to have any items that are not approved by the system. He overly has no choice regarding a cell mate unless undue personnel forces a cell change. Most prisons do not allow televisions or even radios as forms of sport even when they are allowed there is no satellite or cable attached and no choice of programming. The work program is enforced in many prisons with prisoners being allocated to do jobs that benefit the community or provide food or clothing for the system. Any luxury items must be earned and compensable for with pitifully low wages.In comparison, life in general society is full of choices. As a free citizen, people in this country are allowed to prefer where they live, where they work, what they eat and what they do. There are no proscribed times in which they are forced to do anything and if they are unhappy at their job, they are allowed to quit and find work elsewhere.The times in which fre e citizens awaken in the morning and go to bed at night are at their own discretion if someone wishes to never turn out the light and stay up all night, he may do so. He has the cogency to go out and purchase items at will, as needed or desired. The private citizen can choose to live as he wants whether that be in clean or messy surroundings, in a house filled with knick knacks and furniture or a more austere setting. Entertainment options abound. In short, zipper short of illegal activity is prohibited for a free citizen.Whether in prison or out in general society, there are still rules made by our national and state governments to be abided by and morals which govern our actions. In prison it is more closely monitored while in general society citizens do not warrant such close supervision. As well, people in all situation must earn what they have. Loss of freedom is the biggest difference between living in prison or living outside.Contrast and Comparison of Georgia and Florida State PrisonsIn the Georgia state prison system, the dormitories shown are used for housing groups of prisoners who bespeak minimal security. Rows of bunk beds are stacked two tall and furnished with a thin blanket and take a breather. A box beneath the bunk is the only place for personal items. The lighting is industrial and the flooring is utilitarian and easy to keep clean. It is surprising that there is a wide expanse of windows. Other than the addition of appliances and counters, the prison kitchen looks much the same as the dormitory. It looks to be well stocked, much as a large commercial kitchen might be furnished. The health intake sweep is set up like a school room with rows of small wooden desks headed by a larger desk manned by a prison employee.The state of Georgias correctional system offers a boot camp, a diversion center, probation detention, and transitional centers in addition to the state prisons. The state runs several farms, which provide all the food for t he prisoners incarcerated at the low cost of $1.51 per prisoner per day.The Florida state prisons use a traditional cell configuration built in two stories overlooking a central corridor as well as the dormitory concept. According to the website, most of the Florida correctional facilities use dorm housing. The bunks in these dorms are not stacked but are situated individually in rows. A row of small, highschool windows lines one wall while fluorescent lighting illuminates the area.Cells house either one or two men and have two cots that pull down from the wall with a thin blanket and pillow on each. There is one small window in the exterior wall and a particularise door. A sink and open toilet are the only other furnishings. Death row cells are even more sparse and small with a total size of 6 x 9 x 9.5. They have no window and a barred entrance. Death row cells are put together for only one person.The majority of inmates in the Florida state correctional system are enrolled in either a substance abuse program, a vocational education or adult education program. They also participate in Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises or Prison Industry Enhancement work programs. Inmates also grow some of their own food and both prison systems seem to be doing a good job of keeping food costs down through farming their own vegetables.The two prison systems are similar in their housing set ups. Cells and dormitories are sparse and barren. both(prenominal) systems require prisoners to be involved in production of the food used within the facilities and offer work programs. Both Florida and Georgias state systems offer probation and transitionary facilities.The Florida state correctional system has more programs available and more options for rehabilitation of prisoners. The Georgia system seems to offer more minimal security facilities although they did not have a virtual tour of anything other than dormitories posted on their website and they mo st certainly house death row inmates. Georgias website is set up more for the convenience of family members of those incarcerated while the Florida website focuses more on the laborious facts of prison life as a deterrence measure.While both states offer model facilities for incarceration of criminals, neither system looks particularly inviting or homey.ReferencesFriedman, Lawrence M (1993). Crime and Punishment in American History. raw York HarperCollins Publishers.Jones, Calvin. Alternatives to Standard Methods of Incarceration. Florida discussion section of Law Enforcement. Retrieved November 8, 2007 from the FDOLE Web siteVirtual Prison Tour. Georgia Department of Corrections. Retrieved November 8, 2007 from the GDOC Web site http//www.dcor.state.ga.us/AboutGDC/VRTour.html.