Rehabilitation Case

Rehabilitation

In the early 18th century, individuals convicted of a crime were commonly punished physically for his or her crimes. It wasn't until much later that reform minded individuals stepped forth and implemented the alternative method of imprisonment over physical punishment. It was at this point when it was suggested that helping criminals reform rather than physically punishing them might be a solution for some. Inmates were to perform hard labor and take part in Bible study as an early method of reform. These methods would develop over the next two hundred years into what is known as rehabilitation.

The word rehabilitation means to return someone to a prior state. For correctional purposes, rehabilitation is defined as "a programmed effort to alter attitudes and behaviors of inmates, which is focused on the elimination of their future criminal behaviors." The common idea among prisoners, however, is that rehabilitation is a new starting point in his or her life that helps them with restraint. The primary goal of rehabilitation of prisoners is to help him or her return to society at some point and avoid any further criminal activity, also known as recidivism, which makes the idea of rehabilitation a proactive measure. The results of an inmate's rehabilitation in prison are put to the test upon completion of one's sentence or if the inmate is released on parole (Seiter, 2011).

Parole

The term parole is of French origin for the word parol, which means "word of honor." This term was initially used in the 1700s in reference to the release of prisoners of war and later evolved into referencing the conditional release of prison inmates before his or her sentence expired. The idea behind parole is that inmates may be rewarded for good behavior and industrious work with up to a 25% reduction in his or her sentence with what is referred to as "good time." This is in contrast to a mandatory release of inmates, which requires that an inmate serve his or her full fixed sentence or mandatory minimum. These types of sentences are given under certain conditions and do not allow the possibility of parole and are also known as determinate sentences. Individuals who receive a sentence that does not exclude the opportunity for parole receive what is known as an indeterminate sentence. An individual with an indeterminate sentence eventually may be brought for review by the parole board. Upon the approval of the parole board, an inmate will be released from the correctional facility on parole and be required to check in with a parole officer on occasions so that there may be verification that the former inmate is meeting the conditions of his or her parole. This is not unlike the conditions of an individual whose prison sentence was suspended. An individual with a suspended jail or prison sentence are typically sentenced to