Alexis Price Malcom Campbell English 1102 Tues/Thurs 3/10/14

Research Project Presentation: The Cycle of Criminality

Insight into the harsh reality of how the prison system cycle is doing our country more harm than good

Introduction
What is a Prison System Cycle?
Prison system cycle is the process of individuals being incarcerated and released back into society only to be re-committed a short time after due to the inability to adapt to the community, get a job, or earn money. Released criminals are forced to return to a life of crime because of joining a gang while in prison or because of their criminal records not allowing them to get a job. They are caught and put back into jail.

Specifically looking at America, professionals are starting to do extensive research on the appalling numbers of prisoners who are arrested and recommitted later on in life. My introduction will include a look into the feelings and life of a typical released criminal who committed a drug-dealing felony. It will give a look into how they have to live after prison and how different their life is.

Source 1: Prisons Evil System

Prison, dehumaniz[es] and deindividualiz[es] inmates, essentially taking away one's need of belonging and safety While in prison, the inmates are cutoff from basic human needs such as touch and socialization which causes them to set in a mindset of more crime. They want to act out in rage. Because of a lack in these basic needs, inmates turn to gangs to form a family. While in these gangs the inmates must perform all activities initiated by the gang leader in order to receive the benefits of love and protection.

Source 1 Importance
This source is a biased and opinionated essay in favor of my stance on the prison system cycle. Although the writing style is more opinionated, it has very good points that can be used in my essay and discusses Zimbardos 2008 study on gang formation in prisons because of the deindividualizing of inmates.

It is effective in persuading the reader to sway towards the authors way of thinking.
This relates to my project by giving good information on the theory of why gangs are so popular inside prisons and how that is a major way for individuals to get involved in trouble that keeps them in prison longer and gets them thrown back into jail after release.

Source 2: Prison Reform

All humans have a thing called human rights, which gives all individuals the right to certain things no matter what happens.

In order to get prisoner reforming to become a top priority in the prison system, the facts of the return of prisoners to jail must be brought up.
We must fix the poverty rate of released prisoners, ability to get a job, healthcare and the detrimental social impact imprisonment has on them. While the inmates are being forced to stay in one area, why not try more forms of rehabilitation to keep them from making the same mistakes. It costs money to provide extra programs and school for the prisoners but it will end up evening out when less and less prisoners return for a second or even third sentence.

Source 2 Importance
This source is just extra information that I want to include in my paper on the ways that prisons can be reformed. I talk a lot about needing to fix things in the prison system in order to stop the cycle of inmates returning after being released, but I never really mentioned ways this could be achieved. It is a credible and reliable source because it is from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. It is a good source for my essay because I need other peoples examples of diferent ways to make prisons a better environment to fix the fixable criminals. Criminals that have committed simple crimes such as stealing, drug-dealing, etc., can be reformed by being given school, a psychiatrist, medicines, and a job. This is an important source because in my rough draft I didnt include these different ways for reforming and these need to be mentioned.

Source 3: Prisons Impact on the 21st Century

Teach prisoners skills on how to reintegrate into modern society. After being held away from the world for a period of time, it is easy to forget how everything works and how to act. Finding a job, that isnt drug dealing or prostitution, is a difficult task for individuals with a criminal record. Prison life becomes the only thing the prisoners know. Without properly preparing prisoners for going back into society, there is a high risk for the community to be harmed. Stealing is a huge issue with released prisoners because they have no other way to get money, food, or shelter. In the long-run, if we dont fix the prison cycle problem now, more and more tax-payer money will be wasted on putting the same individuals back into cells.

Source 3 Importance
This is a scholarly article from a journal on the Impact of Prison systems in the 21st century. It is credible because it has been peer-edited by professionals other than, Mark Mauer. This article will give me a great source to in-text quote from. It makes many good points both in favor and against my view on the prison system cycle and what America can do to fix it. With the arguments against prison reformation, I can back up my argument better by mentioning the problems that might occur with reformation and the money involved. After mentioning This source also includes citations from a bunch of other studies and scholarly articles that I can look through and get facts and opinions from to more significantly form my argument in my essay.

Source 4: The Prison Problem

A lot of times, prisoners have family jail history which makes it easier for them to follow that lifestyle. With hard pasts, many individuals have strayed away from knowing the meaning of right and wrong and begin to only think of themselves and their closest friends and family. They do what they need to survive. Addiction is a huge problem in prison systems and there need to be more rehabilitation groups to stop it.

Because of money issues and denial of basic human rights, sometimes mentally-ill prisoners are looked over. They dont get their prescribed medicine which causes them to go crazy and gets them in more trouble.
There are halfway houses that prisoners stay in and job aid programs available when inmates are released. There should be more of these programs available to ensure that the crime cycle does not continue in the future.

Source 4 Importance
This source is from the Harvard Magazine which is a very well accredited popular source. Harvard is an Ivy League school which gives their magazine a lot of merit. The author is a free lance writer which diminishes her credibility but she includes many, many quotes and examples in her article. This article is more personable and includes way less prison jargon and more ideas and examples that people with no clue what the prison system is like will understand. This article makes me realize that just because I understand what the prison system cycle is and I understand what goes on behind the scenes in prisons, most other people do not, so I need to be specific and explain things in my essay.

Follow-up Ideas and Questions to Research

In my second draft I will write a lot more on reform and how to achieve a good rehabilitation program.
How do some released prisoners get a job, housing, and other things after their prison time and with a record?

Why cant everyone be like the successful released prisoners without spending taxpayer money to rehabilitate them?

Works Cited
Gudrais, Elizabeth. "The Prison Problem." Harvard Magazine. Harvard Magazine Inc., n.d. Web. 12 Mar 2014. <http://harvardmagazine.com/2013/03/theprison-problem>. Mauer, Mark. "Thinking About Prison and its Impact in the Twenty-First Century." Thinking About Prison and it's Impact. Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law. Web. 12 Mar 2014. <http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/inc_osu_reckless.pdf>. Sirvid, Robert Joseph. "Prison's Evil System." Applied Social Psychology. Applied Social Psychology, 03 Mar 2012. Web. 12 Mar 2014. "Why Promote Prison Reform?." UNODC. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Web. 12 Mar 2014. <http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/justice-andprison-reform/prison-reform- and-alternatives-to-imprisonment.html>.