The Changing Role of Prisons Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
1
Q

Describe ‘imprisonment today’.

A

=> Has not provided to be an effective method of rehabilitation as 2/3 of the prison population go on to re-offend following their release from prison.

=> Since the 1980s, there’s been a move to ‘populist putiveness’ (politicians have called for tougher sentences in order to gain electoral popularity).

=> As a result of ‘populist putiveness’, the prison population has swollen to a record size.

=> Overcrowding has occurred as a result of this; adding to problems of poor sanitation, clothing shortages, lack of education/work opportunities and inadequate family visits.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is meant by the term ‘populist putiveness’?

A

Politicians have called for tougher sentences in order to gain electoral popularity.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What has happened as a result of ‘populist putiveness’?

A

=> Prison population has swollen to a record size.

=> Overcrowding has occurred; adding to problems of poor sanitation, clothing shortages, lack of education/work opportunities and inadequate family visits.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Describe ‘the era of mass incarceration’.

A

=> Garland.
=> Since the 1970s, the number of prisons has risen rapidly.
=> Black Americans are only 13% of the US population, yet they make up 37% of the prison population.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What does Downes argue might be the ideological function of ‘the era of mass incarceration’?

A

The US prison system soaks up around 30-40% of the unemployed, thereby making capitalism appear more successful.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Describe ‘transcarceration’.

A

=> The idea that individuals become locked in a cycle of control, shifting between different carceral agencies throughout their lives.

=> E.g. someone might be brought up in care, and may then be sent to a young offenders institution before they are sent to prison; they may also have periods in a mental hospital in between.

=> Some sociologists see transcarceration as blurring the boundaries between criminal justice and welfare agencies.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Describe ‘alternatives to prisons’.

A

=> Growth in the range of community based controls in recent years, such as curfews, community service orders, treatment orders and electronic tagging.

=> However, numbers in custody have been rising, especially among the young.

=> Cohen argues that the increased range in sanctions available simply enables the control to penetrate even deeper into society.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly