Essay On Philosophy Of Rehabilitation

When most people think about the concept of state sponsored corrections, the first thing that usually comes to mind is jails and prisons. The next though may very well be that the jails and prisons are where the state puts people, who have committed crimes, to punish the offender and protect society. These thoughts and ideas are all correct in some ways. What most people do not know is that a form of state sponsored corrections has been in existence since the time of Hammurabi in the 18th century B.C.E. (Mays & Winfree, 2009). Once it has been brought to their attention, most people will have heard Hammurabi Code, which in its basic form is, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. What most people do not understand is the philosophies …show more content…
The idea of whether or not rehabilitation in prison really works, depends on who you ask, or what statistics you read. From my experience, as a career law enforcement officer, my first thought on this subject would be that no, rehabilitation in prison does not work. I have arrested numerous offenders during my career, and many of them were repeat offenders who had previously spent time in prison. That is my first thought, and for many offenders, this may be true, although I know some who have done well since their release. One in particular, went to prison on a drug charge, and he turned his life around, and has been drug, and crime free since his release. With this in mind, I would have to say that the idea of rehabilitation, and its effectiveness, depends on the offender in question. While the philosophy of rehabilitation may work, depending on who you ask, the next philosophy of punishment, isolation, does serve its