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Presentation: Corrections (Part 2) Transcript

Slide 1

1. Corrections are court imposed programs that allow offenders to serve out their sentences in the community as opposed to being incarcerated.

1. Two major types of corrections in the community are probation and parole.

1. Probation is regarded as a judicial function.

1. Probation is considered a privilege because not all offenders will be sentenced to probation.

1. The objective of probation is to offer offenders an opportunity to prove themselves and rehabilitate without incarceration.

1. There are various types of probation programs. Many are considered intensive supervision programs.

1. Intensive probation programs require closer surveillance for offenders who are considered high-risk.

1. Probation can impose substantial burdens and should not be regarded as a lenient sanction.

1. Offenders are subjected to many costs and fees associated with probation as well.

1. Parole is considered an administrative function as opposed to a judicial function and involves early conditional release from incarceration.

1. The purpose is to release inmates from incarceration and offers a cost-effective solution for the supervision of inmates for the remainder of their sentence.

1. Like probation, parole is conducted in the community.

1. Mandatory release laws require early release of offenders after they have served a specific amount of time incarcerated.

1. Discretionary release requires that a parole board make the determination of eligibility to decide whether or not an offender is released from incarceration.

Slide 2

1. Intermediate sanctions are punishments that allow offenders to remain in the community while on probation and serve as a diversionary tactic in lieu of incarceration.

1. Intermediate sanctions are not necessarily considered true probation; however, they are structured to encourage participants take responsibility for their actions.

1. Community service started in the late 1960s and is a popular form of probation.

1. Community service allocates that offenders complete a specified number of of unpaid labor hours towards a community service.

1. Restorative justice places the responsibility in the offender’s hands. The objective here is to allow the offender to accept responsibility and repair the harms they caused.

1. Often times, this involves participating in mediation, which can help victims heal from trauma.

1. Courts may require monetary compensation for losses experienced by the victim. This is known as restitution.

1. Offenders may also be required to pay a myriad of fines for committing an offense, beyond restitution paid towards victims.

1. Victim-offender mediation is generally considered a part of restorative justice. Victims and offenders will come together to discuss their feelings about the events and give offenders the opportunity to express remorse and apologies for their crimes.

1. House arrest confines offenders to their home and is considered an intensive type of supervised probation.

1. House arrest allows offenders to continue to be gainfully employed and support their families, while at the same time, being punished for their crimes and reducing prison overcrowding.

1. Electronic monitoring uses various technologies to keep track of those on house arrest and other types of intensive-supervised probation.

1. This form of technocorrections may be ordered or for those waiting for trial or for those who are unable to make bail but whereby, temporary incarceration is not overtly appropriate.

1. Shock probation programs utilize short-term incarceration to “shock” offenders.

1. These shock probation programs are considered an intermediate sanction as opposed to a true form of community corrections, because individuals will be incarcerated for short period of time without knowing when they will be released.

1. Generally, offenders will spend anywhere from 30 days to 60 days incarcerated and then be resentenced to another form of probation.

1. Community centers such as day reporting centers and residential community centers, offer a way to supervise offenders.

1. Day reporting centers require that offenders report their daily activities with program staff and are particularly suitable for high-risk offenders.

1. Residential community centers are known as halfway houses. Offenders may be required to enter into a halfway house for a period of adjustment.

1. It is suggested that the structure of this type of community corrections, serves as a mid-point for reentering and readjusting to society.

1. Work-release furlough programs allow inmates to actually be released from prison for the day, so that they can participate in work-for-pay programs and then return to correctional institutions at night.

Slide 3

1. If an offender is found guilty of sex-related crime and released, they will be required to register with their local law enforcement office as a sex-offender, to mitigate ongoing risk to the community.

1. It is important to realize that as far as sex offenders of children are concerned, the majority of children are actually molested by individuals that they know such as a friend, family member, or acquaintance.

1. Only approximately 10% of child molestations occur at the hand of strangers.

1. Sex offender registries began in 1994 after it was discovered that many sex offenders had prior records of sexual offenses.

1. This led to a plethora of federal and state legislation and guidelines that eventually culminated in the establishment sex offender registries and notification, with the passage of the Jacob Wetterling Act (1994) and Megan’s Law (1996), respectively.

1. In 1996, President Clinton signed a federal version of Megan's Law which defined how states could notify the public about sex offenders.

1. Each state requires public notification of general information concerning sex offenders living in the community.

1. In 2005, the state of Florida passed Jessica's Law which was subsequently duplicated in many other states.

1. Jessica’s Law restricts those convicted of sex offenses from living near or around schools, parks, and other areas where children typically might congregate.

1. Some laws permit tracking of sex offenders through GPS (global positioning systems).

1. Laws are in place that require that sex offenders register, whether or not they are on probation or parole.

1. Some states require the offender to remain under the registry for a specific, fixed period of time, whereas other states require the offender to remain on the sex offender registry list, for life.

1. In other instances, states will make individual determinations for how long a sex offender will be required to report and register, based on the circumstances of their offense.

Slide 4

1. Men and women are tempted by sexual sin.

1. Similar to other addictions, this type of sin is not easily resolved.

1. Some people may find that sex offenders are beyond hope and redemption.

1. If we say this, are we too suggesting that God is limited to whom he is able to redeem?

1. As Christians we must be certain that Christ can deliver us from sin and transform how we live. This includes sexual offenders.

1. Although as Christians, this can prove difficult to accept at times, we must believe in the power of Christ to resolve, redeem, and heal all men.

1. Scripture and Biblical law commands us to provide help and assistance to others.

1. If we do nothing at all, in God's eyes, we too are guilty of condoning sex crimes.

1. We should be prepared to provide assistance in the wake of these types of scandals.

1. Remember the sin of crime distinction. Government is called to punish only those sins that are crimes-i.e. violations of alienable rights. Certainly, sexual molestation qualifies as a crime.

1. The Church, meanwhile, is called to preach the Gospel, and in doing so, to offer the good news that though all of us have fallen short, there is still forgiveness of sins in Christ.

1. On the other hand, churches have to be careful to protect children from sexual predators. Background checks on Sunday school workers and related policies are vital, and church leaders must be quick to work with police to deal with child molestation.

1. It should go without saying that doing so not only protects children in the church from harm, but also protects the testimony of the church in the community so that it can continue to effectively preach the Gospel.

1. It is not lawful to blame victims and Christians must not permit victims to experience further humiliation when they have been subjected to sex crimes.

1. Scripture demands that we remain stewards of God and allow Biblical law to govern our societal standards. When Biblical law is followed, violent crime is rare.

References

Masters, R.E., Way, L.B., Gerstenfeld, P. B., Muscat, B.T., Hopper, M., Dusch, J, P., Pincu., L.,

& Skrapec, C. A. (2013). CJ realities and challenges (2nd. ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-

Hill.