I am focusing on the topic of chronic reoffending in the Baltimore correctional system because I want to find out how the system could be reformed to help my reader better understand how the shortcomings of the justice system influence society as a whole.
I gave some thought to changing my topic, but decided against it. I remembered Dr. King talking about how if you feel lost, you're doing it right, so I figure I need to stay on this path. I'm still not sure how to revise my x-y-z statement to be more concise though.
Here's my idea for a working title:
Failure to Rehabilitate: Examining Criminal Recidivism in Baltimore City
I like that you're going to stick with your topic. I think you could have some awesome findings that would be very beneficial to our knowledge! You could start by defining shortcomings; what are the shortcomings, are they actually shortcomings, who and how was that decided? What are your ideas on reforming and are they realistic for our societal practices, beliefs, and values? Good luck! Keep going, you're off to a great start :)
ReplyDeleteObviously we want a corrections system that stops citizens from re-offending once they are released back into society. I would think that it could be interesting to see why politicians who are supposedly "tough on crime" rarely have policies that prevent crime by actually helping inmates find a place in society. No one actually wants to be a criminal, criminality arises out of desperation, a lot of state funds are wasted on meaningless programs, why is there not a reasonable amount of funding to help those disadvantage focus on finding legitimate pursuits and avoiding a life of crime? Are lawmakers not properly reading into the data on re-offenders and thusly not able to stop criminals from re-offending.
ReplyDeleteAmerica has the highest incarceration rate with no decrease in offenders. Though criminals act out of desperation, it is impossible to magically take away what ails citizens and keep them from offending or reoffencing. In the case of Baltimore jails I've heard the different jails are segregated by gang population, like SuperMax has the crips and out in the boonies they send Bloods. Punishment alone is not enough to combat the swell of people who keep coming into the system. I hope your research can highlight a way this problem can be addressed, or if there were proposed plans, why did they fail.
ReplyDeleteI admire your determination to overcome your doubts and keep your topic. The less there is written about your topic, the more unique your voice.
ReplyDeleteOur high prison rate has unfortunately been a characteristic of our American culture and represents us poorly. I'm sure that you will find lots of quantitative data showing that our justice system is not working properly and theories about the prison-industrial complex are plausible. These sources will be help your paper maintain scientific objectivity, but I would also find sources of literary analysis in mainstream culture.
Find certain, news articles, television programs, movies and music from a certain artist or time period that comments on the prison system. Citing samples where the mainstream media is affected by the high incarceration rate will bring a perspective on the issue that studies by social scientists have overlooked
I liked this topic since the first time you read it to the class. I think it is very interesting and important for us as a society to think about. How could our justice system change to make its citizens act better, instead of making them make the same mistakes over and over? This is very awesome and I think it will make a great paper.
ReplyDeleteI like this topic a lot. It is not something that i know a lot about but i have often wondered why inmates who have paid their debt to society aren't really given a chance to integrate back into society? If no one gives them a chance of course they are going to reoffend because they are going to go back to what they know best.
ReplyDeleteI remember a few years back hearing a news report about a man who "robbed" a bank so that he could get arrested and put in jail because being in jail meant he had a roof over his head, food for every meal, and could get medical treatment for an illness he had no insurance for.
ReplyDeleteI think this sets a very bad example of correctional facilities, although he may not have been a repeat offender, he attempted to cheat the system for health benefits he was not receiving outside of prison.
I am interested in what points you choose to focus on, what kinds of activities should they be allowed in jail, should they be treated better than the majority of the homeless people in the United States, and how can they effectively return to society and not repeat the actions that originally got them into this predicament.
It is great that your topic is within only Baltimore, since I am sure looking at the entire correctional system of the US would be worthy of a whole book. Your X-Y-Z statement is definitely headed in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteSuch an interesting topic, that isn't discussed enough. I was unaware of the problem of repeat offenders because I simply have never really focused on this subject. A flawed system should be corrected. It would be very interesting to see the problems that cause this repetition.
ReplyDeleteI think this topic is really interesting, mainly because I have never really put any thought into a subject like this. I never knew that there was a whole cycle for repeat offenders ending back up in jail or whatnot. I would maybe ground your topic more by even narrowing it down to a specific gender (I think it would make it really interesting, but then again, it is totally up to you), but I'm not sure if there is a difference between men and women and this pattern or cycle you speak of.
ReplyDeleteI am so happy you chose this topic. I for one thinks the justice system sucks. There are too many innocent people being put to death before being heard out. I hope your paper inform alot of people. Great topic!
ReplyDeleteYour topic jumps at me because I wonder how we can fix the justice system to help the re-offenders get out of this cycle. The system obviously has not been working for years yet there is no clear cut way to change it and the problem just persists.
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