Alternatives to Simple Incarceration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Alternatives to Simple Incarceration - Essay Example Keeping such a large number of people in confinement is proving to be a financial strain on governments. Many first time offenders and people like Joe Jones who are not a threat to public safety can be safely integrated into the society under supervision. This will definitely save a lot of tax payer's money and will contribute positively to the rehabilitation of the offender. Having seen many people like Joe Jones during my tenure, I feel that it is high time for an alternative to be introduced into the system. A system can be devised which will take into consideration the public's point of view, the concerns of the government and the situation of the offender. Paramount focus should be given to public safety. For this an Electronic Monitoring Program1 can be introduced so that the offender will be under surveillance 24 hrs a day. This can be affected by fitting the offender with a tamper sensitive ankle or wrist device, which along with the telephone line will keep the authorities informed about the whereabouts of the offender. Public safety can be ensured by this step. ... Moreover this system can reduce recidivism (Joan Petersilia, Minimizing Harm as a Goal for Crime Policy in California, http://www.ucop.edu/cprc/rubin.html). One California study has shown a two third decrease in crime rates after implementing such a program. Not only should the offenders be put under surveillance, but they should be subjected to rehabilitative treatments (in the case of substance abusers), employment programs, easy access to specific types of counselling etc. They should even be encouraged to further their studies in course of the probationary period. This will definitely help in their reintroduction into society. Another advantage is that these programs will keep the offenders busy, leaving them with no or very little time to get lured back to crime. Joe Jones Joe Jones wants to make amendments for his actions and put all of this behind him. I will present him with the alternate program where he will not have to spend time in prison, but attend employment programs, offer community services etc, while having the option to further his studies. Since he wants to repay his victims, he may draft a letter to each of them, apologizing for his actions and conveying his sincere wish to repay them. I myself will have to explain to the victims the reason for Joe not spending time in prison. I will have to explain how the issue of public safety has been addressed in this program. Also how this program will benefit Joe Jones and in due course the victims themselves, when Joe will finally be able to repay them. Public awareness of the Alternative Program is very important for the success of the program. So enlightening the victims about the course of action taken against the offender is an integral part of successfully

Where Are We with the US Recession Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Where Are We with the US Recession - Essay Example The whole of the viewpoints as presented in the article are based on the indications of two different definitions of recession. The first definition is based on the indication of contraction of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in two consecutive quarters. The second definition of a recession is in accordance with the system developed by National Bureau Economic Research (NBER) which is based on the contraction of employment, industrial production, real sales and real income in the economic cycles whose dates are as declared by the Bureau. Â  As analyzed by the authors, as per the first system, the recession in the United States had not begun till that date. The Gross Domestic product graph showed an upward trend in the first quarter of 2008, which accounted for 0.6 percent. This trend was in continuation with similar growth trends indicated in the last quarter of 2007. Though the article envisaged a downward trend by the end of the second quarter, this may be reversed in the third quarter as the consumption of the tax rebate cheques issued by the Bush government would take effect by this period. Â  In the second methodology the National Bureau Economic Research uses monthly indicators from the national accounts against the variables of employment, industrial production, real sales and real income to determine the actual dates of economic cycles and this system thus becomes more inclusive of minute details than in the case of the first methodology which only considers GDP trends whose frequency is quarterly. This allows the freedom to declare recession without the concurrent occurrence of GDP contraction, as happened in 1960 and 2001.The authors of the article also describe the non- predictive nature of this methodology as NBER declares a recession only after six months of the actual start of the recession.