CRJU 303: Corrections – Theory, Policy and Practice (Week 2, Lecture 1)

flashcards covering definitions, concepts, and key arguments from the Week 2 lecture on punishment, Durkheim, Sered, and the corrections system.

What is punishment?

The act of imposing a penalty in response to wrongdoing; can be formal (laws/courts) or informal (parents, peers); includes retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, incapacitation, and restoration.

Five goals of punishment

Retribution, Deterrence, Rehabilitation, Incapacitation, and Restoration.

Formal vs informal punishment

Formal punishment comes from laws and courts; informal punishment comes from family, friends, peers (e.g., time-outs, chores, parking tickets).

Retribution

Punishment that is deserved and meant to repay the offender for wrongdoing (often summarized as “eye for an eye”).

Deterrence

Punishment intended to discourage the offender and others from committing future crimes.

Rehabilitation

Punishment focused on changing the offender’s behavior or mindset to prevent recidivism.

Incapacitation

Removing the offender from society to prevent further crime.

Restoration

Repairing harm to victims and communities and restoring relationships where possible.

Durkheim on crime

Crime is normal and functional in society; punishment highlights societal rules and unites communities through shared outrage.

Punishment as social control

Using punishment to maintain social order and enforce norms within a community.

Criminal punishment

The most formal type of social control, addressing the most serious behaviors through the state.

Corrections system (definition)

The range of programs, services, facilities, and organizations that manage people who have been accused or convicted of criminal offenses (e.g., probation, jail, prison, parole).

Systems framework components

Goals; Interconnectedness; Environment; Feedback; Complexity.

Difference between prison and jail

Prison: institution for those convicted of crimes (usually felonies). Jail: holds pretrial detainees and sentences misdemeanants for periods longer than 48 hours; usually county-run.

The Big Three in corrections

California, Florida, Texas.

Most common correctional client

Probation is the largest correctional client; many people are on probation.

US incarceration rate per 100,000

565 inmates per 100,000 residents.

Total under correctional control in the US

About 5.5 million people; more than half are on probation.

Racial disparities in correctional facilities

White people are underrepresented; Black, Native, and Latino people are overrepresented in prisons and jails.

Global share of incarcerated population

The United States holds the largest share of the world’s incarcerated population; about 1 out of 5 incarcerated people globally are in the U.S.

Sered’s main argument (2019) about violence

Violence is normalized in American society; mass incarceration is not the solution and can worsen violence; a road to repair is needed.

Core causes of violence per Sered

Shame, isolation, exposure to violence, and economic deprivation.

Road to repair components

Understand historical/systemic roots; support survivors; hold perpetrators accountable; address root causes of violence and racism.

Corrections myths: high US crime rates

Myth: high crime explains mass incarceration; Reality: the U.S. imprisons far more people per capita than Europe, even with comparable or lower crime rates.

Corrections growth since 1970s

Beginning in the early 1970s, there has been nearly four decades of uninterrupted growth in corrections (jails, prisons, probation, parole).