There exists a wide range of sentencing options for an offender within the criminal justice system. The correction facilities such as jails, community correction centers, probation centers, and prisons have evolved over time and are continuing to evolve with the advancement in human rights and the technology. This research paper seeks to discuss the trends in the sentencing processes and the justice correction system in the past, present, and future of prisoners in these systems (Taylor, 2014). Notably, corrections facilities for the criminal offenders have been in existence since time immemorial and have continued to evolve as a result of dynamic changes in societal values and norms over time. These corrections pertain to both government institutions for criminal justice and the community facilities that have correctional programs for the offenders. The trends in past, present, and future of the development of institutional correctional facilities and the community-based centers differ slightly despite the fact that these facilities have common goals of changing the criminals to be productive members of the society.
Comparing the trends in operation of correctional facilities between the present and decades ago, some practices have not changed despite the numerous structural changes in the system. However, the form of correction on the offenders has greatly changed compared to the past methods of reforming a criminal. The past conditions in the prison systems were inhuman since the prisoners were mistreated and starved despite the capital punishment and manual labor they provided (Latessa & Smith, 2015). However, the physical capital punishment has been significantly reduced in the present as the justice correction facilities are focusing on influencing the mindset of criminals to change their attitudes and behaviors. In the future, the justice correction systems and the community-based programs are expected to change completely and focus on the mentality of criminals instead of the physical form of punishment.
- Latessa, E. J., & Smith, P. (2015). Corrections in the Community. Routledge.
- Taylor, R. (2014). Juvenile justice: Policies, programs, and practices. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.