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Annotated Bibliography: Rehabilitation
Many people argue that offenders do not deserve rehabilitation and they should be
humanely contained with sentencing focused on retribution rather than treatment. However,
offenders rarely commit crimes because they are unable to control themselves or seek to wreck
other people’s lives intentionally for self thrilling purposes. Usually crimes are committed
because of lack of necessary capabilities, resources, and opportunities. The prison population has
rates of mental illness as high as three times the national average. Although incarceration can
seem reasonable for certain crimes, sentences are still often too lengthy and offenders are likely
to recommit crimes because basic needs are still not being met. My research will be looking into
rehabilitation as a replacement for punishment or to coincide with a punishment. Are there other
methods like rehabilitation to better offenders to prevent them from committing future crimes?
Can rehabilitation be effective and beneficial for offenders during a sentence or post sentence? Is
there any type of effective rehabilitation programs in place in the corrections setting that are
successful? The sources in the following research adequately address these questions directly and
provide insight to rehabilitation for offenders.
Benson, E. (2003, August). Rehabilitate or punish? Monitor on Psychology.
https://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug03/rehab.
Since the 1970’s psychologists have generated literature documenting the importance of
child abuse, poverty, early exposure to substance abuse, and other risk factors for criminal
behavior. Between 15 and 20 percent of people in prison are mentally ill. From these
findings, an individual centered approach to crime prevention needs to be complemented
by community-based approaches. The 1973 Stanford prison experiment, was a clear
demonstration of the power of the prison environment to shape behavior often to the
detriment of both prisoners and prison workers. When work programs, education, and
psychotherapy are correctly implemented, an offender can have an easier time assimilating
back into society. Psychologist Craig Haney, has found how many prisoners and super max
units experience negative emotions as well as extremely high levels and anxiety through
his research. When these prisoners are released usually without a decompression. In a type
of lower security facility, they have very few skills to have any kind of success in the
outside world. According to Hanley, “This is what prison systems do under emergency
circumstances they move to punitive social control mechanisms… [But] it’s a very short-
term solution, and one that may do more long-term damage both to the system and to the
