Prison Term Policy Recommendation Essay

As the criminologist advisor to a member of the daddy state legislature, I gestate been selected to conduct research for a honker that would twice the maximum prison house condition for any unitary convicted of arm robbery. The snout is ordinary just it is unknown if it allow for do some(prenominal) good. It is my job to corroborate recommendations in regards to whether the bill world voted on will be undecomposed to every oneness in the state of protoactinium.The prison term policies ar sentencing guidelines that be created by Congress and the State legislature to provide decide with bases for sentencing those individuals found discredited of committing a hatred to ensure that each psyche is treated equal without favoritism (sentencing guidelines, 2010). at that place argon four offenses that actualise up what is known as blood-red crime which be murder, forcible rape, robbery, and modify assault. According to the Uniform Crime insurance tiptopage (UCR) Program a tough crime is any crime that involves force or threat of force to otherwises ( discussion section of Justice, 2006). Currently the domain of pascals prison ground for armed robbery atomic number 18 as follows for the first offense of a violent crime a stripped-down of atomic number 23 years, for a second offense of a violent crime a minimum of 10 years, and for the terce offense of a violent crime a minimum of 25 years total task or life imprisonment which is ossification with 42 Pa. C.S. 9714 ( dad burster on Sentencing, 2008). atomic number 91s Uniform Crime inform tracks all forms of robbery to put downher. According to the Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting brass, in 2008 in that location were 18,751 inform robbery offenses which is kindred to 51 per day or one every 28 minutes and 2 seconds (PA UCRS, 2008). These figures showed a decrease of 2.5% from 2007 which had 19,239 tarradiddleed robberies (PA UCRS, 2008). Robbery made up 5.4% of th e crime index finger and 37.2% of the violent crime index in Pennsylvania in the year 2008 (PA UCRS, 2008). The reported robbery place in Pennsylvania in 2008 were 150.6 per 100,000 inhabitants (PA UCRS, 2008). Recidivism is defined as a habitual relapse into crime, which is a occupation that is faced in spite of appearance the criminal judge system. Pennsylvania tracks information on inmates released in order to find the recidivism pass judgment.In 2002 Pennsylvania surgical incision of department of corrections released 1,711 inmates supercharged with robbery and within three years 46.6% re sported to prison, which was a decline from 2000 when 1,776 inmates charged for robbery were released and 52.8% of the inmates returned within three years (PADOC, 2006). A landing field was conducted in Italy in 2006 when the Collective benignity Bill set all inmates with slight than three years remaining on their condemn free however if the inmates were convicted of other crime within the next quintet years, the remainder of their curse would be added onto the saucy sentence. This allowed studies to be conducted to see if long prison terms would deter criminals. Studies showed that increasing the sentence by 50% should reduce recidivism rates by about 35% in seven months (Crime/punishment, 2010). With inmates comes a bill to c everyplace the housing, feeding, and medical equals of each inmate. The cost to rest home a prisoner in the Pennsylvania subdivision of Corrections (PADOC) is $69 per day (Barnes, 2010). In July 2010 the Pennsylvania section of Corrections housed 51,281 inmates, at $69 per day that amounts to $3,538,389 per day or $1,291,151,985 per year (PADOC, 2010).thither atomic number 18 multiple benefits of the bill being passed to double the maximum prison term for those convicted of armed robbery. The study that was conducted in Italy shows that prolonged prison sentences levels the recidivism rates among offenders, which over con demnation would reduce the universe of discourse of the already over populated prisons. The criminals would be off the streets for a yearlong period of snip preventing them from committing prox crimes. Longer prison sentences could be a deterrent for some criminals. Robbery is one of the top two violent crimes affiliated in Pennsylvania and the longer sentence imposed on those criminals may lower the rate of armed robbery however it could cause an emergence in other crimes. If the bill were passed and new prisons built to contain all inmates there would be to a greater extent jobs available such as corrections officers, nurses, doctors, dentists, psychologists, and office personnel. These job openings would not only when assist with job market, but alike with having much(prenominal) tax payers to assist with the cash needed for the realm of Pennsylvania compute.There are similarly multiple disadvantages to the bill being passed to double the maximum prison term f or those convicted of armed robbery. Pennsylvania prisons are overpopulated as it is and by imposing longer sentences the problem is pass to continue to get worse. As discussed earlier the prison population in June 2010 was 51,281 however the occupational bottomland capacity of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is only 43,872 (PADOC, 2010). The prisons are already operate at 116.9% of capacity and by transitory this bill those rates are outlet to increase at a more rapid pace than they already are (PADOC, 2010). As discussed earlier the cost to house an inmate in Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is $69 per day which if this bill is passed a much larger budget is expiry to be required because inmates are going to be housed for a longer period of time. The need may approach for more prisons due to the longer prison terms which would require a much larger budget. With more prisons comes the need for more employees to operate those prisons which also is going to ha ve an effect on the prison budget.Where is the currency going to come from to meet the increase in the budget? The tax payers are the ones that are going to have to start out to make the funding available for the prison system budget. Other crime rates may rise as a domino effect because criminals may turn to other crimes that are known to stick out a lighter sentence if they are caught. If the bill is passed it is not required that judges sentence those convicted of the crime to the maximum sentence. decide are required to look at mitigating and aggravating circumstances when sentencing individuals found unlawful of committing crimes. Judges look at introductory criminal history, personal life situation, was anyone woe during the crime, or sometimes the remorse the person shows toward the crime they committed. This bill could be beneficial in the cases of habitual offenders because there would be stricter sentencing for the first offense rather than having to clench until the second or even third offense.As we all know with any liaison there is pros and cons. There appears to be more cons in this situation than there are pros which should make the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania legislature reduce a second look into whether or not passing this bill is going to be the most beneficial thing for the Commonwealth as a whole. I would find that it would not be beneficial to double the maximum sentence for those individuals charged with committing armed robbery. The evidence shows that it would cost the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania more money to double the sentence for armed robbery. The evidence also proves that close to 50% of people convicted of armed robbery are going to reoffend which is going to bring them back to the criminal justness system and with one offense already committed they will receive a longer sentence the second time around. This also allows for those who are actually receptive of being rehabilitated to have the chance to prove them selves without having to spend 10 years in prison.ReferencesBarnes, T. (2010). Post-Gazette. Pa. sentencing guidelines eyed. Retrieved on haughty 31, 2010 from http//www.post-gazette.com/pg/10002/1025303-454.stmCrime/Punishment (2010). Do stiffer sentences act as a crime deterrent? Retrieved on appalling 31, 2010 from http//crime.about.com/od/prevent/a/deterrence.htm Department of Justice Federal Bureau of investigating (2006). Crime in the United States 2004. red Crime. Retrieved on imperious 31, 2010 from http//www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/offenses_reported/violent_crime/index.html Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing (2008). Retrieved August 31, 2010 from http//pcs.la.psu.edu/guidelines/sentencing/sentencing-statutes-and-programs/related-statutes/mandatory-minimum-sentences/SentMandMin122008.pdf Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (2010). Monthly population report June 2010. Retrieved on August 31, 2010 from http//www.cor.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/ connection/research___st atistics/10669/monthly_population_reports/568195 Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (2006). Recidivism in Pennsylvania State Correctional Institutions 1999-2004. Retrieved on August 31, 2010 from http//www.cor.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/research___statistics/10669/annual_reports/567085 Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting System (2008). Annual Report Robbery. Retrieved on August 31, 2010 from http//ucr.psp.state.pa.us/UCR/Reporting/Annual/AnnualFrames.asp?year=2008 Sentencing guidelines (2010). Retrieved August 30, 2010 from http//www.willdefend.com/CM/Custom/TOCSentencingGuidelines.asp