Assignment Question
Answer the following questions in 8-10 sentences each.
In your own words, explain what the phrase “widening the net” means. What might be some of the unintended consequences of increasing the number of offenders who are supervised by corrections officers in the community? How does the process of prisonization differ between male and female inmates? Discuss the four basic philosophies for sentencing criminals. Which of these philosophies do students most identify with? Are there any that students disagree with? Which of the four do students think is most consistently applied in our correctional system today? Discuss the difficulties that female officers face in a male correctional facility. Do you think that female officers should work in male prisons? Why or why not? Discuss which type of offenders should be under intensive supervision. Which offenders are more likely to get caught doing something illegal: offenders under intensive supervision or offenders under normal probation? Explain. Suppose that the U.S. Congress passed a new law that punished shoplifting with a mandatory eighty-five-year prison term. What would be the impact of the new law on shoplifting nationwide? Would such a harsh law be justified by its deterrent effect? What about imposing a similarly extreme punishment on a more serious crime—a mandatory sentence of life in prison for, say, drunk driving? Would such a law be in society’s best interest? Why or why not?