Assignment: Inmates Rights and Special Circumstances
According to the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, one (1) of the founding philosophies of the United States is that each person, citizen or not, is endowed with certain permanent rights. This philosophy extends even to people who have committed crimes that warrant prison sentences. Imagine that you are a commissioner on the Board of State Prison, and you are responsible for making recommendations regarding inmate rights and special circumstances. Use the Internet to research costs that an inmate could incur if he or she chooses to challenge his or her confinement.
Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:
1. Analyze the legal mechanisms in which an inmate can challenge his or her confinement. Support or refute the cost of such challenges to the state and / or federal government. Provide a rationale for your response.
2. Examine the four (4) management issues that arise as a result of inmates with special needs. Prepare one (1) recommendation for each management issue that effectively neutralizes each concern. Provide a rationale for your response.
3. Determine whether the use of super-max housing violates offenders' rights against "cruel and unusual punishment," as guaranteed by the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Justify your response.
4. Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
- Recommend improvements to selected areas of corrections.
- Analyze various issues in corrections, including effective community corrections programs, probation and parole, and reentry strategies.
- Propose specific components of an institutional facility model based on effective management policies and procedures for a specified group of inmates.
- Analyze key issues involved with the correctional staff.
- Use technology and information resources to research issues in correctional facility policies.
- Write clearly and concisely about correctional facility policies using proper writing mechanics.