'Prison Works' Discuss Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

'Prison Works' Discuss - Essay Example the theory utilised in Scottish penal system and a reassessment of the principles used in criminal justice regarding gender, race, discrimination and rehabilitation of offenders. This paper will analyse if Scotland’s existing criminal justice and penology theories and application of these principles in the rehabilitation of offenders are effective in their treatment of prisoners. Prevailing views in the previous decades with regard Scotland’s prison service seem to be fortified by the current data and findings about the ‘inefficacy’ of the Scottish prison system which replete the media and the web. There is an increase in imprisonment, higher that what was posted in the previous years and overcrowding in Scotland’s prison, where many has languished for more than 6 months for minor offences, has become worse and was even described as the most overcrowded in Europe It is predicted that when legislators introduce new laws, the number of prisoners will increase by 14% (CJS 2007). Authorities on this subject contend that Scotland is turning in a punitive society where an increasing number of people are incarcerated, growing from 122 individuals out of 100,000 to 141. Some also question if Scotland has become safer as it plans put more people in jail (CJS 2007) by building more prison facilities while others contend that locking offender s up will not change anything if the criminal justice system is not improved. In addition, data and information, for many, have not improved at all as the studies still showed dismal results similar to those seen during past decades. For instance, in the 1996 data on offenders who sought psychiatric assistance, less that 0.1% of convicted offenders were afforded this service and only 0.5% of the offenders were confined in psychiatric institutions. The use of the insanity bargain is a rare occurrence in Scotland. Yet, mental unfitness is evident in many offenders and the problem lies on the absence of a universal policy which