Reference no: EM133921112

Assignment:

How does the corrections system in VA reflect the historical and current trends, challenges, and ideologies that have developed in U.S. corrections?

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

1. U.S. Corrections: In this section, you will introduce your paper, explaining how the paper will progress and answering the following questions about the history of corrections in the United States:

• Corrections Background: Define American corrections, including its importance, purpose, and the overall organization of the federal corrections system in the United States today.
• Major Legal Milestones: Discuss in general terms three major legal milestones that have influenced the U.S. corrections system, explaining how each milestone helped form the system we see today.
• Ideologies of Punishment: Describe the major ideologies for punishment that have been used in the United States, focusing in on their key differences. In other words, what are the major philosophies of corrections that have been used in the United States, and how are they different from one another?
• Theoretical Underpinnings: Describe the theoretical basis of each of the major ideologies for punishment and discuss which ideology (or ideologies) you think would best fit the U.S. corrections system today. How so?
• Influence on the System: Determine the influence of the law, and the influence of the ideologies for punishment, on the U.S. corrections system and its overall function as they relate to each other. In other words, how have the major legal milestones and the different ideologies for punishment influenced each other, and in turn, today's system? Use information from the course and examples to support your conclusions.

2. State Analysis: In this section, you will focus in on your selected state's corrections system, philosophies, and populations. This section will inform the next section of your analysis, in which you will draw connections between your chosen state and the U.S. corrections system as a whole.

• State Organization: Analyze the organization of your chosen state's corrections system, its facilities, and its associated programs to discern its overall function. How do the various pieces work together in your chosen state?
• State Ideology: Determine which ideology (or ideologies) for punishment the state holds based on your analysis of its function. In other words, what does the system's organization and function say about what ideology for punishment the state most closely identifies with? Explain.
• Corrections Populations: Analyze the demographic information of the corrections populations in your chosen state. Specifically, list out the demographic information for important populations in the state's system, such as parolees, inmates, and corrections officers, and then explain any patterns you see in the information.

3. State Patterns and American Trends: In this section, consider the organization, function, and populations in your chosen state's corrections system and relate it to the overall trends facing corrections in the United States.

• Population Trends: Draw connections between the demographic patterns you discerned in the previous section and trends occurring in corrections populations across the United States. How do the demographic patterns you discussed in the previous section reflect population trends in corrections systems across the United States?
• Management of Offenders: How might these trends relate to the management of offenders and the operation of state and federal corrections facilities? Explain.

4. Law, Ethics, and Conclusions: In this section, apply the previous sections of your analysis to considerations of the ethical and legal responsibilities of corrections professionals.

• Ethical Considerations: Reflecting on the population trends you discussed earlier and considering your own ethical beliefs, explain how your knowledge of corrections populations might influence how you, as a corrections professional, would interact with offenders and their families.
• Legal Boundaries: Describe the importance of legal boundaries regarding a correctional professional's interactions with offenders and their families based on what you have learned in this course.
• Conclusions: Summarize the key points of your analysis and discuss how your analysis of your chosen state's system and the corrections system in the larger United States has influenced your view of the role and evolution of corrections, the importance of adhering to legal and ethical boundaries, and your future as a corrections professional.