Prison Term Policy Recommendation Essay

The evolution of criminal justice is to reform laws for the reason for providing protection to law-abiding citizens. Individuals that have commit crime will accept punishment for said crime when prosecuted and convicted under the court of law. Prison policies implement punitive actions for certain crimes committed, which assist the courts in sentencing accordingly. Prison policies are designed to keep violent criminals incarcerated, and possibly deter future crime. Individuals convicted of certain crimes may face lengthier sentences than that of a convicted criminal which is currently serving his or her sentence for the same crime committed in a different era. The reason for the difference in sentencing is that prison policies are constantly reforming. Therefore, prison policies pertaining to individuals convicted of armed robbery are under review, like all bills to be passed there is constant prohibition. Robbery occurs when property from a person, place, or bank is taken by force. Armed robbery is using a type of weapon to take possession of something, which results as more of a serious crime than robbery. According to â€Å"Criminal Pages† (2011), â€Å"Armed robbery is the taking of said property, but with the use of a firearm or other taking of said property, but with the use of a firearm or other weapon. Just by including a weapon in a particular robbery crime, a robbery can be viewed with a lot more seriousness.† Even if the person who committed the robbery mentions a weapon or uses a fake weapon can still be charged as committing armed robbery, and the crime is considered to be a felony. The amount of time an individual can receive incarcerated solely depends on the states tolerance for said such crime as well as the ruling from the presiding judge. The bill to be voted on is to double the maximum sentence for criminals convicted of armed robbery. Before voting on the bill, it will be a good idea for legislature officials to review the stat istics of armed robbery compared to normal robbery crimes. Citizens also have the right to be informed of the possible changes and can have his or her voices be heard toward the bill. The only consideration that must be carefully reviewed and express is the prison policy would enforce only to those who commit  robbery with a weapon in intent to harm others. Murder investigations are tied to armed robbery because the robbery was out of hand, and as a result ended with the murder or injury of victim. â€Å"The preliminary investigation has revealed that just after 9:00 p.m., three armed suspects enter the home. The suspects took various properties from the home’s occupants. Simons then arrived at the home a short time later and attempted to flee after seeing the armed suspects. At least one of the suspects shot Simons as he was trying to flee† (Criminal Pages, 2011). This bill will be good for the public by giving them security, and acquiring the public trust in the criminal justice system. The bill will also allow the judicial system to attach long sentences, and keep the violent criminal offenders in prison for the duration of their sentence. Many others would vote against the bill because first time offenders should deserve a second chance if no injury or death was a result of the robbery. With arm robbery, the second change should not apply because a weapon was used and that shows the intention of using it. A second chance should be considered if the crime is conducted by a juvenile because a juvenile has time to change, and deserves help from rehabilitation services. The recommendation as a criminologist, the state legislator would prefer to not vote for the bill governing the double maximum prison sentence for convicted armed robbery. The possible reasons for not voting in favor of the bill are based on a ethical corrupt foundation by which incarcerating an individual for half if not three quarters of their life for armed robbery is not ethical because people can be reformed, and rehabilitated. For some individuals convicted of armed robbery do it for survival, a means to an end and many convicted offenders of such said crime disclose they did not intend to hurt anyone. If murder was intended, the offender can be convicted with high possibilities of receiving a double maximum sentence. The sentence will attempt to punish the convicted criminal through incarceration, counseling by teaching the convicted offender a valuable lesson, and would attempt to provide justice to the victim or victims through restorative justice. The bill would be very ineffective for the reason for increasing maximum sentence has a poor affect in deterring criminals. Butterfield (2011), â€Å"Despite the prison-construction boom of recent years, the rate at which inmates released from prison committed new crimes actually rose from 1983 to 1994, suggesting  that the increased number of criminals put behind bars has not been an effective deterrent to crime, according to a Justice Department study released today.† Convicted criminals released from prison often commit the crime again. According to â€Å"Crime in America† (2010), â€Å"Most former convicts were rearrested shortly after getting out of prison: 30% within six months, 44% within a year, 59% within two years and 67% by the end of three years† (2002 Study). Therefore, the bill to double maximum sentence for armed robbery will be ineffective and should be denied. Prison policy writing comes in a form of a bill that must be voted on by the state legislator. The bill to be voted on is the maximum sentence for armed robbery should be doubled. The proposal of the bill will provide society with an advantage of incarcerating the criminal that allegedly commit armed robbery. The incarceration of violent offenders that commit armed robbery will provide some closure to the victims. Doubling maximum sentence for convicted criminals that have committed armed robbery is considered inhumane by the criminal society, especially for first time offenses. The bill will be considered an ineffective deterrent because repetitive offenders are usually sent back to incarceration. References Criminal Pages. (2011).Armed Robbery Charges. Retrieved from: http://www.criminalpages.com/criminal-records-classification/felony/felony-charges/armed-robbery-charges/ Criminal Pages. (2011). Armed robbery leads to homicide. Retrieved from: http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/crime_checker/baltimore_city_crime/armed-robbery-leads-to-homicide/ Butterfield, F. (2011). Prison Boom Has Not Deterred Crime, Report Suggests. Retrieved from: http://threehegemons.tripod.com/threehegemonsblog/id30.html/ Crime in America. (2010). Percent of Released Prisoners Returning to Incarceration. Retrieved from: http://crimeinamerica.net/2010/09/29/percent-of-released-prisoners-returning-to-incarceration/