{"id":85886,"date":"2018-04-29T23:24:07","date_gmt":"2018-04-30T03:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sentencing.net\/?p=85886"},"modified":"2019-11-06T10:55:13","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T15:55:13","slug":"rehabilitation-sentencing-theories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sentencing.net\/sentencing\/rehabilitation-sentencing-theories","title":{"rendered":"Rehabilitation: Reviving One of the Forgotten Sentencing Theories"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t<p>Of the four sentencing theories in our society \u2013 retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation \u2013 it appears that we lean too heavily today on the first three. It is now time to revive one of the forgotten sentencing theories \u2013 rehabilitation.<\/p>\n<h2>Sentencing Theories: The Fallout of Retribution<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Fact:\u00a0 \u00a0Roughly 2.2 million Americans are incarcerated in state and federal prisons and local jails \u2013 a <strong><em>500 percent<\/em><\/strong> increase in just 40 years.<\/li>\n<li>Fact:\u00a0\u00a0 There are more than 70 million Americans living with a criminal record.<\/li>\n<li>Fact:\u00a0 \u00a0Blacks and Latinos collectively represent 30 percent of the U.S. population, but account for nearly 60% of the prison population.<\/li>\n<li>Fact:\u00a0 \u00a0The incarceration rate for black men is more than <strong><em>six times<\/em><\/strong> higher than it is for white men, and more than 2.5 times higher than it is for Hispanic men.<\/li>\n<li>Fact:\u00a0 \u00a0Every year, the U.S. spends more than $80 billion on state and federal prisons and local jails.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>&#8220;Lock &#8216;Em Up and Throw Away the Key?&#8221;<\/h2>\n<p>A lot of people reading this article likely grew up in a \u201clock \u2018em up and throw away the key\u201d mentality with regard to criminal justice. The mass incarceration sentencing theory became the primary way our leaders thought we could eliminate crime in society in the 1970s and 1980s. In the aggregate, the mindset of America was that we were fed up with crime and criminals and that society\u2019s main goal was to exact retribution.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_87358\" style=\"width: 324px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-87358\" src=\"https:\/\/sentencing.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/handcuffs_1547145343-300x190.jpg\" alt=\"Sentencing Theories\" width=\"314\" height=\"199\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-87358\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sentencing Theories<\/p><\/div>\n<p>It is no coincidence that our pop culture references changed to be consistent with that retribution theme. In the 1950s and 1960s, as characterized by the television drama \u201cPerry Mason\u201d or the book \u201cTo Kill a Mockingbird\u201d (published in 1960), we told ourselves stories about how we need to value individual rights against a government that may abuse its power. Both Perry Mason and Atticus Finch, in \u201cTo Kill a Mockingbird,\u201d were lawyers who stood up for the \u201clittle guy\u201d who was unfairly accused by an authoritarian government.<\/p>\n<p>In the 1970s and 1980s, however, we began to tell ourselves stories about stopping those people who were getting away with anti-social and criminal behavior. What legal drama dominated the late 1980s into the 90s? \u201cLaw and Order,\u201d of course. In a small way, pop culture reflected the changing social mores. Whereas Perry Mason stood up against a sometimes oppressive government, \u201cLaw and Order\u201d told stories where we cheered on the government to get retribution on those who tried to, quite literally, get away with murder.<\/p>\n<p>Well, we are now well into the 21<sup>st<\/sup> century, and the facts listed above paint a very grim picture of the fallout from decades of incredibly harsh sentences for crimes, sentences that demonstrated the \u201clock \u2018em up and throw away the key\u201d mentality. While the mass incarceration sentencing theory may have dissuaded a small percentage of would-be criminals, the downside to the policy is far too severe as the facts above demonstrate. And let us not forget that a person\u2019s sentence does not end when they step out of prison.<\/p>\n<h2>Real World Case in Point<\/h2>\n<p>Take, for example, the true story of a young man who was a first-time non-violent drug offender in 1996. That person pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, 40 months of which was mandatory. In prison, he was not permitted to advance his education, or engage in other chances for human development. He was left in a cage for over three years. Upon release from prison, he faced automatic suspension of his driver\u2019s license, permanent loss of voting rights, and numerous insurmountable barriers to education and employment, not to mention the permanent stigma of having a criminal record.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, we often forget that part of a criminal conviction is not just the prison sentence but the collateral consequences of:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Disqualification from employment<\/li>\n<li>Difficulty getting an education<\/li>\n<li>Difficulty obtaining public benefits<\/li>\n<li>Inability to participate politically, and<\/li>\n<li>Inability to obtain housing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Hope for the Sentencing Theory of Rehabilitation in the Near Future<\/h2>\n<p>Is the tide changing? Absolutely. Given that mass incarceration is currently being seen as the wrong path for America, the sentencing theory of rehabilitation is, quite literally, being rehabilitated.<\/p>\n<p>Lowering or eliminating mandatory minimums is beginning to be a trend in states throughout the country, and the U.S. Senate recently passed the <a href=\"https:\/\/sentencing.net\/legislation\/first-step-act\">First Step Act<\/a>, a major prison reform package. Before the 1970s and 80s, rehabilitation was very much a guiding principle for judges trying to have a defendant\u2019s punishment fit the crime. Those principles are gaining fresh interest from criminal justice scholars.<\/p>\n<p>Even with regard to recent pop culture references, a show like \u201cOrange is the New Black\u201d is getting a whole generation of television watchers to relate to a group of people in prison, people who are not too different from us.<\/p>\n<p>Martin Luther King, a year before his death, called on this nation to have a \u201crevolution of values.\u201d Hopefully, when it comes to the criminal justice system the time has come for a rehabilitative-focused \u201crevolution of values.\u201d When people do wrong, punishment should follow. But to permanently banish people by \u201clocking \u2018em up and throwing away the key\u201d is not fair, nor is it reasonable. Once a person has paid his or her debt to society, that person has the right to re-join our society and have an equal opportunity to live their best lives. Let\u2019s hope that is where we are headed.<\/p>\n<p><em>If you need a sentencing advocate, call Brandon Sample, Esq. An experienced federal criminal defense attorney and sentencing advocate who is passionate about justice inside and outside of our federal prison system, Brandon will fight hard for your cause. Call today at 802-444-HELP<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Additional Reading<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanprogress.org\/issues\/criminal-justice\/news\/2018\/02\/27\/447225\/revolution-values-u-s-criminal-justice-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Center for American Progress:\u00a0 &#8220;A Revolution of Values in the U.S. Criminal Justice System&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Of the four sentencing theories in our society \u2013 retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation \u2013 it appears that we lean too heavily today on the first three. It is now time to revive one of the forgotten sentencing theories \u2013 rehabilitation. Sentencing Theories: The Fallout of Retribution Fact:\u00a0 \u00a0Roughly 2.2 million Americans are incarcerated in&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":87358,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[314],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Reviving the Forgotten Sentencing Theories | Rehabilitation | Sentencing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This article discusses sentencing theories and the recent trend towards rehabilitation. 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