CJ-675 5-1 Final Project Milestone One First Draft of Final Project.
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Strayer University, Washington *
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675
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Philosophy
Date
Feb 20, 2024
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docx
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7
Uploaded by keondrajayne
Keondra Kalpen
1/14/2024
CJ-675-Q2071
Data-Driven Decisions in CJ
5-1 Final Project Milestone One: First Draft of Final Project
I.
Introduction: In this section, establish a context that provides your audience with any background information that is necessary for understanding your proposal.
Overcrowding in prisons has been an issue for a long time in the United States. The major factors that influence the increase in incarceration rates would be tougher citizens in insufficient resources for the ever-expanding population of inmates. These issues often lead to a bunch of challenges that include deteriorating living conditions, limitations on rehabilitation opportunities and a weakened and strained staff inside the prison. When it comes to trying to address overcrowding prisons, typically it involves the reform of the criminal justice system as well as alternative sentencing. For this final project I will be assuming the role of a leader within the jail and analyzing the data given to me on the inmate to staff ratio, contact with the staff via inmates, as well as the funding provided in the data I have received when it comes to the Nowhere corrections facility and provide a solution to better tackle this issue of overcrowding.
II.
Theory and Methods: In this section, explain the theoretical frameworks that underpin your analysis and proposed solution.
A.
Identify foundational criminology theories that apply to your chosen organization and the challenge it faces. Draw connections between the theories and your specific context that will ultimately support your analysis and your proposed solution.
When it comes to identifying the foundational criminology theories that apply to the Nowhere Correctional Facility and the challenges it may face, I can say that the labeling theory is one of the major factors. When it comes to the labeling theory, it examines how society’s labels influence a person’s behavior. When a corrections facility becomes overcrowded, it can be exacerbated by the stigmatization of different and certain groups that can lead to a never-ending cycle of criminal behavior. Another theory that goes hand in hand with the labeling theory would be that of the strain theory. When it comes to the strain theory,
this theory can be seen as to suggesting that the pressure society brings, and the lack of real and legit opportunities can sometimes lead a person to convert to a life of crime. Overcrowded jails such as Nowhere’s could reflect upon that as being a strain on the social systems and give limited options for people which in turn contribute to more crimes and a higher crime rate. Being able to understand these theories would definitely help the criminal justice system as well as policymakers in being able to create and target interventions to be able to better address the key factors of the issues that cause overcrowding in the first place and all the challenges that it brings. When it comes to drawing a connection to the labeling theory and the strain theory, these two theories give a great and clear insight into the factors that contribute to overcrowding of jails in the criminal justice system. B.
Examine the strategic methods used by leaders in the field for approaching problems such as yours. For example, what do the current best practices in the field
suggest in terms of researching and investigating the issue? Highlight methods that support your proposal.
When it comes to examining the strategic methods used by leaders in the field of approaching problems such as overcrowding in prisons and jails the current practices in this field when it comes to suggesting the terms of research and investigating the issue there have been many methods that leaders have used to address the challenge that is overcrowded prisons and jails. Those methods would be criminal justice reforms. Leaders would advocate for reforms and things such as the sentencing policies to reduce the whims of the sentence for
those that had nonviolent offenses there have also been exploration in alternative methods to incarceration like diversion programs community service and a lot of focus on rehabilitation. Another method that has been used was the risk assessment tool. When it comes to the risk assessment tool these two will use data that help analyze how to identify if an individual was a low-risk offender who would be suitable for an alternative to their sinning sin or be able to participate in a type of release program. The risk assessment tool is also an evidence-based practice to guide most of the decisions when it comes to parole and probation as well as the type of conditions those individuals are being released in. Some other methods that have been used have been community policing, bail reform, diversion programs as I stated before, as well as reentry programs, and data-driven decision making which when it comes to that I can say that the data used in data-driven decision making helps to identify trends and evaluate the impact of certain policies and help to make informed decisions regarding resources and intervention strategies. These are just some of the best methods that have been put into practice when it comes to researching investigating the overcrowding of jails and prisons. When it comes to leaders in their strategic methods to this topic, they must
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continuously assess the effectiveness of the methods that are being used and have to make sure that the strategies are adaptable based on this ever-changing issue and ultimately work towards the goal of creating a more efficient criminal justice system to tackle the challenges of overcrowding jails and prisons.
C.
Similarly, identify best practices in the field for communicating with diverse audiences. Illustrate these practices with specific examples that will ultimately support your communication plan.
When it comes to identifying the best practices in the field for communicating with diverse audiences especially when it comes to the topic of overcrowding prisons and jails, I would say that having a clear and accessible language being used on this topic would be able to better communicate the information across the board more easily to be understood by the whole audience. I would also say that providing A tailored message that would resonate with the different types of groups in the audience and addressing specific issues and priorities make it relevant to their personal experience. I would also say that taken into accountability cultural sensitivity would also work when it comes to communicating with diverse audiences as to be able to avoid unintentional offence to certain groups or even marginalizing them. Also, I believe that providing multilingual resources to get the message across would help as well. Visual communications and storytelling also help get the message to a diverse audience on the overcrowding of prisons and jails. Media outreach could do the job as well because you will be able to engage with a diverse variety of media outlets to reach different groups of
people. But transparency is very important when it comes to getting a message such as this across as well as raising awareness. By utilizing these best practices when it comes to communicating with a diverse audience these communication efforts can affect how we reach
that diverse audience and how we engage with them as well as getting a common ground understanding of the challenge that is overcrowding prisons and jails and help to push us towards coming together to find a solution.
III.
Literature Review: In this section, present all of the evidence that you have analyzed (including the provided data and your independent research) and that will support your proposed solution.
A.
Data Analysis: Using the provided data, determine any patterns and trends that are present. What meaning and significance can you glean from the data?
Next comes to using the provided data and determining the patterns and trends that are present what I see from the data when it comes to inmates and staff, I can say that between 2011 all the way up to 2016 the inmate capacity was higher the what the initial capacity for the facility which is 100 should be. Though the number of staff increased from 2011 to 2015, in 2016 it dropped. Therefore, the inmate to staff ratio was overwhelming in 2016. Some other factors that reflect that would be the contact with the staff that the inmates had. 2011 to 2015 there were a lot of disturbances in violence between the inmates in the staff. If you look
at the funding percent from the government to provide facility upkeep, you can see that 2011 it went up by 4% but by 2012 it was either 0% or dropping all the way down to a whopping 18% by 2015. No funding was reported in 2016. Another factor would be the reflection of the
staff budget which increased in 2011 stay stable in 2012 decrease drastically in 2013 and even more so in 2015 at a whooping 25%. I believe that funding as well as the facility upkeep and staff budget and how drastically they decreased during that time reflects the disturbance and violence contributed to the encounters with staff between inmates as well as
the overcrowding as well. He seems to be a trend there that when the funding decreases those
other negative factors increase.
B.
Research: Present research on the issue that builds on the patterns and trends you identified in the data. For example, are there prior solutions that similar organizations have implemented in addressing this type of issue? What meaning and
significance can you glean from your research?
Rooms to research presently when it comes to providing a solution for overcrowded prisons and jails in the pattern and trends that have been identified in the data similar organizations have addressed overcrowding of prisons and jails by shortening the time that those incarcerated individuals spend in prison or citizen reforms (Office of Justice Programs). And like I previously stated there have been diversion programs as well as the reentry programs that have been implemented to address this overcrowding issue. There have also been legislative changes that address the issue of overcrowding such as promoting more flexible sensing options. There has also been investments made in rehabilitation to address the root of
what causes criminal behavior and how to reduce that behavior from happening to prevent people from being incarcerated again so we won't have this overcrowding issue. C.
Root Causes: Based on your data analysis and independent research, explain what you believe to be the root causes of the issue. Logically justify your conclusion using the evidence.
Overall when it comes to the root cause based on the data analysis in my independent research I believe that a few key factors that are the cause of overcrowding and prisons and jails would be societal and economic factors such as limited access to mental health resources
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and poverty as well as lack of educational opportunities, there is also the factor of limited alternatives to incarceration because there aren't many programs for diversion or rehabilitation resources that are community based alternatives that could help with reducing the number of people incarcerated. Another key factor that I would like to point out would be
when it comes to sentencing people they are faced with tougher sentencing policies and even factoring in the three strikes law which can lead to longer prison terms which again only increases the inmate population. Some additional factors would be how there is a lack of focus on rehabilitation and how systematic inequalities just increase the population of those incarcerated.
IV.
References: In this section, cite all of your sources using APA formatting.
Harris, M. K. (1984). Reducing Prison Crowding - An Overview of Options | Office of Justice Programs. Retrieved from www.ojp.gov website: https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-
library/abstracts/reducing-prison-crowding-overview-options-0#:~:text=The%20mechanisms
%20for%20reducing%20prison
Krajik, K., & Gettinger, S. (1982). Overcrowded Time - Why Prisons Are So Crowded and What Can Be Done | Office of Justice Programs. Retrieved from www.ojp.gov website: https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/overcrowded-time-why-prisons-are-so-
crowded-and-what-can-be-done
Penal Reform International. (2013). Overcrowding. Retrieved from Penal Reform International website: https://www.penalreform.org/issues/prison-conditions/key-facts/overcrowding/