Question
Future of corrections paper
Access the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) site.
Write a report for an audience of potential new employees in human services in a correctional setting in which you:
Summarize current and future civil rights issues that affect the criminal justice system.
Explain options for advocacy.
Identify boundaries in advocacy for human service workers.
Sample paper
The Future of Corrections
Current and future civil rights issues
The major purpose of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) is to provide information about the cases of prison rape in federal, state and local corrections facilities, the resources, funding, and recommendations on how the prison rape can be prevented. The major current and future civil rights issues affecting the criminal justice system are same sex and transgender marriage and fair and equal treatment in the military and in employment. Research shows that the criminal justice system discriminates the homosexuals. In addition, the arrests made in intimate partner violence cases in same sex relationships are not equal. In most cases, police officers arrest both partners since they are unable to distinguish who the primary aggressor is and in other cases, they are uncomfortable asking some questions and the two parties end up in jail. Another issue found in such cases is racial bias. Most blacks are suspected to have committed crime more than the whites. To improve this, police officers can be educated on how to handle such cases and what type of questions to ask.
Addressing the needs of the diverse populations is also a major challenge. Serving those classes that are legally protected enables law enforcement officers in rural correction facilities to detect, respond to and prevent sexual abuse in accordance with the set standards. Law enforcement officers are also supposed to make sure that the procedures and policies relating to preventing, detecting and responding to sexual abuse are adhered to. Having large and diverse populations might be challenging considering the possibility of language barrier and different ethnic traditions and beliefs which are likely to affect how services are delivered.
The criminal justice system is also facing challenges due to the issue of immigration. Illegal immigration is putting a big budgetary strain on the system annually. Research shows that illegal immigration costs the taxpayers approximately 100 billion dollars every year. Some of the major aspects of this deficit include $2.5 billion for Medicaid, $ 2.2 billion for medication for the uninsured, $1.6 billion for the federal prison and the court system, $1.9 billion for food programs and free school lunches among many others (FAHMY, 2010).
Advocacy Options
Advocacy efforts to stop sexual abuse in prisons should be emphasized in order to raise awareness about the issue. Civil rights groups, religious groups, legal aids and family members should be at the forefront in educating people about the issue and support polices that provide a solution.
PREA has zero tolerance for sexual abuse of inmates in prisons. Some preventive and control measures that correction facilities should adopt are monitoring, and screening those who are at risk of being sexually abused. Inmates should be educated about PREA so that they can feel protected and be comfortable to report such cases. This can help in reducing the sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. Human services providers should advocate for laws and regulations that are against discrimination of people based on their skin color, religion, or sexual orientation.
Boundaries in advocacy for human service workers
Professionalism is so essential while dealing with sensitive issues in the criminal justice system such as sexual abuse. Advocates and social workers should always observe the code of ethics in order to make sure that their clients are protected and that justice is served at all times. Social workers particularly, should follow the NASW Code of Ethics as their primary guide (University of Maine, 2016). The code of ethics ensures that they follow the right procedures in everything they do and that rules and laws are followed. In addition, human services workers should always remain impartial and never make decisions based on a client’s gender, sexual orientation or race.
References
FAHMY, D. (2010). Expensive Aliens: How Much Do Illegal Immigrants Really Cost?. ABC News. Retrieved 20 November 2016, from http://abcnews.go.com/Business/illegal-immigrants-cost-us-100-billion-year-group/story?id=10699317
University of Maine,. (2016). Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Retrieved 20 November 2016, from http://umaine.edu/socialwork/files/2013/02/NASW-Code-of-Ethics.pdf
