NCJ Number
90927
Journal
Revue penitentiaire et de droit penal Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1982) Pages: 27-40
Date Published
1982
Length
14 pages
Annotation
The public, justice officials, and prison administrators in France should reform the present penal and rehabilitative system based on the positive experiences of other countries.
Abstract
For petty criminals, short prison sentences should be replaced by reprimands, monetary or material reimbursement to the victim, or incarceration solely on weekends. Some or all of these measures have been implemented successfully in Switzerland, Great Britain, Monaco, Czechoslovakia, and The Netherlands. In the 19th century, a progressive system was initiated in Ireland in which imprisonment becomes less coercive as a prisoner earns increasingly higher positions in the prison hierarchy. This system relieves the monotony of prison life and motivates the prisoner to make real efforts to advance. The phases of rehabilitation of incarcerated criminals should consist of sympathy, confidence, exemplification, and discussion. Each rehabilitator should make contact with a prisoner as often as possible in order to make meaningful observations and to encourage the prisoner to make valuable reflections on his or her past and future. Observations can be made in individual meetings as well as in group psychotherapy sessions. To be most effective, crime prevention efforts should be aimed at young children.