Introduction
Though it is hard to disagree that this is a wonderful world, unfortunately, there are several disadvantages and adverse factors influencing people’s experience throughout their lives. For example, one of the primary and serious problems is the high crime rate and the vast number of offenders. A way to solve this issue and prevent persons from defying the law is to punish those who commit crimes so that neither they nor others consider it an option. Although it is a rather practical and time-tested method, there is an opinion that punishing people is not ethical, and rehabilitation is a better approach to correct the antisocial behavior of criminals.
Punishment
The purpose of this part of the research paper is to discuss incarceration as a special way of dealing with offenders. Punishment is an efficient process of imprisoning criminals to make them regret their former deeds, realize their fault, rethink their values and habits, and make the right decisions regarding their future life (Baraza 2020). This is a rather severe way to correct people’s behavior, and it often turns out to be counterproductive and destructive.
Advantages
To begin with, there are several benefits of incarceration that make it a useful approach. First, imprisonment protects ordinary people from offenders and their harmful or dangerous actions (Atkin-Plunk 2020). While a criminal is isolated from the world, there is no chance they can defy the law and be violent to the society. Inmates typically do not have opportunities to re-offend when being locked away, but their chances to correct their behavior increase.
Thus, another advantage is that punishment provides criminals with a place and time to rethink their lifestyle and beliefs. Isolation from their friends and families may make them begin to value them more (Dominguez 2021). In this case, former offenders decide to start a new life and live it according to the law. Third, such a profound experience works as a deterrent, and after being released, former criminals prevent themselves from misbehaving in order not to be imprisoned again (Baraza 2020). Therefore, it is an efficient way of giving offenders a chance to reintegrate into society.
Disadvantages
At the same time, numerous weaknesses of incarceration have made researchers create other ways of correcting adverse behavior. The main disadvantage is that prisons frequently breed severe resentment and a determination to get back at people and the government (Dominguez 2021). Thus, after being released, some criminals re-offend. Next, prisons are expensive, and significant amounts of money taken from taxes of obedient citizens go to the maintenance of inmates, though there is no guarantee that their behavior will be successfully corrected (Baraza 2020). What is more, prisons are specific schools of crime where offenders influence each other and educate in a criminal matter. These are only some of the severe disadvantages of incarceration, but they are enough to prove that changes are needed.
Rehabilitation
On the contrary, rehabilitation is a unique and safer process of retraining and re-educating offenders. Typically, the primary purpose of such programs is to help inmates change and grow without damaging their mental state or turning them against the government and society (Atkin-Plunk 2020). Various rehabilitation types include community corrections and education, employment, or counseling rehabilitation for convicts. The benefits and limitations of this approach are discussed further.
Advantages
As mentioned above, rehabilitation is a softer and safer process that helps people correct their habits and behavior and become more socialized while also avoiding traumatizing them. According to the Center on Sentencing and Corrections (2013), most rehabilitation types are focused on “implementing a behavioral-management approach to supervision that prioritizes assisting offenders in leading successful, crime-free lives in the community” (15).
What is more, another advantage of rehabilitation is that convicts feel that society does not reject but accepts them, so they have more desire and determination to correct their behavior (Baraza 2020). Offenders get educated and learn to be a part of the law-abiding world (Clear et al. 2013). Moreover, they get an opportunity to participate in the development of their treatment and supervision plans (Center on Sentencing and Corrections 2013). Finally, this process is less expensive and more effective compared to punishment.
Disadvantages
Unfortunately, even this process that may seem perfect has several disadvantages. First, some researchers believe that rehabilitation does not guarantee a complete correction for every criminal, so some of them may re-offend (Clear et al. 2013). Second, during this process, convicts are not prevented from educating each other in a criminal matter, though it is more challenging to do than during punishment (Dominguez 2021). Finally, it is a relatively new method that still requires comprehensive research and analysis.
Conclusion
To conclude, one may say that, even after analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of both rehabilitation and punishment, it is difficult to decide what approach is more effective. Rehabilitation has fewer disadvantages, but the fact that they do exist requires either improving this process or creating other ways of helping convicts change their behavior and reintegrate into society. Simultaneously, punishment is a time-tested approach, so it is probably better to eliminate its disadvantages and make it a more significant system aimed at actually helping criminals without damaging their psyche.
References
Atkin-Plunk, Cassandra A. 2020. “Should All Violent Offenders Be Treated Equally? Perceptions of Punishment and Rehabilitation for Violent Offenders with Varying Attributes.” Victims & Offenders 15 (2): 218-242. Web.
Baraza, Samson. 2020. “Criminal Justice Should Focus More on Rehabilitation than Punishment.” Moi University. Web.
Center on Sentencing and Corrections. 2013. “The Potential of Community Corrections to Improve Communities and Reduce Incarceration.” Federal Sentencing Reporter 26 (2): 128-144.
Clear, Todd, Cole, George, Reisig, Michael, and Petrosino, Carolyn. (2013). American Corrections in Brief. Boston, Mass.: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Dominguez, Laura. 2021. “Empathetic Concern Towards the Adult Correction System: Punishment Versus Rehabilitation.” PhD diss., The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Essay Voice-over
Liberal Arts Vs. Radical Education Philosophies
Introduction
The reflective essay focuses on the comparison between liberal arts and radical education philosophies. Important to mention that the paper introduces and highlights the philosophies’ concepts, fundamental theories, founders, and ideas. Therefore, the author critically analyzes both perspectives and presents the crucial impact they could have on educators who are teaching adults.
Liberal Philosophy
Liberal arts originated in ancient Greece, including grammar, logic, and rhetoric, as a way for people to participate in courts and public debates (Zhang, 2021). Furthermore, one of the striking differences in the philosophy of liberal education is the idea of educational institutions and colleges to make students wise citizens through more intensive learning (Haberberger, 2017). Theories and methodology of liberal arts teach people to write and read correctly, think critically, and analyze to navigate and be able to express an opinion on any topic (Zhang, 2021). Palmer (2017) claims that a good teacher should be close to the subject and the students. Consequently, Socratic methods, friendship, connectedness between students and professors, and methods of knowing oneself with an emphasis on self-reflection are the hallmarks of liberal education. In addition, Haberberger (2017) suggests that after such a training system, students will be able to acquire knowledge independently from various sources and analyze the information received critically. It is essential to say that the goal of teachers is to instill the idea of obtaining knowledge by students for their own sake. The goal is to become open-minded citizens and also understand themselves and this world through critical thinking.
Essential to mention some of the foremost thinkers in the liberal arts area, such as Mortimer Adler, Benjamin Bloom, Lawson, and Paterson. The famous American educator of the mid-20th century, Mortimer Adler, believed that the central democratic values of society are intelligent, free-thinking, wise citizens (Spring, 2018). To create such citizens, liberal arts education and thought development are essential. Moreover, Benjamin Bloom claimed that problem-solving skills, innovative thinking, and cooperation are the major principles of liberal arts education (Derreth, 2017). Lawson and Peterson are systematic philosophers who supported “logical reasoning for concepts of argumentation, decision making, and rational thoughts” (Sterling, 2021, p. 13). To summarize, liberal arts education is beneficial because it highlights the importance of learning for the sake of obtaining knowledge and becoming a wise citizen.
Radical Philosophy
The primary founders of radical or critical philosophy are Paulo Freire and Ivan Illich. They emphasized the importance of social justice and critical thinking (Sterling, 2021). For instance, Berdzenishvili and Ketsbaia (2019) mentioned that Freire was illustrating education as a society of oppression. At the same time, Illich aimed at compulsory education rejection and claimed that education should not be a crucial factor when hiring employees (Berdzenishvili & Ketsbaia, 2019). Thus, both founders of the radical philosophy wanted to destroy the link between education and work and focus more on teaching social skills.
Consequently, the researchers suggested that social action is a milestone of adult education. Needless to say, that radical philosophy shows that social factors are more important than intellectual ones. According to Sterling (2021), the radical philosophy of education includes theories that address social justice, feminism, discrimination, inequality, and professional identity. Ross-Gordon et al. (2017) argue that adult students who have a motivation and a desire to study can choose their learning process path. However, the radical philosophy brings social change by concentrating on social class, gender, ethnicity, and human rights values. Therefore, education is only valuable when it addresses the issue of social change.
Conclusion
To conclude, liberal arts education is education for intellectual development, while radical or critical education is for significant social change. Thus, the primary purpose of liberal education is general education with a focus on open-mindedness and the ability to search and analyze information critically. In contrast, the goal of radical education is changing something that matters in society. After an introduction to both philosophies and a discussion of the principal founders, how ideologies affect adult education must be said.
I suggest that liberal arts education’s impact emphasizes that adults should develop and improve their knowledge to become knowledgeable citizens. When choosing the liberal model, educators may provide a variety of disciplines and sources to students to decide on what to study. Additionally, the liberal arts philosophy offers an educator an opportunity to be closer to students and create a dialogue through active interaction and ideas exchange. On the other hand, radical philosophy points out that education will be helpful only if it changes social life. It seems to me that radical education helps professors explain that education exists to highlight critical societal issues and change what contributes to injustice, discrimination, or ordinary citizen discontent. In this case, adult students must think critically and propose solutions to social problems. In my opinion, these philosophies have a strong influence on adult education. Undoubtedly, both philosophies, namely liberal and radical, are exciting and essential for society in their way. Therefore, radical philosophy teaches social values, while the liberal one praises and encourages the intellectual development of adult students.
References
Berdzenishvili, A., & Ketsbaia, K. (2019). Radical humanist paradigm and the problem of the crisis of education. American International Journal of Social Science, 8(1), 53-55. Web.
Derreth, R. T. (2017). A bright future: Liberal arts for the 21st century. Higher Education in Review. 13-21.
Haberberger, C. (2018). A return to understanding: Making liberal education valuable again. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 50(11), 1052-1059.
Palmer, P. (2017). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life. Jossey-Bass.
Ross-Gordon, J. M., Rose, A. D., & Kasworm, C. E. (2017). Foundations of adult and continuing education. Jossey-Bass.
Samhita, K. (2018). Liberal arts education: Imparting intellectual vision. International Journal of Scientific Research Engineering & Technology (IJSRET), 7(9), 680-682.
Spring, C. (2018). Great books and critical literacy: Similarities and possibilities. Institute for Education Policy. 1-6.
Sterling, V. (2021). The handbook of adult and continuing education. (Rocco T. S., Smith M. C., Mizzi R. C., Merriweather L. R., and Hawley J. D. Ed). Stylus Publishing.
Zhang, Y. (2021). The importance of liberal arts in the digital age. Journal of Higher Education Research, 2(4), 212-214.
Gambling, Financial Problems, And Family Impact
Gambling often contributes to increases in debt problems and psychological distress, both or one who has pre-existed or even influenced gambling. The use of an individual’s resources in the form of gambling often results in severe financial loss, which then contributes to increased borrowing, as it is often a diagnostic factor for gambling-related disorders. However, aspects such as consumer credit use and debt problems are likely to increase noticeably in relation to the severity of gambling (Swanton & Gainsbury, 2020). The difficulties that arise as direct results of debt problems often involve poor psychological functioning, substance use, adverse impacts on an individual’s family, turning to crime, or suicidality. While community and government-led actions are currently developing in recognizing the issues, the financial institutions currently providing credit are doing little to address the harmful impacts of loaning to individuals with gambling disorders.
Perhaps the most severely impact individuals outside the person with the gambling disorder and their families. This is because families are often involved in either the initiation, maintenance, or help-seeking of an individual’s gambling issues, as well as the harm caused directly to them as a result of the problem, either financially or psychologically (Subramaniam et al., 2017). From a financial perspective, families are often involved in helping individuals experiencing debt by either providing them with money or other resources. Such dependence can create a strain between family members, which leads to the individual expercingin not only complete loss of financial support but also neglect from the family. However, family members are also key in providing help to individuals with gambling disorders, whether they are persuaded or threatened into seeking psychological assistance. Often, searching for help from one’s family is impeded by the stigma that surrounds gambling problems.
References
Subramaniam, M., Chong, S. A., Satghare, P., Browning, C. J., & Thomas, S. (2017). Gambling and family: A two-way relationship. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 6(4), 689-698. Web.
The following research assessed the relationship between an individual’s gambling disorders and their families. The research found that families were involved in both instigating, maintaining, and helping reduce this behavior.
Swanton, T., & Gainsbury, S. M. (2020). Gambling-related consumer credit use and debt problems: a brief review. Current Opinion in Behavioral Science, 31, 21-31. Web.
Within the following study, trends in the economic welfare of individuals with gambling disorders were analyzed with the results stipulating that loan issues and psychological problems were often interconnected.