Halfway House Programs and the Community Essay Example for Free

Halfway House Programs and the Community Essay The use of halfway houses as a starting point for those who were once in prison is a great idea and can be beneficial to not only the individuals who are having to adjust to life outside of prison but also to the community around them. These homes help to stabilize the individual, help them to be able to adjust to life in society again and help them to become better parts of society. There are many who believe that halfway houses are not a good thing and would rather not have them but there are many reasons that these people are not looking at the whole picture and are not looking into the benefits that halfway houses can provide. There are many reasons that the surrounding neighbors and communities could fear a halfway house. Some of these reasons are the stereotypes that are associated with these places. This means that there is the common thoughts and beliefs that those who are in the halfway houses are not truly ready to be reformed and therefore it can be thought that these individuals should remain in prison. This is a misconception as the halfway house provides the individual with stability and helps them to be able to transition into a life outside of prison. The halfway house often provides the individual with a way to be able to find employment, get hooked up with needed medical and other health care services including rehabilitation and mental health, and a way to be able to live until they are able to stand on their own two feet (Welsh and Harris 2009). Without halfway houses these former criminals would be left on their own to find all of these resources and many times in the past the individuals had a hard time finding these things which has resulted in them committing more crimes. With halfway houses the return rate to prison is lower. Another problem that many individuals have with halfway houses is that they do not understand how giving the individual a place to live is really what they deserve. However there are some new programs that are offered in some halfway houses where the perpetrators of crime are forced to pay restitutions to the victims of their crimes. These programs have been successful in the satisfaction for both the perpetrator and the victim. In a recent study on this issue, the results were found to be positive for all that were involved (Bonta, Boyle, Motiuk, and Sonichsen 1983). Another common misconception is that the residents of the halfway house are not ready to be in the real world when they leave and that there is a high rate of repeat criminal offenses. This was looked at by a group of researchers and what was found was that those who had successful completions of the halfway house programs were less likely to have repeat criminal offenses where as those who were not successful in their treatment through halfway houses (Hartman, Friday and Minor 1994). This is very important to note as there are many reasons that an individual would not have a successful completion but then when an individual did have a successful treatment that they should be allowed the benefits of reformation and believed to be reformed and hoping for a better life. Halfway houses can be very beneficial to both the former criminals that inhabit them and the local communities in which they are located. In many cases halfway houses provide a place for these former prisoners to live while they are working on getting back on their feet and becoming stable. Halfway houses and their programs beneficial to the individual as they are not on the street or trying to make it on their own in a world where it is more difficult for them to find a place to rent, obtain employment or anything else. The benefit to the community is that these former criminals are off of the streets and in a place where treatment and supervision is mandatory while they are becoming more stable. Thus they are less likely to commit petty offenses like theft in order to eat or make money for needed items.

The Lottery :: essays research papers

â€Å"The Lottery† Shirley Jackson wrote â€Å"The Lottery† in 1948, not long after the second World War. The horror of the Holocaust was still fresh in everyone’s mind’s. Jackson wrote this story to remind everyone that we are not so far from this world of sadistic human sacrifice. She created a town, very much like any American town, with the gathering of the towns people to celebrate some annual event. She wanted to shine a mirror on contemporary society, a reflection of humanity, or rather, inhumanity. One would think that she was protesting against the shallow hypocrites that rule the world. The town sets up this lottery in a very practical way, there were several things that were a part of the ritual that the town allowed to fade from practice. But the town still saw it necessary to stone a citizen to death once a year just because that was the way it was always done. Shirley Jackson wanted the world to try and find another way, to break away from traditions and be more humane human beings. Once the heads of household have drawn, everyone looks at the slip of paper in their hands and at the same time everyone is praying that it is not their family. Once again the family members draw and each one is praying it is not them, at the same time they know that they are about to lose a loved one. Everyone has felt these same feelings. A friend loses her husband or child and we say a little prayer of thanks to what ever power each of us believes in , thank goodness it was not me. When Tessie Hutchinson realizes that her family has been chosen she says, ‘ I tell you it wasn ’t fair. You didn’t give him time enough to choose. Everybody saw that.†(233) â€Å"The Lottery† makes one feel guilty for desiring one’s own survival.

The Negative Consequences of Deforestation

Earth without forests is a picture that most of human-kind presently could not conceive. Forests cover much of the planet†s land area. They are extremely important to humans and the natural world. However, deforestation has been consuming our forests. Deforestation brings about a lot of unexpected effects on the earth and results in many negative consequences. â€Å"If the current rate of deforestation continues, the world†s rain forests will vanish within 100 years-causing unknown effects on global climate and eliminating the majority of plant and animal species on the planet,† according to NASA†s Earth Observatory. Deforestation increases the greenhouse effect and accelerates global warming. It also causes erosion, and the silting of lakes or rivers is caused by soil erosion. The same source claims that deforestation is very hard to be stopped because â€Å"the causes of deforestation are very complex. † There are several reasons why this current trend exists. Deforestation occurs in many ways. People destroy or degrade forests because, for them, the benefits seem to outweigh the costs. Underlying causes include such issues as poverty, unequal land ownership, women†s status, education and the explosive growth of the population. Immediate causes are often concerned with a search for land and resources, including both commercial timber and fuelwood. One of the main indirect causes of deforestation is poverty, particularly poverty in rural areas. Although poverty is not a â€Å"principal cause† of deforestation, it is a living condition that the majority of people in this world must endure. While greed and power can be the motivations of some groups in society that deforest, survival and the desire to escape from poverty is what drives most people. Poverty is not only the socioeconomic environment that limits people†s economic options, damages health but also reduces income generating opportunities. It is an underlying condition that facilitates deforestation. There is some evidence from the industrialized countries of the North that suggests as societies become more economically secure they reach a point where the economic development pressures that drive deforestation are replaced by a growing environmental concern and a greater appreciation of environmental values. However, for most developing countries that point is off in the far distant future. Most tropical countries are very poor by U. S standards, and farming is a basic way of life for a large part of the population. According to NASA†s article, in Brazil, for example, â€Å"the average annual earnings per person is U. S. $5400, compared to $26,980 per person is the United States (World Bank, 1998)†, and in Bolivia, â€Å"which holds part of the Amazon rain forest, the average earnings per person is $800. † The rural poor have very few options. There are few prospects of off-farm employment in either the urban centers or the rural areas. Illiteracy further limits the options of many because they do not have the basic tools needed to pursue other economic alternatives to subsistence farming. With few alternatives available to them, the rural poor consider forests as a short-term solution to their economic problems. Deforestation happens as a result of poverty. More important than that, commercial logging is considered as the major direct cause of deforestation. NASA†s Earth Observatory asserts that â€Å"logging can occur selectively-where only the economically valuable species are cut or by clearcutting, where all the trees are cut. † The forces of large global markets for wood and wood products drive the scale of logging activities. Logging in the tropics does not in any way resemble scientific forestry and is often characterized by a â€Å"cut-and-get-out† mentality in logging companies. Forestry uses science and management skills to manipulate the natural vegetation to favor the long term production of a selected number of goods and services. In contrast, most tropical logging involves the short term exploitation of only industrial wood products with no eye to the future of the forests. The intensity of logging in Asia†s forests is much higher than in the forests found in America or Europe. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates: â€Å"About half the land area of South America and Europe is covered by forest, but only one-sixth of Asia's land is forested. † And â€Å"a study in Indonesia found that when only 3% of the trees were cut, a logging operation damaged 49% of the trees in the forest,† as the article from NASA has noted. In addition, at the national level, governments sell logging concessions to raise money for projects, to pay international debt, or to develop industry. The logging companies seek to harvest the forest and make profit from the sales of pulp and valuable hardwoods such as mahogany. They use heavy machinery, such as bulldozers, road graders, and log skidders, to remove cut trees and build roads, â€Å"which is just as damaging to a forest overall as the chainsaws are to the individual trees,† according to the same source from NASA. Logging is done because of profits. Not only individual lumberjacks but also logging companies seek material advantage. Therefore, any country that does not have a suitable forest management will gain a higher level of deforestation by commercial logging. As we have seen, the causes of deforestation are very complex. Knowing the main indirect and direct causes help us improve our understanding of the causes and also the effects of climatic and environmental change, so that we may become more effective and efficient managers of our natural resources, as well as mitigate potential impacts from natural disasters.

Erikson s Theory Of Psychosocial Development And...

Abstract This paper will describe my personal romantic experience that left a big impact in my life and shaped me to become who I am today. Paper will discuss Erikson theory of psychosocial development and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory and how it correlates with my life experience. Introduction Most of the time romantic experiences during our adolescence are short and superficial and at times this assumption would be true. Duration of romantic experience during the adolescence time are usually short and do not end up in a serious long-term relationship. However, this is not always the case. These types of relationship play a major role in adolescence lives. (Eder, 1993; Thompson 1994). Our lives are influenced by our friendships, schools and parents, however relationships play major role and leave us with positive or negative emotions. (Wilson-Shockey, 1995). Thus, relationship play major role in shaping us during the adolescence stage in our lives. Erikson’s Theory German psychoanalyst Erik Erikson developed eight stages of psychosocial theory of development where the main key to developmental task was â€Å"development of identity†. (SITATION HERE). The book â€Å"The life Cycle Completed† by Erik H. Erikson emphasizes on how each individuals need to go through trust and mistrust or also known as crisis to get to the right solution, to find their identities. During the early adolescence is when we develop bonding with parent, friend, and romantic partners. InShow MoreRelatedDevelopmental Theories Essay816 Words   |  4 PagesReaction Paper Number One Theories of Development There are many types of developmental theories. First being the Psychoanalytic Theory, and the Cognitive Theory. Within these two types of theories there are several psychologists that have their own theory of development. After exploring these different theories I will then share my opinion on which theory I believe to be more accurate. By definition the Psychoanalytic Theory describes development as a primarily unconscious and heavily coloredRead MoreCompare and contrast the developmental life span theories742 Words   |  3 PagesUrie Bronfenbrenner perspective on lifespan development was the bio-ecological approach which suggest that five levels if the environment simultaneously influence indviduals. He tagged different aspects or levels of environment that influences a child’s development. Urie Bronfenbrenner five major systems are called microsystem; which is everyday immediate environment in which children lead their daily lives. Second is the mesosystem; which provides connections between the various aspects of the microsystemRead MoreAnalysis Of Eriksons Theory On Early Childhood Education1212 Words   |  5 Pagesthe education profession. Erik Erikson Hope is both the earliest and the most indispensable virtue inherent in the state of being alive. If life is to be sustained hope must remain, even where confidence is wounded, trust impaired. - Erik Erikson Erik Erikson (1902-1994) was a Germon born developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst known for his theory on psychosocial development of human lie. He is most famous for devising the phrase â€Å"identity crisis.† Erikson was a Harvard professor althoughRead MoreChild Development Explanations And Understanding1702 Words   |  7 PagesChild development explanations and understanding is a complicated process and it is hard deciding the right process to use with each child. Many individuals and doctors have their own way of thinking how the body and mind develops. Their ideas have no right or wrong answers and are mere guesses of human growth. No one idea can be applied directly to a person, without looking at another idea also. To prove these explanations of psychology, scientific methods are used. Teachers may use all patternsRead MoreDevelopmental Case Study : Developmental Case History1328 Words   |  6 PagesDevelopmental Case History of Yves In this developmental case history I will be case conceptualizing Yves while integrating the developmental theories of Erik Erikson, Sigmund Freud and Urie Bronfenbrenner. In this developmental case study we will be taking a journey throughout Yves’ life timeline through the lenses of these three theorists in order to get a better understanding of his developmental history, who he is, and the deeper meaning behind his facts of life. Our first theorist, Sigmund FreudRead MoreThe Theory Of Head Start Program1567 Words   |  7 PagesHead Start is a federally funded, education development program that was created in 1965. The program provides education and services for eligible children from low-income families. Head Start s philosophy focuses on the development of social-emotional, physical and mental health, nutrition, and working with families and the community and stated â€Å"low-income people should help plan and run their own programs† (p. 41-42). Head Start has truly expanded their resources over the years by providing aRead MoreThe Effects Of Prenatal And Postpartum Maternal Distress On Children s Development1878 Words   |  8 Pagesthe Problem Does what happens to the mother prior to birth impact the development of the child after birth? Factors that affect the mother in the prenatal have a major negative impact on the child’s development. Reviewer Comment Prenatal development is crucial to a healthy birth for both the mother and the child. Three trimesters define major portions and milestones of prenatal development. The milestones of prenatal development begin with the germinal phase, followed by the embryonic phase, endingRead MoreDivorce the Psychological Theories of Development2116 Words   |  9 PagesPsychological Developmental Theories Abstract This paper looks at the effects of divorce on children based on the application of various psychological developmental theories. More specifically, children within the age groups of 4 to 6 and 7 to 11 will be taken into account. The theories explored and applied will include Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, Erikson’s psychosocial tasks, Bowlby’s attachment theory, Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory, Bandura’s social learning theory and Vygotsky’s, andRead MoreLifespan Development And Communication : Development2151 Words   |  9 PagesLifespan development and communication – 555101 Individual development narrative Rajbir Kaur 02/05/16 (1877) Introduction One way of looking at human development is through domains of development and how they interrelate. Sigleman and Rider (2003) define development as the systematic changes and continuities that occur between conception and death in an individual. One approach to examining human development is through an individual narrative by integrating theories of development. In thisRead MoreAfrican American Daughters And Non Residential Fathers : A Qualitative Exploration9462 Words   |  38 PagesAfrican American Daughters and Non-Residential Fathers: A Qualitative Exploration La Toi S Smith Chapter 1 Introduction I spent the majority of my life being raised by a single mother due to my parents’ divorce. Because of my parents’ divorce, my mother stated firmly that I had changed and became a difficult child. I remember rebelling, suffering with low self-esteem and self-worth and blaming myself for the absence of my father. It was not until I was well into womanhood that I found peace