We Are Supposed to be Rehabilitating Them. “The current design of prison systems don’t work.
Overly punitive approaches used on violent, angry criminals only provide a breeding ground for more anger and more violence,” said criminal justice expert Joel Dvoskin, PhD, of the University of Arizona. Presenting at the American Psychological Association’s 117th Annual Convention, Dvoskin further explained that, “Prison environments are replete with aggressive behaviors, and people learn from watching others acting aggressively to get what they want” (Dvoskin, 2016). What we should be doing instead, says Dvoskin, is applying behavior modification and social learning principles, such as systematic reinforcement of pro-social behaviors. Are You Mentally Tough? Three Questions To Ask Yourself. The Backwards Success Equation.
The Criminal High. Street gangs have often been understood as a way for adolescents to find a sense of belonging and social support, however, say Liza Berdychevsky, Monika Stodolska and Kim Shinew, professors of recreation, sport and tourism at the University of Illinois, street gangs often fill another important need for kids – for excitement.
Interviewing former members of the Latin Kings/Latin Queens, Satan’s Disciples, the Vice Lords and other street gangs operating in Chicago and downstate Illinois, the study is one of the first to explore gang involvement as leisure activity. Some participants had left gang life as recently as the prior year, while others had desisted for decades, sometimes after serving lengthy prison sentences. While active with a gang, each of the participants had been a perpetrator, victim and/or witness to violent crimes – including murders, rapes, beatings, shootings and stabbings. Virtual Mobs, Microagressions, and The Growth of Social Shaming.