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Corrections: Exercise 3 - Prison life: survival in prison and the inmate code


Instructions: Read the passage and click on the correct answer. If wrong, try again. Scroll down if you do not see the Answer box
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Prison Life in the U.S.: No Frills Prison

     Prisons in the U.S. are considered to be total institutions: institutions where inmates (prisoners) live under constant watch, following strict rules, and isolated from the outside world. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, there were almost two million prisoners in the U.S. in 2001. Because of the growing prison population, most prisons are overcrowded. For this reason, efforts to carry out useful treatment programs to rehabilitate inmates have been cut back. To make matters worse, correctional administrations have begun to limit inmate privileges by introducing tough prison rules known as "no frills" (no privileges) policies. The "no frills" movement is a result of the belief that crime rates are high because inmates do not fear imprisonment anymore. The "no frills" movement is turning prisons into places of punishment rather than treatment. This lack of treatment facilities in prisons has made recidivism rates very high. In other words, after their release, many inmates commit crimes again and return to prison.

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