When criminals wind up going to jail it can be due solely to tactics surrounding the investigation and questioning situation. Oftentimes police and even criminals operate under the self-fulfilling prophecies, which states’ the way in which a person’s expectations can influence his or own and others’ behaviors in a way that will confirm the person’s beliefs, (Schneider, Gruman & Courts, p. 255) and run with that belief regardless of what the person across the table says. I believe the police operate under a self-fulfilling prophesy because if they believe someone is guilty, regardless if they are or not, they will make sure that person is behind bars. This vengeance can hold true to persons that may have killed fellow police officers or even family members. It can also hold true to people who simply seem to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Additionally, a criminal will be operating under the self-fulfilling prophecy because they will believe that’s all they will ever amount to. They may have seen generation after generation in their family go to jail or even die due to criminal activity and in the back of their mind they may think, “This is all I’ll ever amount to.” If we look at movies such as Save the Last Dance, even though it’s a fictional story it shows one guy that moved beyond the criminal life and pursued medical school. Maybe this negative attitude is just an excuse for laziness.
In turn, I would like to write from the perspective of the injustice in the criminal justice system. First off according to Deborah Kendrick, the U.S. has less than 5% of the worlds population but holds 25% of it’s prisoners. It’s very ironic the number of prisoners that we hold. She makes a good point in her article that prisoners go to prison and back to the inner cities where they are accepted. It’s a cycle that continues. The newly freed prisoners have a high chance of being a repeat offender due to being back in a familiar surrounding. According to the Department of Justice, approximately two thirds of all ex-offenders will likely be rearrested within three years of release.
As a result, the cycle can’t be broken unless the person wants to start in a new and different environment. At that point the person is faced with segregation and being ostracized due to being a former prisoner. Fortunately, there are various re-entry programs for ex-offenders. For example, in Georgia there are faith-based ministries and governmental based ones. Also, there are drug rehabilitation programs through the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen. It can be court mandated or one can join with their own desire. The common basis for these programs to be successful is that the ex-offender wants to be there. If one is operating under the self-fulfilling prophecy, their chances of rehab are very slim because they will believe it won’t work. At the end of the day, can people overcome their self-fulfilling prophecy? Do they really operate under one or is it just an excuse?
Kendrick, Deborah. (2013) The criminal injustice system in the United States. Retrived from A Voice for Men Humanist Counter-Theory website: http://www.avoiceformen.com/mens-rights/thedailybeast-abc2020-the-criminal-injustice-system-in-the-united-states-thedailybeast/
Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
United States Department of Justice. (2013) Prisoners and Prisoner Re-Entry Introduction. Retrieved from USDOJ: FBCI: Prisoners and Prisoner Re-Entry website: http://www.justice.gov/archive/fbci/progmenu_reentry.html
I tried to embed this video in my original response but it did not work. I think it is worth watching to gain a better idea of Homeboy Industries. Thanks!
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/homeboy-made-at-the-homeboy-bakery/
Also, I noticed that I cited King et al. (2012) at the beginning of the post. The year is actually 2008 and just wanted to clarify. Thanks!
I would like to argue that self-fulfilling prophecies could definitely be broken or redirected toward a more positive belief system. The environment is a huge contributing factor. King et al. (2012) describes how self-fulfilling prophecies have become pervasive at Pelican Bay State Prison in California. This prison was established with the main purpose of holding the most dangerous inmates and is known as a supermax prison. The individuals are those who have exhibited further disruptive behaviors after initial incarceration and are unmanageable in the basic prison system. These inmates “can be controlled only by separation, restricted movement, and limited direct access to staff and other inmates.” (King et al., 2008) Officer culture has also developed within this environment. Beyond the 240 hours of standard prison training, officers at Pelican Bay have additional orientation training and apprenticeships. Due to the high risk associated with such a job, newcomers are forced to learn from veteran officers. An environment where individuals believe that they are the worst of the worst, and are treated as such, only propels them further into this mental and physical reality.
Juxtaposed with the scenery and lifestyle of Pelican Bay is that of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, Ca. Regardless of their background, individuals who come to this organization and choose to work toward self-improvement are capable of molding their self-fulfilling prophecy into something extremely positive. Former inmates or gang members can have affiliation tattoos removed, allowing them to erase ties and leave past mistakes behind. Job training is available; everything from silk-screening, baking, or solar panel installation comes as an option to the individual who believes they are capable. The programs that are provided are significant and endless. I challenge anyone reading this post to research Homeboy Industries. It is one of the greatest examples of how huge numbers of individuals are capable of assimilating into a highly positive environment and believing that they can achieve success. With small steps toward improvement come bigger leaps when they see how well they can thrive as a productive member of society.
References:
King, K., Steiner, B., Breach, S. R. (2008). Violence in the Supermax: A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy. The Prison Journal, 88(1), 144-168.
DOI: 10.1177/0032885507311000
Self fulfilling prophecy can explain an offender’s beliefs, but I propose that it can also be society’s label of them that prevents an offender from ever amounting to anything. The stigma that is attached to criminality can be prevent an offender from ever turning their life around. Perhaps this label of convict or criminal is just one of many labels that have been placed on these individuals and this is one of the contributing factors to the high level of recidivism.
Once an individual becomes an offender they no longer fit our established norms, they become a member of the out-group. By displaying behaviors that aren’t normative they become vilified because of their choices. Stigmatization encourages social order and conformity by setting an established set of positive and negative traits. These offenders who commit criminal acts are not able to fight society’s labeling because of society’s view of the legal system. Until we change public attitudes, offenders will consistently have issues assimilating into society.
Deviance and Social Stigma. (n.d.).Sociology Open Textbook. Retrieved March 8, 2014, from https://www.boundless.com/sociology/deviance-social-control-and-crime/deviance/deviance-and-social-stigma/
Tietjen, G. E. and Park, N. K. , 2010-11-17 “Ex-offenders: Facing Stigma upon Release” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the ASC Annual Meeting, San Francisco Marriott, San Francisco, California . 2014-01-05 from http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p428735_index.html