Real Possibilities of Prison Institutions in Resocialisation of Deliquents and Prevention of Criminality

Igrački, Jasmina and Maljković, Marija (2018) Real Possibilities of Prison Institutions in Resocialisation of Deliquents and Prevention of Criminality. In: International Scientific Conference "Archibald Reiss Days", Belgrade, 2-3 October 2018. Academy of Criminalistic and Police Studies, Belgrade, pp. 373-382. ISBN 978-86-7020-404-1

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Abstract

Ever since the verdict of imprisonment was introduced a question that has permanently been posed is –what are real possibilities of imprisonment in prevention of criminality? In addition, another question which is always present is what are possibilities of prison in changing the pattern of criminal behaviour of offender? Effects of penitentiary institutions on prevention of crime depends on a number of factors (offender’s age, kind of misdeed, length of punishment, personality of offender, treatment programme, etc.), each of them individually affecting delinquent’s resocialisation. Research shows that the rate of recidivism considerably declines with aging of offenders, that there is no significant correlation between length of punishment and recidivism and that the effects of long punishment are quite moderate, except for the fact that the effects of long punishments are displayed in disabling the offender to commit new criminal offences during his/her stay in prison. Classical mechanisms of penal and legal reaction fail to give expected results and have no effect on descreasing criminal behaviour. Over a long period of time the concept of resocialisation of offender has been considered as an ideal solution for fighting crime but the evaluation of the results of this concept shows a number of weak points along with small effects in preventing criminal behaviour. As a result of modest, or better, small effects of resocialisation, the intensifying of punishment policy, regeneration of prison punishment, politicising of penal mechanism and affirmation of penal and legal mechanisms in fighting crime are more and more present. Apart from making the punishment policy more severe and using a repressive concept, the effects on crime prevention are unsatisfactory. The rate of criminality is constantly high, recidivism is very high, new forms of criminal behaviour, very dangerous for society, are emerging (cyber crime, corporate, organised and other forms of crime), and prison population increases dramatically, up to a point of endangering the prison system on a global scale. In such circumstances the effects of criminal sanctions of institutional character are smaller and smaller in sector of rehabilitation, so only the offender’s isolation from the society kept its function. Sanctions of institutional character have significant effects if they are definite and conducted shortly after committed criminal offence. Both the goal and purpose of penal sanctions and their execution may decrease significantly if legal process is long and if a long time elapses from offence committed to the execution of sanctions.

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