Rehabilitation Of Criminal Offenders Research Articles

A Review of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga for Improving Antioxidant Status and Reducing Anxiety in Adults

Breathing exercises are frequently advised to promote improved organ function, stress reduction, relaxation, and control over psychophysiological states. It has been demonstrated that yogic breathing, which is the control of breath movement, improves immunological function, autonomic nervous system imbalances, and illnesses linked to stress or psychology. This study aimed to evaluate and present a thorough analysis of the physiological mechanisms, the mind–body connection, and the advantages of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) in various therapeutic settings. Medline, PsychINFO, EMBASE, and Google Scholar were among the many internet resources that were looked up. Articles on SKY were chosen after a thorough screening of all the results. We looked through these articles’ references to see if there were any more, perhaps pertinent articles. A variety of cyclical breathing rhythms, from slow and soothing to fast and invigorating, are used in SKY, a special kind of yogic breathing technique. An increasing body of research indicates that SKY may be an advantageous, low-risk, low-cost supplement to the treatment of stress, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, medical conditions linked to stress, substance misuse, and the rehabilitation of criminal offenders.

PAROLE AND PROBATION AS REMEDY FOR NIGERIA’S PRISON CONGESTION PROBLEM

The Nigeria criminal justice system, particularly the penitentiary has been plaque with a lot of problems especially the issue of overcrowding and the poor living condition of inmates. Majority of the inmates are those awaiting trial, or ATP. The poor condition of the prison makes many prisoners to develop mental problems. Over the years, various reforms have been introduced by Comptroller General of prisons, but these reforms have failed to address the issue of prison congestion. Instead of the prisons to serve their fundamental purpose, which is reformation and rehabilitation of criminal offenders they have become a breeding place for hardened criminals. Many incarcerated offenders become recidivist immediately they are released from prison custody. This paper examines the problem of prison congestion in Nigeria. The Marxian class analysis is used as a theoretical framework to understand Nigeria’s prison congestion problem. Marxist theorists will contend that recidivism is prevalent among the people of lower class than the privileged and affluent class because they do not have the financial resources to secure early release on bail from prison or prosecute any criminal charges leveled against them. It recommends the adoption of community-based corrections such probation and parole as alternative to incarceration as solution to Nigeria’s prison overcrowding. KEYWORDS: Probation, parole, community corrections, prison congestion

Medicalized Metamorphosis: Biological Rehabilitation of Criminal Offenders

Convicted offenders who consent to medical treatment may secure a preferable sentence. They make these decisions within a hybrid medico-legal system that often views offenders as neurobiological subjects and deviant behavior as a medical problem that may be addressed, in part, through biological intervention. In this article, we use Foucault’s concepts of biopower and governmentality to explore how 15 men and 10 women convicted of criminal offenses view “coerced” consent to biological interventions in the criminal justice context. The participants largely accepted the key components of the medico-legal system of social control, including the medicalization of criminalized behavior, the utility of rehabilitation via medical treatment, and the internalization of the governmental ideals of self-control and responsibility. None challenged the use of biological treatments, although many rejected invasive and risky therapies, and most felt that biological approaches should be accompanied by psychological counseling. While governmental ideals were largely internalized, the participants expressed resistance in several ways, through statements of distrust of the system and resentment of pressure to consent to treatment.

Pragmatics and Problems

Asylum law is one aspect of U.S. immigration law that purports to serve humanitarian purposes. Its humanitarianism is thwarted, however, when migrants who otherwise qualify for asylum or withholding of removal are deported because they have been convicted of a “particularly serious crime” (PSC). This article responds to a proposal offered by Professor Mary Holper to reform the PSC bar. As Professor Holper convincingly shows, the PSC bar has become overly expansive as a result of a ruthless trend in U.S. criminal justice and immigration policy some call “the severity revolution.” To correct the severity revolution’s distorting effect on the PSC bar, Professor Holper proposes that the bar should only apply if a migrant was convicted of a violent offense against persons and incarcerated for five years. This is a pragmatic reform that would remedy some of the unpredictability that currently plagues the PSC analysis, advance the humanitarian purposes of asylum law, and honor the plain meaning of the “particularly serious crime” statutory text. The proposal does not, however, address the more difficult questions involving the PSC bar, including those related to the rehabilitation of criminal offenders and the challenges inherent in assessing dangerousness. Nor does it challenge the premise that the lives of U.S. citizens are more deserving than those of other human beings. Nonetheless, among proposals to improve the PSC bar, Holper’s analysis is clear, sensible, and actionable.

In how far are neurological rehabilitation methods for criminal offenders compatible with the concept of human dignity?

In recent years neuroscience has experienced a drastic increase in popularity, driven by leaps of progress made in the field (Giordano, 2011, p. 412). By now, many interdisciplinary fields have emerged from it, two prominent examples being neurolaw and neuroethics (Shen, 2010, p. 352; Levy, 2008, p. 1). Neuroscience is nowadays also discussed in the context of the criminal justice system and may soon be used in the field of trial evidence, detecting biases in juries and judges, to make defendants competent for trial, and many other areas of the criminal law (Neurolaw: A video introduction). A very interesting field is rehabilitation of criminal offenders. The more neuroscience discovers about what is commonly termed the ‘criminal mind’, the more science attempts to find treatments that could help to correct deviant behaviour and reintegrate offenders into society (Greely, 2008, p. 1104). A number of direct as well as indirect methods of brain intervention are currently discussed in respect to their usefulness for this purpose. However, there are many caveats to such uses of brain intervention. This paper will deal with one of those caveats: the principle of human dignity. In this work, I wish to investigate in how far brain intervention for the purpose of rehabilitation of convicted criminal offenders is compatible with the notion of human dignity.

Recidivism and Rehabilitation of Criminal Offenders: A Carrot and Stick Evolutionary Game

Motivated by recent efforts by the criminal justice system to treat and rehabilitate nonviolent offenders rather than focusing solely on their punishment, we introduce an evolutionary game theoretic model to study the effects of “carrot and stick” intervention programs on criminal recidivism. We use stochastic simulations to study the evolution of a population where individuals may commit crimes depending on their past history, surrounding environment and, in the case of recidivists, on any counseling, educational or training programs available to them after being punished for their previous crimes. These sociological factors are embodied by effective parameters that determine the decision making probabilities. Players may decide to permanently reform or continue engaging in criminal activity, eventually reaching a state where they are considered incorrigible. Depending on parameter choices, the outcome of the game is a society with a majority of virtuous, rehabilitated citizens or incorrigibles. Since total resources may be limited, we constrain the combined punishment and rehabilitation costs per crime to be fixed, so that increasing one effort will necessarily decrease the other. We find that the most successful strategy in reducing crime is to optimally allocate resources so that after being punished, criminals experience impactful intervention programs, especially during the first stages of their return to society. Excessively harsh or lenient punishments are less effective. We also develop a system of coupled ordinary differential equations with memory effects to give a qualitative description of our simulated societal dynamics. We discuss our findings and sociological implications.

Sudarshan kriya yoga: Breathing for health

Breathing techniques are regularly recommended for relaxation, stress management, control of psychophysiological states, and to improve organ function. Yogic breathing, defined as a manipulation of breath movement, has been shown to positively affect immune function, autonomic nervous system imbalances, and psychological or stress-related disorders. The aim of this study was to assess and provide a comprehensive review of the physiological mechanisms, the mind–body connection, and the benefits of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) in a wide range of clinical conditions. Various online databases searched were Medline, Psychinfo, EMBASE, and Google Scholar. All the results were carefully screened and articles on SKY were selected. The references from these articles were checked to find any other potentially relevant articles. SKY, a unique yogic breathing practice, involves several types of cyclical breathing patterns, ranging from slow and calming to rapid and stimulating. There is mounting evidence to suggest that SKY can be a beneficial, low-risk, low-cost adjunct to the treatment of stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, stress-related medical illnesses, substance abuse, and rehabilitation of criminal offenders.

CRIMINOLOGY AND RELIGION: THE SHAPE OF AN AUTHENTIC DIALOGUE

CRIMINOLOGY AND RELIGION: THE SHAPE OF AN AUTHENTIC DIALOGUE

Sudarshan Kriya Yogic Breathing in the Treatment of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Part II—Clinical Applications and Guidelines

Yogic breathing is a unique method for balancing the autonomic nervous system and influencing psychologic and stress-related disorders. Part I of this series presented a neurophysiologic theory of the effects of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY). Part II will review clinical studies, our own clinical observations, and guidelines for the safe and effective use of yoga breath techniques in a wide range of clinical conditions. Although more clinical studies are needed to document the benefits of programs that combine pranayama (yogic breathing) asanas (yoga postures), and meditation, there is sufficient evidence to consider Sudarshan Kriya Yoga to be a beneficial, low-risk, low-cost adjunct to the treatment of stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, stress-related medical illnesses, substance abuse, and rehabilitation of criminal offenders. SKY has been used as a public health intervention to alleviate PTSD in survivors of mass disasters. Yoga techniques enhance well-being, mood, attention, mental focus, and stress tolerance. Proper training by a skilled teacher and a 30-minute practice every day will maximize the benefits. Health care providers play a crucial role in encouraging patients to maintain their yoga practices.

Forensic Treatment and Rehabilitation: The Growing Need for More Services and More Research

The rehabilitation of criminal offenders requires consideration of both theoretical and practical issues. To apply to the special needs and problems of criminal offenders, the conceptual framework that informs the general rehabilitation of most people with mental illness needs to be modified. On a practical level, specific treatment programs may include attention to unique issues that depend on the different categories of offenders and the different contexts of treatment settings. The time may now be ripe for giving more thought to treatment in forensic psychiatry. In the past, forensic psychiatry has emphasized evaluations but there are now several trends that together may soon make the treatment of mentally disabled criminal offenders a more central concern. In this article, some current trends will be mentioned, and then one area of forensic treatment will be examined more closely. Among the relevant changes are theoretical considerations. In the past, a dominant view in forensic psychiatry drew sharp distinctions between the performance of evaluations and the provision of treatment. More recently, however, it has been argued1 that, contrary to Appelbaum's thesis [1], these roles are inextricably intertwined. Even seemingly purely forensic evaluations may inevitably invoke a dimension of the doctor-patient treatment relationship.

Book Review: Beyond Punishment: A New View on the Rehabilitation of Criminal Offenders

Book Review: Beyond Punishment: A New View on the Rehabilitation of Criminal Offenders

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:Beyond Punishment: A New View on the Rehabilitation of Criminal Offenders E. RotmanSentencing Principles and Magistrates'Sentencing Rehaviour Ralph J. Henham.Psychology in Prisons David J. Cooke, Pamela J. Baldwin and Jacqueline Howison.Comparative Policing Issues: The British and American Experience i n International Perspective R.I. Mawby.Doing the Business Dick Hobbs.

New Directions in the Rehabilitation of Criminal Offenders.

New Directions in the Rehabilitation of Criminal Offenders.

The Rehabilitation of Criminal Offenders: Problems and Prospects

The Rehabilitation of Criminal Offenders: Problems and Prospects

Voluntary imprisonment: its usefulness in the rehabilitation of criminal offenders.

The author suggests that voluntary admission of prison inmates would offer advantages similar to those relating to voluntary admission of mental patients. Such a plan, he feels, would delegate to the offender an active role in his own rehabilitation, reduce his alienation from society, and would result in public acknowledgment of the responsibility of penal institutions to encourage a rehabilitative approach and develop a therapeutic milieu.