![]() ![]() Nelson Mandela Rules (2015) also emphasize the significance of preparing offenders for their social reintegration in justifying imprisonment:ġ. Of significance, the ICCPR is a legally binding multilateral treaty that represents an international consensus that prisoners be treated humanely, consistent with their inherent human dignity, and that prisons be focused on rehabilitation and reformation rather than punishment. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) (GA Resolution 2200A (XXI)) states that: "The penitentiary system shall comprise treatment of prisoners the essential aim of which shall be their reformation and social rehabilitation". While there is often disagreement regarding the relative weight that should be given to these differing aims and the way in which prisons should operate, international law strongly emphasizes the importance of rehabilitation and reintegration in order to meet the primary purpose of imprisonment. Proponents of imprisonment often argue that the sanction of incarceration can be justified by incorporating many of the differing aims of punishment highlighted above, namely through its incapacitative and deterrent effect, as well as through its ability to change and rehabilitate, and the notion that a prison sentence is a justly deserved and proportionate response to crime (Scott, 2007). Levels of imprisonment around the world have risen dramatically since the Second World War, though more rapidly in some regions than others (Coyle et al., 2016). ![]() In most countries, it is the most severe form of punishment that courts can impose. Imprisonment is used as a form of punishment in every country in the world (for statistics on the prison populations of 223 independent countries and dependent territories see the Module 7 on Alternatives to Imprisonment of the E4J University Module Series on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Students should note that the differing rationales underlying the imposition of punishment are considered more fully in There are five main underlying theoretical justifications of criminal punishment which form the basis of sentencing decisions across jurisdictions: retribution incapacitation deterrence rehabilitation and, reparation. It is important therefore to establish what justifies and underpins the imposition of particular forms of punishment. If an individual commits a crime, it is often assumed that the State is justified in imposing punishment. The focus then shifts to introduce students to the importance and development of prison reform. This part of the Module first explores briefly the theoretical justifications that underpin the aims of punishment, and then examines the main purposes of imprisonment. Topic one - Introducing the aims of punishment, imprisonment and the concept of prison reform ![]()
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