Composition Ii Unit 4 Assignment

Unit 4 Assignment: Annotated Bibliography

Arsianna Walker

Kaplan University

Thesis Statement: Society does not truly consider the rehabilitation of convicted felons therefore consequentially denying them opportunities. Communities, jobs and housing are key components to living a productive life as a law abiding citizen. Upon release convicted felons face judgments that almost make it impossible for anyone to live.

Cesare Beccaria was an Italian philosopher of the Enlightenment age. His book On Crime and Punishment applies Enlightenment concepts to punish and imprisonment. Chapter twelve of his book Of the Intent of Punishments , Beccaria explains the purpose of the punishment. He says how it is not to torment a person and it definitely cannot undo the damage. The punishment is to prevent the criminal form doing further damage. In his own words he basically says imprisonment is the process of reform. For example a child is put into timeout to think of their behavior and so they learn not to do it again. Same effect for adults especially with the conditions of prisons and the allotted amounts of time that inmates can be sentenced to. That is why the more serious the crime the longer time sentenced. The prison system was made to teach the inmate a lesson, therefore allowing them a chance to get out and be a better person.

Upon interviewing a convicted felon whom has been out of the prison system for seven years, I learned firsthand the obstacles of biased judgments faced daily. Christian Jacobs spent ten years in prison, he was a teen when he entered. And a man once he was reformed and freed. Mr. Jacobs finished his education and received chef certifications that he later used to continue on a graduate from Le Cordon Bleu, while in prison. Mr. Jacobs currently works with a maintenance company . Mr. Jacobs expressed his pain of not working at his level of education and in the career of his passion. That the hope he learned from his time feels in...