Clint Lund's E-Portfolio

 Composition

English 1010: Introduction to Writing

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English 2010: Intermediate Writing

For the final assignment in English 1010, the class was assigned to choose a research topic with some complexity (at least two sides) and write a 5-8 page informative paper. I chose to research education and programming within the Correctional system. I am majoring in Criminal Justice and have worked in for the Utah Department of Corrections for the past 5 years, so I felt that understanding this issue more fully would help me in my career as well as fulfilling a requirement for this class.

 I was fascinated to learn some of the statistical data surrounding this issue. I work around inmates every day, but I was completely unaware of what percentage of them are likely to return to prison within three years of being released. I knew of the programming and education opportunities that are offered to inmates during their incarceration, but I didn't know how effective they were in reducing recidivism. After writing this paper, I feel more qualified to form an opinion on how corrections should function--what works? what doesn't? and how can we most effectively protect the public from further victimization. 

One thing I was surprised to learn and hadn't considered until stumbling upon research related to this issue, concerned probation and parole options as alternatives to long prison sentences for non-violent offenders. It costs over ten times as much to keep a person behind bars as it does to manage them on the outside. Treatment can still be offered in an attempt to produce changes in future behavior, and it is more cost effective--an important thing to remember in a society that spends over $50 billion a year on an ever-growing inmate population.

Throughout the course of English 2010 I worked with four other students on a community  writing project. We decided to write about the criminal justice system and the many complex issues it encompasses. Attached are several pieces I wrote for this assignment.

Our goal as a group was to educate our audience about various issues that complicate America’s criminal justice system, the policies and practices that keep them safer, as well as those that seem to only perpetuate criminal culture at the expense of the taxpayer. The costs—human and fiscal—are vast, the emotions are high, and the implications are far reaching. Hopefully after reading our project, the average citizen can make an informed decision about the direction our American Corrections should take.

I appreciated the support of my peers in selecting this topic. As a criminal justice major, correctional officer, and adult probation and parole agent. I think a lot about the corrections system. Although this topic is far from new to me, I learned a lot as I researched and composed these documents.