Category: Literature Review

Into A Serial Killer’s Writing

Do you ever wonder what a serial killer thinks? As someone who watches shows like Mindhunter and Crime Scene Investigation, I love learning about the forensic science portion. When I started this paper I began to ask myself: How exactly does a serial killer’s mind affect the way they write? Talking to a professor who has a background in forensics and analyzing a variety of textual samples from infamous serial killers allowed me to understand that a serial killer’s writing isn’t just one way, it depends on their personality, educational background, and emotions.

Literature Review

Many medical examiners use Forensic Science in order to solve a case. One of the many branches of Forensic Science is Forensic Linguistics. Forensic Linguistics, also known as language and law, “is the application of linguistic knowledge, methods or insights to the forensic context of law, language, crime investigation, trial, and judicial procedure” (Webster’s Dictionary). The human mind is a very complex organ and can tell a lot about an individual. Using linguistics can solve many cases, especially serial killers. Serial killers tend to think totally different from a common person. Forensic Linguistics can tell where a person comes from, their personality, and what kind of person they are which eventually leads to who exactly is the person who committed the crime.

Roger Shuy, a linguistic analyst, analyzed a pieces of writing, such as manifestos by Ted Kacynski and noticed that he used complex grammar and vocabulary. However, the FBI indicated that although he used those specific languages, the Unabomber was still uneducated. The manifesto revealed many terminologies that talked about the concepts of religion. In his search, Shuy noted that Kaczynski “…has a religious upbringing, possibly Catholic” (Shuy 5). When Kaczynski was finally apprehended in April 1996, it was confirmed that Shuy’s analysis had been accurate for the profiling of the suspect. (CITE)

This is an important finding for my research because what a serial killer’s writes depends on a number of things: where he came from, what is interests are, his academic level, and his religious background. Serial Killers don’t have a certain mindset of writing, it varies between person to person. Tomas Guillen, an author, reinforces that claim that a serial killer’s writing depends on their background history and their personality.

For example, in the case of the Zodiac Killer he states, “sometimes the killer displayed a morbid sense of humor” FIX (Guillen 57). In the letter the Zodiac Killer sent a greeting card stating “This is the Zodiac speaking, I thought you would need a good laugh before you hear the bad news… PS could you print this new cipher in your front page? I get awfully lonely when I am ignored, So lonely I could do my thing!!!!!!!!” (Zodiac…FIX

The media also uncoded a message of the serial killer saying, “I like killing people because it is so much fun…” FIX(Graysmith 1986). Thus, it is clear from this research that serial killers write a variety of ways, there isn’t one particular way that distincts a serial killer from the rest of the normal world.

Methods

For my research into the topic of how a serial killer’s psychological mind affects their writing I conducted my own interview and I looked at various samples of writing from different serial killers. For my interview I asked George Megelsh, a professor at the University of Memphis’s Lambuth Campus, a series of open ended questions. The questions included: Do all serial killers have the same style of writing? What are some of the similarities that the serial killer’s writing share? Do the serial killers have educated or poor writing skills? Are their writings more aggressive or is it more gentle? By interviewing professor Megelsh from the school’s Criminal Justice Department it provides my paper with academic data from a person who is actually very familiar with serial killers and how their minds operate.

I also analyzed different writing samples from various infamous serial killers to see the similarities and differences between them. I looked at samples from David Berkowitz, also known as the Son of Sam, The Zodiac Killer, and Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer. I examined these variety of writings because I wanted to see for myself how they wrote and what they wrote about. In effect, examining the writing of the criminals also gives me an idea of how they communicated with other people.

My Findings

Interview

I decided to interview George Megelsh because I noticed that he had history in the forensic science department. When I asked Professor Megelsh if all serial killer’s had a similar writing style he stated, “No, just like every human being has their own identity, everyone has their own way of writing also.” I also asked him what are some of the similarities between serial killers in their writing because I wanted to know if they at least had a common theme. Professor Megelsh responded that almost all serial killers think that the world centers around themselves and tends to write about it in their letters or any form of communication. Serial killers focus entirely on themselves and the power they are able to assert on others. When asked the question of do the serial killers have educated or poor writing skills Megelsh answered “Their writing skills depend on their educational background.” If someone is very knowledgeable in the field of literacy than their writing capabilities tend to be stronger than someone who had very little experience in the field. Finally, I also wanted to find out if a serial killer’s writing is more on the aggressive or gentle side. Professor Megelsh stated, “A serial killer’s emotional state depends on their mood at that period of time, it can be humorous, romantic, cheerful, dark, and pessimistic.

Textual Analysis

I looked at several serial killer’s writing samples and came across a variety of things. David Berkowitz wrote a letter to the police department implying that there would be another killing and he knows that the detectives wouldn’t be able to stop him. The letter reads as follows: “Not knowing what the future holds I shall say farewell and I will see you at the next job. Or should I say you will see my handiwork at the next job? (Berkowitz 1977) By observing this specific sample of the unabomber it is clear that he loves being in control and he doesn’t like not having the upper hand on the situation.

I also analyzed a writing sample of the Zodiac Killer and it came across as a very dark mood. On August 1, 1969, the San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle, and Vallejo Times-Herald each received an identical handwritten letter in an envelope without a return address. The beginning of the letter stated, “Dear Editor: I am the killer of the two teenagers last Christmas at Lake Herman,” the letters contained details from the Zodiac Killer’s murders that only the killer could have known about. The letter went on to threaten further attacks if the letters weren’t printed on the front page of the papers. Just like the Unabomber, both killers demand to be the center of attention and if their demands aren’t met then there would be a major consequence. Another letter by the Zodiac Killer sent to San Francisco Examiner read, “Dear Editor: This is the Zodiac speaking, I like killing people because it is so much more fun than killing wild game in the forest because man is the most dangerous animal of all.” The Zodiac killer loved taunting the media outlets. He also sent another letter to the San Francisco Chronicle received a letter from the Zodiac Killer discussing how that he would shoot out the tire of a school bus and “pick off the kiddies as they come bouncing out.”

Dennis Rader, also known as the BTK killer, murdered the Otero family on January 15, 1974 in a community called Wichita. A month later Rader sent a letter to the Wichita Eagle detailing exactly how he murdered the Oteros. “Those three dudes you have in custody are just talking to get publicity for the Otero murders… they know nothing at all. I did it by myself and with no ones help. There has been no talk either. Let’s put this straight.” Rader went on to provide graphic details that only someone at the crime scene would know. In the wordly, often grammatically and misspelled incorrect, letter, Rader grappled with his urges, calling his murderous alter ego “the monster.”

“I’m sorry this happen to the society…Its hard to control myself. You probably call me ‘psychotic with sexual perversion hang-up.’ Where this little monster enter my brain I will never know. But, its here to stay. How does one cure himself? If you ask for help, that you have killed four people, they will laugh or hit the panic button and call the cops… I can’t stop it, so the monster goes on, and hurt me as well as society. Maybe you can stop him. I can’t. Good luck hunting,” Rader said ominously.

In the letter, Rader seeks out for help because he can’t control his alter ego, the monster, and his urges to kill.

Conclusion

In conclusion, my research shows that based on forensic linguistics serial killers don’t have a set way that they write. Serial Killers think, talk, and write numerous ways, every serial killer has their own way or writing. For example, the Unabomber wrote about his orders being met. In the Zodiac Killer’s letters he taunts the police department and media outlets because he knew that they couldn’t and wouldn’t catch him. The BTK killer’s letter was more on the desperate and seeking help side, he wanted to let go of his alter ego and control his urges to kill.

Nevertheless, The serial killers did share a similarity between them and their writings. They all think that the world revolves around them and they love and demand attention from others. For example, the Unabomber and Zodiac Killer both demanded that their letters be posted in the paper so that the world can see and if their requests wasn’t met then they would initiate fear among the population. My interview and textual analysis proves that every serial killer and their writing isn’t the same. Overall, I think that my work only furthers expands on what other researchers have already acknowledged. In conclusion, a serial killer’s writing is very unique and it depends on the personality and mood of the writer.

Works Cited

1. Megelsh, George. Personal interview. November 1, 2019.
2. Dawson, Daniel. “Using Forensic Linguistics to Solve Mysteries and Fight Crime.” Language Trainers USA Blog, 5 Sept. 2018, https://www.languagetrainers.com/blog/2018/09/03/using-forensic-linguistics-fighting-crime-unabomber/.
3. Rosewood, Jack. “An Expert Reveals the 12 Key Traits Common in Serial Killers, and Some of Them Might Surprise You.” Insider, Insider, 20 Sept. 2018, https://www.insider.com/common-traits-of-serial-killers-2018-5.
4. “Zodiac Killer.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 10 Oct. 2019 https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/zodiac-killer
5. ‘FBI Profiler Says Linguistic Work Was Pivotal In Capture Of Unabomber.’ Fresh Air, 22 Aug. 2017. Literature Resource Center, https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.memphis.edu/apps/doc/A503681918/LitRC?u=tel_a_uofmem&sid=LitRC&xid=7d0f5b0f.
6. Tkacukova, Tatiana. “Forensic Linguistics and Language and the Law.” An Introduction to Applied Linguistics, 2019, pp. 190–204., doi:10.4324/9780429424465-11.

Critical Analysis of the Essence and Applicability of Sociological Imagination

Introduction to Sociology

Norms can be simply defined as behaviours, thoughts or values that most people share within the same society. They are unwritten rules or standards that provide us with an expected idea on how people should and should not behave in various social situations (Shah, n.d). Typical social norms in society consist of, saying hello or shaking someone’s hand when greeting or meeting someone for the first time. Saying ‘bless you’ when somebody sneezes.

Social order refers to the way in which a society is organized along with certain rules and standards that are set forth in order to maintain that organization. Examples of social order are norms, values, marriage, family, customs, awards and cooperation. Social order is present when individuals agree to a shared social contract that states, certain rules and laws must be abided and certain standards, values, and norms maintained. Without social order chaos would arise (Funkhouser, 2012).

Social Control teaches us how to think and act in accepted ways that are common to our family, peer groups and general people around us. In doing so, this effectively controls the way we behave in society. There are two main types of social control; formal and informal. Formal social control’s primary goal is to ensure deviance is not permitted using sanctions and punishments. Informal social control is to ensure that people conform to society’s rules and regulations (Crossman, 2019). An example of social control in today’s day and age would be the government, by using the law, court, prison they exercise order within our society.

Values are basic and essential beliefs that guide and encourage our attitudes and actions. They assist us in deciding what is important for us and describe the personal qualities we choose to direct our actions. For example, the kind of person we wish to be; thoughtful, selfish caring. The manner we tend to treat ourselves and others around us and most importantly who we choose to spend our time with. This is normally based on others sharing the same values and beliefs as us (Mintz, 2018).

Roles are sets of rights duties and expectations. It is the part people play as members of a social group. With each social role people are required to adapt, their behaviour to fit the expectations both society and they have of that role. For example, in order to fulfil a boss’s role, the norms would be for them to make sure the establishment is working fine, everyone is doing their job correctly and make the best financial decisions (Wright, 2007).

Gender is the socially shaped categories of masculinity and femininity. Referring to the social, cultural and psychological characteristics related with men or women in particular cultures and societies. Gender is normally seen biologically categorising people with penises, male and people with vaginas, female. Within Gender roles an expectation or norm is that a gentleman will defend and prioritize the safety of woman and children (Zevallos, n.d.).

Culture is vital for shaping social relationships. It governs how we make sense of the world and our place in it. Influencing our everyday actions and experiences in society, culture consists of each non-material and material things. Non-material aspects of culture are the values and beliefs, language, communication, and practices that are shared by a group of individuals. Culture is formed from our data, logic, assumptions, and expectations (Cole, 2018).

Sub-culture is a different group within a broader culture which has its own group within a greater culture that has its own unique characteristics; These differ from those of the broader culture. These beliefs and values are usually shown in forms of behaviour that set the subculture apart from mainstream society, for example Goths, goths behave differently from other members of society. They prefer to dress in dark colours and follow dark music like ‘goth rock’ (Thompson, 2016).

Status implies the position or the rank one holds and their place and duties, within a social group. Generally, status is based on the desires we have of somebody holding a specific status. Two different types of statuses are known as achieved and ascribed. Ascribed statuses are those given to us at birth, being a child, a sibling they are status titles given to us. Achieved statuses are ones we choose on our own, becoming a husband or buying a property. This gives us the title of a homeowner (Medley-Rath, 2015).

Class is known as the basic type of social stratification. In sociological theorizing, classes have been defined in economic terms, such as one’s occupation or income. Class is used to refer to divisions in society, for instance, lower class; suffer from unemployment, lack of education and homelessness. Working-class; skilled underpaid workers with basic education and just enough income to survive. Middle-class; well-educated, with good jobs. Upper class; wealthy socialites with enough money enjoy life’s luxuries and top education (Cliffsnotes.com, n.d).

In 1959 C. Wright Mills, created the concept and published a book on the sociological imagination. Mills believed the sociological imagination is the practice of being able to detach ourselves and our thoughts and the familiar routines of our daily lives. This is, in order to look at our views from an alternative point of view, the ability to see things socially, how they are associated and impact each other. Social imagination is all about determining the relationship between ordinary lives of people and the wider social aspect. As quoted by Mills himself, ‘Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both.’ (Crossman, 2019).

Mills’ book inspires individuals to change the lenses they’re using to view their life from a different perspective. He encouraged individuals to stop focusing on themselves alone and to observe the wider view of society. By doing this, you may begin to see and agree that with each problem you face it is also being faced by several others in society and they too are going through the same struggles as you. An example of the sociological imagination would be a girl wanting to become more attractive and skinnier. She will try changing her diet, taking tablets that help with losing weight, she will become so obsessed with calorie counting and watching what she consumes that she may even end up with anorexia or undergoing plastic surgery to help change the way she looks but most importantly the way she feels about herself. This may seem like the girl’s problem (a self-problem) but, she is looking to change herself based on what society considers attractive. This makes it a problem of society as a whole; many women suffer the same problems on a day to day basis. Beating themselves up because they don’t quite meet the cut for what society believes to be beautiful instead of seeing themselves and others in all shapes and sizes as beautiful (Dhavale, 2018).

In society today, it is very easy to blame and be hard on ourselves, as Mills has proven in the above. As a young girl I grew up around the 1990’s Walt Disney movies. Take movies like Cinderella or sleeping beauty for example. Both movies show young girls living in situations where they were unhappy in life or cursed with life’s challenges. Both movies show men coming into the girl’s life and saving them from their ‘miseries’. This gives young girls growing up and myself the idea that they need a man to save them from their problems. As I have grown older, I have taken a step back from what movies perceive life to be and have taken things for what they really are. In order to redeem yourself from the life you live you do not need a man to pick you up and change your life. You need self-assurance and self-encouragement. You need to love yourself for everything that you are. We all have the power within ourselves to change our lives for the better and to live the life of our dreams. it is always nice for someone come along and change your life for you, but it is only when we do these things for ourselves that we really experience personal growth. Step out of the fantasy world and let go of social expectations and really think about reality, your own reality and what makes ourselves happy and feel whole. The real power of the sociological imagination is found in how we learn to differentiate the personal and social levels in our own lives. Once we do, we can make personal choices that serve us best, given the larger social aspects that we face.

Sociologists study all things human, from the interactions between two people to the complex relationships between different nations and societies. Sociology’s subject matter is diverse, ranging from crime, religion, the family to the state, from the divisions of race and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture, and from social stability to radical change in whole societies (Sternheimer, 2011).

Sociologist’s purpose is understanding how human action and consciousness both shape and are shaped by surrounding cultural and social structures. Sociology is an exciting field of study that analyses and explains important matters in our personal lives, our communities, and the world. Sociology examines the social causes and consequences of; romantic love, racial and gender identity, family conflict, deviant behaviour, aging, and religious faith. At the level of society, sociology investigates and explains matters like crime and law, poverty and wealth, prejudice, discrimination and schools and education, business firms and social movements. At the global level, sociology studies such phenomena as population growth, migration, war, peace, and economic development (Crossman, 2018).

Common sense is based on experiences we learn through imitation of symbols and languages which we perceive and interpret from different things and people in different ways. Common sense is based on personal knowledge or experience and is only common to those to whom it is common. Everybody uses their common sense differently as we all hold different knowledge and information (Punch et al., 2013).

Many people often mistakenly believe that sociology is the study and application of common sense. The difference of the two is that common sense is a collective body of observed knowledge based on personal experiences, but sociological thinking is not. Common sense is not always common, or sensible. Statements like ‘Clothes make the man’ and ‘You cannot judge a book by its cover’. While supposedly based on common knowledge they contradict each other. Because common sense does not always accurately predict reality, people need something else. Not every sociological finding is ground-breaking, many findings do appear consistent with common sense. By thoroughly testing common sense beliefs against facts, sociologists can sort out which popular beliefs hold true and which do not (Cliffsnotes.com, n.d.).

Emile Durkheim created the social fact theory to describe how values, culture, and norms control the actions and beliefs of individuals and society. Social facts are the reason why people within a society seem to do the same things, for example, how they spend their time, what they decide to eat, and how they interact. Continuing social facts, society has a big impact and will shape individual to do the things they do. An example of this is religion. Different areas have different religious strongholds, with faith being a regular part of life, and other religions are considered foreign and strange. Social facts are what makes individuals react strongly to people who deviate from social attitudes. For example, people in other countries who have no established home, and instead wander from place to place and take odd jobs. Western societies will tend to view these people as odd and strange based on our social facts, when in their culture, what they’re doing is completely normal. What is a social fact in one culture can be abhorrently strange in another (Crossman, 2018).

Science is the study of the nature and behaviour of natural things and the knowledge we obtain about them.

In the academic world, sociology is considered one of the social sciences. Sociology is a science because it relies on the scientific method to understand human interactions. Many sociological studies make observations, develop explanatory hypotheses, set up experiments or studies to test those hypotheses and then analyse the data to support or disprove the idea. On the other hand, interpretivists would contradict that view and say that sociology is not a science. This is because they argue that society is a socially created set of meanings shared by a social group. They believe people give meaning to a situation before responding to it therefore in order to understand society it is necessary to discover and interpret the meanings given to situations. through qualitative methods such as unstructured interviews, participant observations, these feelings and thoughts can be gathered. This supports the idea that sociology differs from that of the natural sciences. People cannot be studied using controlled observation so therefore sociology is not considered to be a science (Thompson, 2017).

References

1. CLIFFSNOTES.COM. (N.D). Types of Social Classes of People. [online] Available at: https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/sociology/social-and-global-stratification/types-of-social-classes-of-people [Accessed 28 Mar. 2019].
2. CLIFFSNOTES.COM. (n.d.). Sociology and Common Sense. [online] Available at: https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/sociology/the-sociological-perspective/sociology-and-common-sense [Accessed 4 Apr. 2019].
3. COLE, N. (2018). Defining Culture and Why It Matters to Sociologists. [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/culture-definition-4135409 [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].
4. CROSSMAN, A. (2018). The Impact of Social Fact on Everyday Life. [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/social-fact-3026590 [Accessed 3 Apr. 2019].
5. CROSSMAN, A. (2018). What Is Sociology?. [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-sociology-3026639 [Accessed 1 Apr. 2019].
6. CROSSMAN, A. 2019. How to Use the Sociological Imagination. [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/sociological-imagination-3026756 [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].
7. CROSSMAN, A. 2019. Understanding Social Control and Its Many Forms. [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/social-control-3026587 [Accessed 28 Feb. 2019].
8. DHAVALE, G. (2018). Examples of Sociological Imagination to Help Unfold the Concept. [online] ScienceStruck. Available at: https://sciencestruck.com/sociological-imagination-examples [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].
9. FUNKHOUSER, M. (2012). Riots, Rebellions and the Importance of Social Order. [online] Governing.com. Available at: https://www.governing.com/gov-institute/col-riot-rebellion-public-institutions-social-order-stability.html [Accessed 1 Apr. 2019].
10. MEDLEY-RATH, S. (2015). What is Status?. [online] Sociology In Focus. Available at: http://sociologyinfocus.com/2015/10/what-is-status/ [Accessed 23 Apr. 2019].
11. MINTZ, S. (2018). What are Values?. [online] Ethics Sage. Available at: https://www.ethicssage.com/2018/08/what-are-values.html [Accessed 20 Mar. 2019].
12. PUNCH, S., HARDEN, J., MARSH, I. and KEATING, M. (2013). Sociology Making sense of society. 5th ed. London: Pearson, p.104.
13. SHAH, S. (n.d.). Values and Norms of Society. [online] Sociology Discussion – Discuss Anything About Sociology. Available at: http://www.sociologydiscussion.com/society/values-and-norms-of-society-conformity-conflict-and-deviation-in-norms/229 [Accessed 25 Mar. 2019].
14. STERNHEIMER, K. (2011). Everyday Sociology Blog: Sociology vs. the Obvious. [online] Everydaysociologyblog.com. Available at: https://www.everydaysociologyblog.com/2011/07/sociology-vs-the-obvious.html [Accessed 3 Apr. 2019].
15. THOMPSON, K. (2016). Subcultural Theories of Deviance. [online] ReviseSociology. Available at: https://revisesociology.com/2016/05/31/subcultural-theories-crime-deviance/ [Accessed 1 Apr. 2019].
16. THOMPSON, K. (2017). Is Sociology A Science?. [online] ReviseSociology. Available at: https://revisesociology.com/2017/01/15/is-sociology-a-science/ [Accessed 5 Apr. 2019].
17. WRIGHT, B. (2007). Everyday Sociology Blog: Role Theory. [online] Everydaysociologyblog.com. Available at: https://www.everydaysociologyblog.com/2007/08/role-theory.html [Accessed 28 Mar. 2019].
18. ZEVALLOS, Z. (n.d.). Sociology of Gender. [online] The Other Sociologist. Available at: https://othersociologist.com/sociology-of-gender/ [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].

Rehabilitation Vs Punishment Essay: Literature Review

There has been an ongoing debate on the issue concerning how prisoners should be treated in prisons, the main question being, are inmates only supposed to be punished or is it possible to engage inmates in rehabilitation programs and other means to change them and make them law-abiding and self-reliant once released? According to, (Jones, 2009), the major focus of prison rehabilitation programs should be to increase the inmate’s education or skills level and thus increasing their chances of success in life once they are released from custody, some rehabilitation programs also aim at helping the prisoners recover psychologically and hence improving their psychological activities. The essay below, therefore, seeks to examine the significance of providing psychosocial and vocational rehabilitation for prisoners.

The primary goal of in-prison rehabilitation is to reduce recidivism, recidivism is when an offender released from incarceration relapses into criminal behavior and he or she is reconvicted and re-imprisoned for a new offense (McKean & Ransford, 2004). Recidivism therefore refers to the act of an individual who repeats an undesirable behaviour after having been treated or trained to extinguish the criminal habit. Psychosocial rehabilitation is designed to improve the lives of prisoners, its goal is to teach emotional, cognitive, and social skills that would help the prisoners live and work in a community as independently as possible after being released from prison. Psychosocial support takes the form of counseling and psychotherapy which is mainly provided by psychologists, social workers, and counselors, this is done because some of the prisoners are innocent and some are traumatized by what they see happening in the prisons, especially things like hanging. Most importantly psychosocial rehabilitation is centered on the individual’s potential to embrace change or recovery and it also focuses on providing empowerment, social inclusion, and coping skills. Vocational rehabilitation refers to any programs that seek to restore individuals to their optimal physical, mental, social, and economic abilities. Vocational programs are geared at equipping prisoners with skills that can enhance employment, this helps the prisoners as soon as they leave prison to live a more satisfying life.

First and foremost, the significance of providing psychosocial and vocational rehabilitation for prisoners is it reduces recidivism. Rehabilitation programs reduce recidivism if they incorporate proven principles that are targeted to specific offenders. In Zimbabwe prisons, offenders are released from prison after serving their prison terms, paying fines for their criminal offenses, paying bail, and or being granted Presidential amnesty. However; upon release from prison, offenders are confronted with a range of challenges such as finding employment and shelter, and lack of family and community support (Clear, 2007), and thus they recidivate and are re-incarcerated (Travis, 2004). Convicts are released into the community when they are inadequately equipped to deal with socio-economic needs. When released from prison, ex-convicts face the same unmet needs which force them to commit other crimes as they attempt to meet their socio-economic needs (Muchena, 2014). This implies that prisoners may not be fully prepared in prison with effective rehabilitation programs to assist them in building a positive life upon release. Specific programmes for rehabilitation and treatment are lacking in the Zimbabwe prison system and thus offenders are released when they are not prepared to deal with the outside world this is the case in most African countries. Therefore, equipping prisoners with skills through vocational rehabilitation will help them have a source of income outside prison hence they do not meet problems that will make them result into committing crimes again. Psychosocial rehabilitation will help the prisoners heal psychologically and attain social skills which will help the prisoners to associate and bond well in their various communities after being realized, hence preventing recidivism. On that note, psychosocial and vocational training rehabilitation is significant to prisoners as it reduces recidivism.

Secondly, psychosocial support for prisoners is important because it improves the psychological health of prisoners. Through psychosocial rehabilitation, prisoners are provided with correctional counseling services that focus on assisting offenders to deal with interpersonal conflicts, adjustment disorders, and depression due to loss of freedom through being thrust into a threatening environment. Hence psychosocial services focus more on rehabilitation and less on punishment (Gatotoh, 2011). According to (Gonzalez, 2016), psychologists state that mental health conditions are more common among prisoners than in the general population. Estimates suggest that as many as 26 percent of state or federal prisoners suffer from at least one mental illness, compared with nine percent or less in the general population. Prisoners with untreated mental illness are more likely to be arrested again after they are released. Therefore these prisoners must receive psychosocial rehabilitation so that they can function in their normal state of mind. Several behavior programs aim at providing treatment to offenders with psychological issues, these programs are designed to support offenders who suffer from either personality disorders or emotional needs. To address any psychological and emotional agitation, these programs offer round-the-clock living and learning interventions for offenders whose primary criminogenic contingency factors should be targeted. This is important because it would help the prisoner to relate well with others in their community, as they will be psychologically well, this would also prevent the prisoners from reoffending and getting back into the prisons. Behavioral programs are also targeting to reduce re-offending by teaching criminals to control themselves by improving their self-management skills.

In line with the above, (Essays, 2008) states that a widely known model that helps with psychological issues is the TSP, which stands for Thinking Skills Programme and works to teach the offenders to achieve their goals without committing offenses. In other words, it is based on self-management and personal coaching. Some people who commit crimes that lead them to prison are psychologically disturbed due to some events that took place earlier in their lives that might have disturbed their whole worldview. For example if one is a child heading his or her family they tend to find ways in which they can feed their family and they result into stealing which they may feel is a means of finding what they need to survive and they grow up thinking this is the right way of earning a living, therefore psychosocial support would help greatly in dealing with such individuals if they end up in prison.

Furthermore, psychosocial support helps prisoners to be able to blend well with their families and communities as they are equipped with social skills that will help them socialize and deal with the stigma that may come from the community, dealing with such stigma and being able to deal with issues in the community, especially on how the community views people who have been to prisons can help the prisoners to overlook some of the things people will say about them and slowly blend in with the community. Counseling assists prison inmates in establishing and maintaining healthy family relationships this is as stated by (Austin & Hardyman, 2004), and thus offenders understand the thinking processes associated with their criminal behavior. Counseling services assist prison inmates in effecting change in their behavior processes by acquiring the ability to enhance their functioning and live a more productive and self-satisfying life. Punishment breeds hard-core criminals (Roberts, 2008), and thus psychosocial and vocational rehabilitation aimed at reducing recidivism, targeting criminogenic offender characteristics by equipping offenders with survival skills for post-prison life with their families and communities at large.

Moreover, vocational rehabilitation enhances employment after having been released from prison. According to (Blakey, 2017) the Ministry of Justice research found that prisoners who receive vocational training in prison are more likely to enter employment soon after release. In its 2011 report, the Howard League for Penal Reform cited additional benefits of prison employment, arguing that it supports family dynamics for those in prison and raises revenue for the Treasury and victims while requiring minimal additions to centralized bureaucracy. Vocational training in prisons helps equip the prisoners with skills that will help them get jobs after being released more official jobs might be hard for them to get given that they have a criminal record so the other skills for example bricklaying, plumbing, and painting & decorating jobs are helpful for the prisoners to have something to do after being released rather than for them to be idle. The rehabilitation programs in Zimbabwe prisons such as maize production, poultry, vegetable gardening, and cattle ranching are mostly agriculturally oriented (United Nations Asia and Far East Institute Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, 2007). Other rehabilitation programmes include academic education, and technical courses such as carpentry, motor mechanics, and welding. Most agricultural programs help the prisoners after being released because they can be self-employed since most companies are not willing to employ an ex-convict.

Another significance of vocational training is improving the country’s economy. The increased focus on vocational and employability skills provision within offender learning reflects developments in the wider skills system. Getting a country’s vocational and technical education system right is both socially and economically vital, to succeed as a nation, strong vocational education is essential. According to (Dixon & Casey, 2013) the prison or professionals offering vocational training rehabilitation conduct regular analyses of the learning and skills needs of offenders and work with employers to look at labor market information and develop vocational provisions. Engagement with employers through the bi-monthly employer forum and hosting several employer engagement events have been successful in getting employers engaged and securing work placements for prisoners on Release or Temporary Licence this is as reported by Wales (Dixon & Casey, 2013). Vocational training provisions are designed to match the needs of the local labor market as well as the needs and interests of offenders. Vocational provision includes employability skills that can be transferred across a range of employment settings, including skills for job-seeking and writing applications; interview skills; teamwork, organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills; and support with disclosure of convictions.

The provision of psychosocial rehabilitation at times does not help the prisoners especially when these prisoners are facing such psychological problems within the prison cell as some inmates are very aggressive towards others, and some women prisoners are raped in the prisons adding to their psychological issues so at times these programs do not work. There are also problems of unavailability of resources which makes it very difficult to successfully carry out rehabilitation programs. Despite the great importance of prison vocational programs studies have pointed to a wide variety of barriers that inhibit the released prisoner’s chances to integrate into the labour market, this defeats the whole purpose of vocational training rehabilitation.

In conclusion, the provision of psychosocial and vocational training for prisoners is very important as it reduces recidivism, improves the mental health of prisoners, enhances social skills, and creates employment for the prisoners just to mention a few. In the writer’s view, the above-mentioned rehabilitation skills are important for prisoners despite that they have their downsides, such as the unavailability of resources and many more.

References

1. Austin, J., & Hardyman, P. L. (2004). The risks and needs of the returning prisoner population; The review of policy research, 13-29.
2. Blakey, R. (2017, December 21). House of the Lords. Retrieved from Research briefing: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/LLN-2017-0102/LLN-2017-0102.pdf
3. Clear, T. (2007). Imprisoning Communities: How Mass Incarceration Makes Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Worse. New York: Oxford University.
4. Dixon, A., & Casey, L. (2013). Vocational Training and Employability Skills in Prisons and Young Offenders Institutions. Leicester: Niace.
5. Essays, U. (2008, November). A significance of rehabilitation criminology essay. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/criminology/a-significance-of-rehabilitation-criminology-essay.php?vref=1.
6. Gatotoh, A. M. (2011, April). Gatotoh, A. M., Omulema, B. E. E., & Nassiuma, DCorrectional Attitudes: An Impetus for a Paradigm Shift in Inmate Rehabilitation. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, vol. 1.
7. Gonzalez, J. (2016, January 19). The conversation. Retrieved from Mental health care for prisoners.
8. Jones, R. S. (2009). The first dime; A decade of convict criminology. The Prison Journal 89(2), 151-171.
9. McKean, L., & Ransford, C. (2004). Current Strategies for Reducing Recidivism. Center for Impact Research. New York: Macmillan.
10. Muchena, T. (2014). Factors contributing to reoffending among ex-prisoners in Zimbabwe after rehabilitation. A Case of Bindura Prison. Bindura University of Science Education.
11. Roberts, R. A. (2008). Critical issues in crime and justice. London: Sage Publications.
12. Travis, J. (2004). Prisoner Reentry: The Iron Law of Imprisonment. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall Publishing Company.
13. United Nations Asia and Far East Institute prevention of crime and the Treatment of offenders. (2007). Animal report for 2006. Viena, New York: Sage.