Advantages and Disadvantages of Imprisonment and Its Alternatives

Imprisonment and the alternative to incarceration is one of the most important topics of criminal law because of their vital role in applying justice and insuring public order and interest in society. Using the descriptive and analytical method, this article studies this topic from the Islamic point of view exploring the meaning, legal Islamic bases and disadvantages of imprisonment, and the meaning and some types of alternatives to incarceration in Islamic Law..

The Limits of Expectations and the Minimization of Collateral Consequences: The Experience of Electronic Home Monitoring

Electronic home monitoring (EHM), also known as house arrest, is often described by policy makers as a less punitive, more humane alternative to incarceration. However, studies on its use have found it is often not used as an alternative, but rather as an increase in the level of supervision for individuals in the criminal justice system. This fact calls into question whether the language of alternatives and direct comparisons to incarceration obscures our understanding of both the sanction and how individuals experience it. Although previous studies of the experience of EHM have concluded that individuals do not find the sanction overly burdensome, this article articulates the importance of considering 1) how respondents frame their experience on EHM in comparison to incarceration and 2) how they draw on expectations surrounding their legal alternatives. Using 30 interviews with individuals who have been on EHM in Chicago, Illinois, I argue that the pervasiveness of the prison distorts expectations of the legal process and causes respondents to minimize the hardships they detail. Both the existing framing of studies on EHM and the ways in which individuals experience it demonstrate the hegemony of carceral logics in an era of mass incarceration.

Neuroscience and Social Problems: The Case of Neuropunishment

Neuroscientific interventions are increasingly proposed as solutions for social problems, beyond their application in biomedicine. For example, there is increasing interest, particularly from outside commentators, in harnessing neuroscientific advances as an alternative method of punishing criminal offenders. Such neuropunishments are seen as a potentially more effective, less costly, and more humane alternative to incarceration, with overall better results for offender, communities, and societies. This article considers whether neuroscience as a field should engage more actively with such proposals, and whether more research should be done to explore the use of neurointerventions for punishment. It concludes that neuroscientists and those working at the intersection of neuroscience and the clinic should actively shape these debates.

Mindfulness and Rehabilitation: Teaching Yoga and Meditation to Young Men in an Alternative to Incarceration Program

This study used participant/observation and open-ended interviews to understand how male participants (age 18-24 years) benefited from yoga and mindfulness training within an Alternative to Incarceration (ATI) program. Findings suggest that the male participants (age 18-24 years) benefited from the intervention through reductions in stress and improvements in emotion regulation. Several participants noted the importance of the development of an embodied practice for assisting them in managing anger and impulse control. The young men’s narratives suggest that mindfulness-based interventions can contribute positively to rehabilitative outcomes within alternative to incarcerations settings, providing complementary benefit to existing ATI programs, especially for clients amenable to mindfulness training. With many jurisdictions expanding rehabilitation-focused interventions for young offenders, service providers should consider the potential positive contributions that mindfulness-based interventions can have for fostering desistance and reducing recidivism among justice system–involved populations.