Religion In Prison Philosophy Essay

Religion In Prison Philosophy Essay There are many aspects that constitute the day to day life of a human being. Some aspects are done as a matter of routine while others are done as a matter of necessity. Religion is one of the aspects that has over the years continued and still is playing an important role in the life of man. Religion by definition refers to the belief in the existence of a supernatural being to whom all worship, adoration and reverence is given. This discussion looks at life in prison and how different or similar it is with the religion that is practiced in the society. Life in prison is pretty tough especially for those who are getting in there for the first time. It is almost unbearable and most inmates wonder if they can hardly make in the harsh environment that is characteristic of prisons. To enable most prisoners cope with the difficult life behind bars, prison officials have introduced different ideas and concepts which are meant to make prisoners forget for sometime that they are behind bars and feel just as if they were in the society (Arthur, 2005). One of the aspects that have been introduced in prisons and one that has proven effective is religion. Until recently, the issue of religion among prisoners has always taken center stage with a debate ranging on whether prisoners have a right or not to practice religion. It was argued that since inclination to a certain religion is freedom in itself, prisoners should not be allowed to have this freedom since their freedom is already curtailed by virtue of the fact that they are in prison. After a series of court battles, it was decided that prisoners equally have a right to religion and to worship in whichever manner that they deem fit. The method of worship chosen by the prisoners however should not be one that contravenes the law (Jim, 2010). Inmates are only allowed to practice the main religious faiths allowed which include Catholicism, Islam, Jewish faith and Protestantism. Inmates are also allows to practice Hinduism, Jehovah witness and other native religions that are recognized in the society. Besides being allowed to practice these religions, sometimes the inmates are treated to inspirational programs from men of the cloth who are allowed to come and talk to them and instill in them faith and hope for the future (Michael, 2010). There are many reasons as to why prisoners turn to religion. Life in prison can be very challenging especially if the prisoner is going to spend the next couple of years behind bars. Some inmates feel like it is the end of the road for them and others go to an extent of wanting to take their lives (Michael, 2010). Religion therefore gives them direction and gives them a reason to want to hold on and give them hope for a better future. Religion also gives inmates a peace of mind which is not easy to find in the life behind bars. Religion also makes a prisoner feel safe from the otherwise harsh and sometimes violent environment of prison (Thomas, 2003). Besides the positive impacts that religion is said to have among inmates, it has also been argued that religion has been abused by inmates who use religion to go beyond the limitations of the prison rules and regulations. It is believed that some prisoners who appear to be deeply rooted in religion in fact use religion to be able to get and pass on forbidden items, what is known as contraband such as drugs, weapons and food to other prisoners at a cost. This allegation has also been supported by the fact that most prisoners who have deep ties in religion while behind bars tend to re-offend once released back into the society. This only goes to reaffirm that indeed, at times religion in prison is only a cover up to be able to do so much without being suspected (Beckford Gillait 2008). Religion has also been said playing an instrumental role in the process of rehabilitation and behavioral change. Religion has a way of counseling without heavy reprimand and this helps the inmates to see the need to change from their wayward ways and become better members of the society. Religion has also helped most prisoners to change their perception about their own self. When a prisoner is incarcerated, they are made to feel that they are different from other members of the society. However, religion makes inmates understand that there is no difference between them and other people in the society and that if only they could change from their ways then they could go back to the society and become part of the same society that view them as different (Jim, 2010). When an accused person is arrested, they are later to taken to court and charged with a particular crime or offence. Once they are found guilty of the crime with which they are charged, they are sentenced and most of them end up being locked behind bars for a couple of years where they serve their sentences (Arthur, 2005). Life behind bars is punishment enough. Being denied basic rights like good food and comfortable shelter and clothing is punishment in itself. Religion has therefore been integrated to become part of the prison life to make it bearable. It is important to note that prisoners should be allowed to carry out all religious practices that are laid out by the faith that they profess provided that the religious practices do not go against the rules and regulations of prisons. No religion should be given preference over the other so that every prisoner should have a right to practice any religion provided it falls under the category of the allowed religions in the country ( Jim, 2010). As already mentioned earlier in this discussion, due to the harsh environment that is characteristic of prisons, most prisoners, especially first time offenders find it hard to adjust to the environment. However, statistics indicate that since the introduction of religion in prisons, the environment seems friendlier and bearable and this has helped many prisoners find it easy to adjust to the prison life (Thomas Nathaniel 2003). The United States of America is one of the countries that have been on the forefront in ensuring that the rights of prisoners as far as freedom of worship and religion is concerned are respected. Although it is still in the this country that many battles have been fought to ensure that prisoners get their rights, it was a worthwhile battle because today, prisoners incarcerated in United States of America prisons have been guaranteed unlimited freedom of worship and religion. However, according to the recent court ruling regarding the freedom of religion and worship for inmates, this freedom is curtailed to a certain extent when the safety and function of the prison system is at jeopardy (Jim, 2010). In prison, the kind of religion practiced is somewhat different with the kind of religion practiced in the society. Due to the set up of the prison system, prisoners are forced to practice religion as individuals. However, sometimes, they are allowed to practice as a group as religion in prisons has now been structured anew to allow a more organized kind of setup. The prison officials always organize for prison visits by religious groups from different faiths that come to minister to prisoners. The pastoral care offered by these groups is both for the inmates and also for the correctional officials (Beckford Gillait 2008). There are programs that have been put in place to facilitate such visits and to ensure that religion in prison is practiced smoothly. Besides these programs, some correctional facilities in addition offer contemplative programs like yoga, mediation and contemplative prayers. Although these practices are viewed by many to be secular, most of the times they are given sponsorship by religious organization on the basis that these practices are very helpful in enabling a prisoner to reform (Thomas Nathaniel 2003). While we can unanimously agree that religion has been very instrumental in making prisons better places and making the environmental more bearable, we must also agree that enough is yet to be done to make the impact of religion in prisons fully felt especially among the prisoners. Perhaps due to the numerous debates on the curtailing of prisoners right to enjoy the freedom of religion, most prisoners have not enjoyed to the full the integration of religion in prisons (Jim, 2010). Perhaps the first question we can ask ourselves is whether indeed prisons need religion. The answer to this question is a resounding yes based on the above discussion. Then the next question to which we need an answer is what more can be done to make the impacts of religion in prison felt in a greater way? The first thing that needs to be done to ensure that religion impacts prisoners in a great and effective way is to make prisoners feel that they are a part of the society. In many prisons, almost all, prisoners are alienated both physically and psychologically from the rest of the society and they are made to feel that they are different from other people in the society. This means that even when religion is integrated in prisons, prisoners are made to feel that it is a favor that is being done to them. Therefore, if the correction officials, the federal government and the society at large can begin viewing prisoners as ordinary people who have only brushed with the law the wrong w ay, then it would be easier for religion to have an even greater impact among incarcerated inmates (Beckford Gillait 2008). If religion among inmates can be enhanced in a greater way that it is being done presently, then we can reduce cases of inmates who re-offend after being released. This would also reduce by a great margin the rate of crime in the society as it is believed that most heinous crimes that are committed are by hardcore criminals who have already done one or more jail terms (Arthur, 2005). I therefore believe that the role played by religion is great and one that should not be underestimated.

Feminism in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Essay -- Papers Jane Au

Feminism in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Jane Austen, the author of Pride and Prejudice, holds feminist views and uses the novel to show her opinions about women's issues. Pride and Prejudice is a personal essay, a statement of Jane Austen's feelings about the perfect lady, marriage, and the relationship between the sexes. Jane Austen's characters, plot, and dialogue are biased to reflect her beliefs. The biased process and importance of marriage are introduced with the first line of the book. Jane Austen writes: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possesion of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering the neighborhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters. (5) This implies that the man wants a wife and the woman is not in a place to turn him down. The man becomes her claim, and for him she fights with other women. It seems as if women are plentiful and men are rare. The man has freedom and the option to choose any girl that he wants, while the women are desperate and fight for whichever man they can get. Jane Austen points this out and shows how dependent the woman is on a man in her English society. This dependence is viewed as a necessary part of upper class England by most and was not criticized. If Jane Austen had written a book simply about English society, these sentiments would not have showed up. The fact that they are introduced and expressed again and again in Pride and Preju... ...r woman in her society take away their free will and encourage conformity, and her main ?good? character is independent and rebels against those ideas, showing the character?s independence and creating Jane Austen?s ideal woman. This cannot be a coincidence because in this time these views are often disagreed with and are not very frequent. If Jane Austen is writing without the influences of her ideas, she would not make that choice. Harsh criticisms of English 19th century society that are very controversial at the time are not in the book to make it interesting, they have to be based upon some kind of feelings. These feelings are very deliberately placed into Pride and Prejudice in order to use the book as an indirect thesis for Jane Austen?s feminist beliefs. Works Cited: Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Ed. R.W. Chapman. New York: Oxford UP, 1988.

Sociological Imagination-the Sociological Big Picture

Sociological Imagination-â€Å"The Sociological Big Picture† C. Wright Mills wanted people to know that outside of ourselves and our personal problems, we are being shaped by the external forces that surround us in society. Whether people are aware of it or not, they are being influenced by society and its factors. The location in which one lives, the nation’s current economic standing, government affiliation, and more are all effecting people in some way.When living in a broadened social experience where things are all interconnected to one another, it has the power and potential of influencing our human behaviors and impulses that are not internally inherited as Mills suggests, but rather shaped by society. The location where a person lives helps bring meaning and shape the ideas of social acceptabilities. For example, in the Amazon basin of South America the Yanomamo Indians see very differently than people of America.This primitive tribe find normalcy among hallucin ogenic yopo trips, villages where peoples attire are loin cloths, and a society composed of hunters and gatherers. Whereas Americans who are surrounded by urbanization, consumerism, materialism and so on may find the Yanomamo way of living off-putting. Also, the nations economy can affect citizens like after keeping 350,000 students out of school for seven days, teachers in Chicago are ending their strike after some negotiation.The Chicago Teachers Union battling for their rights about their job security, teacher abilities, salary raises, and more. Union president, Karen Lewis, after not being able to reach compromise the first time a few days prior, has now settled on an official contract. Though the near from perfect contract still needs ratification, union members agree â€Å"It was time to end the strike† said Lewis who’s rights to petition and peacefully assembly helped union members and the Chicago’s delegates reach a settlement.Chinese artist, internet bl ogger, and activist, Ai Weiwei was detained by the Chinese government after trying to find the names of the thousands of victims lost in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake; which authorities were refusing to give out to civilians. This only fueled his dislike of the Chinese government, which he had a tendency to expose in his blogs and artwork. In China where the internet is monitored heavily by the state, unlike other places around the world, often Weiwei’s political opinions of China’s autocracy became censored.After three months of detention, Weiwei was released on bail. When society can influence people, one must be willing to pull themselves away from a narcissistic point of view and adapt to a perspective where you are able to evaluate the â€Å"sociological big picture†. Building a sociological imagination can create within oneself the ability to truly see what others see and why people act the way they do whether it be stone age indians, claimant mobs, or dissi dent artists: we are all shaped by society.

Essay about Gender and Gender Inequality - 2068 Words

Gender and Gender Inequality Gender, what is gender? Where does it come from? How long has it existed? These are all very good question and questions that are asked a lot in today’s modern society. Most people think of gender as the physical features of a man and a woman, but it is not just physical features that define gender. There are obvious biological differences between a man and a woman, but is that what gender is defined by? There are many different theories on gender and how it is defined. How is gender inequality present in today’s world? Gender vs. Sex these two things are some of the most commonly misunderstood concepts. According to James M. Henslin the author of the book Essentials of Sociology A Down-to-Earth Approach,†¦show more content†¦It is known that males have more testosterone produced in their bodies and females have more estrogen produced in their bodies. Is this what causes males to be more aggressive and females to be more nurturing and submissive? There was a study which was called The Vietnam Veterans Study. This study was on males and their levels of testosterone. According to James M. Henslin, in 1985 the U.S. government began a health study of Vietnam veterans. To be certain that the study was representative; the researchers chose a random sample of 4,462 men. They collected testosterone measurements from each of the participating individuals. This study showed evidence that when the veterans with higher testosterone levels were boys, they were more likely to get in trouble with parents and teachers and to become delinquents. As adults they were more likely to use hard drugs, to get into fights, to end up in lower-status jobs, and to have more sexual partners. This study make it sound like biology is a basis for behavior, but this is where something known as social class comes into play. 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