My research on this topic really backed up the ideas that I already had about this topic. It did give me good insight on the statistics of the recidivism. I loved doing the project in phases. It really helped me pace myself throughout the project and showed me that I should try to do my writing assignments in segments. I think this assignment changed the way that I view the credibility of sources which will take me a long way in academic arguments.  This assignment definitely lifted my confidence to discuss topics. I have always been very opinionated but the project help me to be able to present my ides in a way that my intended audience will receive it well. The most valuable things that I learned from this project was evaluating the credibility of sources and Aristotle's Rhetorical Triangle. I really liked the CRAAP test and the logic that the triangle possesses.

"Prisoner Rehabilitation and Recidivism." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 1 Apr. 2005. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. <http://www.2facts.com/article/i1000180>.

My newest source is an article called Prison Rehabilitation and Recidivism.  I found it by using the issues and controversies link on the libraries homepage. This article passes the crap test in its entirety. It was published in 2005 so it is current enough to be considered for an academic argument and it combines and compares information from the mid-eighties up until the time it was published. It is a very relevant source because I would use it as a citation in my research paper and it isn’t to elementary. I think that this source has more authority than all of my other sources because it has a bibliography to go along with it which includes the Wall Street Journal and CBS news which are both well knows sources of credible articles. My only problem is I could not find an author but it came with contact information to find out some information for yourself if you didn’t believe what was in there. The information in the article seems to be reliable. One example of why I believe that the article is reliable is because they use information from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Another example is I can verify the part about faith based rehabilitation programs working better then most prison programs by past and present experience. I work in a ministry in which I get to see the transforming power of Christ daily in a house full of men that wouldn’t mix any other place. Finally I think the sole purpose of this information is to inform the public about the growing problem that goes on in America. The tax money isn’t used to rehabilitate the criminal it is being used to make more prisons which doesn’t make any logical sense to me.

Summary- All in all I think that this article is meant to be an unbiased informative article to inform the public about a huge problem in America that is getting worse. It offers different points of view including faith based programs which is pertinent to anyone’s recovery.  It also offers a wide array of statistics and includes the sources of the statistics.

Response- The thing that strikes me to the most is a statistic in the beginning of the article saying that 1 in 15 American’s go to jail at some point in their life. The thing that I agree with the most is where it says shows the statistics about inmates who receive drug rehabilitation services and vocational training. This article basically backs up everything that the ministry I work in stands for. Get people off drugs, get them a job and focus on the real problem which is a lack of faith. In the article in the faith based rehabilitation section it talks about the reduction of recidivism by two thirds among inmates who completed a faith based recovery program. This article connects with all of my other sources because it shows that the recidivism rates are higher than ever which means the real problems aren’t being addressed and tax money is being wasted.

This source I think is my most interesting one yet.  It is written by Jeff Perrotte and published by the Daily New is Los Angeles, California. This article has been published in 2009 so it is current. This article is relevant because it has an inside view of the lack of rehabilitation in the prisons system and applies to anyone interested in the topic..  Jeff killed a man in drunken driving accident and has been in prison since 1992 so he has an inside view of what goes on inside the prison and gets a firsthand view of who gets into the program.  He says in the article that most of the people who get in are inmates serving a life sentence who will never get to apply what they learn in the free world. I think that this experience alone qualifies him to write on it but he also has 3 degrees one including a doctorate in business management. The article definitely has purpose. It is written to inform the public that their tax money is being wasted. While this is mostly just based on his opinions and experiences it is still important to consider his inside view.

Summary- This article was very interesting to me because of his inside view.  I think his personal experience is very important and cannot be overlooked. This article will hit home for everyone anyone with a family because it flat out says that their tax money is being wasted on people who will not be able to apply to their lives.  Overall I think this is a perfect example how an academic argument can be based on personal experience.

Response-What strikes me the most is that the inmates serving life sentences are the ones getting into these programs.  It seems logical to put people in these programs before they get released to give them the best chance to succeed in the free world. Some questions this raises for me is statistics. I really like seeing numbers with legitimate sources to back them up. This article really backs up my own opinions. The ministry I work for is called transition to community and it is essential to train people coming out of prison how to reintegrate back into society to reduce the rates of recidivism. My only concern about this article is that the author might have resentments towards the judicial system because of past experiences which will in turn give him a very biased opinion and make hi opinion less credible.

  

The thing that strikes me the most is that in the first few words of the quote it basically says stealing isn't a bad thing. I would have to strongly disagree with this because i think stealing is not only a sin it is against the law. I think that here at LBC this quote can be completely disregarded because as Christians we all believe stealing breaks one of the ten commandments. One thing that i do agree with in the quote is that copying someone else's work take the place of learning.

When i compare this quote to my own experiences and observations iahve to completely disagree. I believe that stealing somebodies work is as bad as draining there bank account. I dont think you can justify stealing a little by saying its only a little. I would say that it is possible for someone that doesn't know all of the rules about plagiarism to make a mistake and plagiarise without knowing it.

The title of my recent source is Removing the Roadblocks to Rehabilitation.  It was published in the New York Times a little over 2 years ago by Tina Rosenberg.  The source passes the CRAAP test entirely.  The date shows that it is up to date and it is very relevant to my topic.  It is relevant to my topic because it takes an inside look at how the prison system fails to set inmates being released up to succeed. One hindrance is that some states require inmates to return to the county that they were arrested in.  This is a big problem because it is easy to fall back into old habits there. The source has authority because it was published by the New York Times which is a very respected source of information. It shows accuracy because she supports her information with good logic and shows some of her sources.  One of these sources is David Kirk who is a sociologist at the University of Texas.  The only thing about her accuracy is that her opinion might seem a bit biased. Also the information has purpose. It is written to inform people and make them aware of this growing problem and hopefully to spring people into action.

This source is helpful for my research because it is reliable.  The author has obviously done her research and compiled evidence that supports my opinion about the topic.  One part that I liked is when she said it is a failing system.  I see it time and time again in the ministry I work for. People just sit in jail and do time and don’t address the real issue. I think the best part of her article was that she provided links to some programs that are trying to make a difference.

In response I think that her ideas align directly with my own. My own personal experience with prison is that they didn’t provide any services to transition me back to community.  This article is significant because she provided links for people who are trying to make a difference. I think this is important because she is trying to be a part of the solution. When I compare this with my other sources I think that their ideas align with each other because they provide specific examples of a failing system. One thing that she touched that some of my other sources did not was the political aspect.  She mentions that some politicians don’t want to seem soft on crime in fear of losing votes.  This is a new idea because I would vote for a politician who acknowledged that we need a new plan for punishment. I also like the fact that she provided the numbers for how much it costs to imprison people for different lengths of time and provided her source and a link.

This new source is probably one of the most credible sources i have found thus far.  The reason this source is so credible is because is an Honors College Theses for Pace University.  Although Pace is not as well-known as other universities a quick Google search will inform you that is ranked in the top 175 in the 2013 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities.  Some of my major concerns initially were; was this recently written? The answer i discovered was yes, it was written in May of 2009. Some of the other questions I had were is it relevant and what is its purpose? Well the purpose is obviously that it was written for school and it is very relevant because is covers my topic very well.  I also think that it is very accurate and the information is well supported.

This source is perfect for my topic. Very early on in the paper it talks about recidivism and tax payers’ money.  This is exactly what i have been looking for and it will be great for my paper.

Here is the link: http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1079&context=honorscollege_thesespaper

To locate my first source you can go to www.mattmangino.com and along the right side you can search for his blog post from the previous years.  Open the 2010 tab and then open the January tab the article is called “Doing Time...  And Doing It Time and Time Again.” Here is the link.  http://www.mattmangino.com/2010/01/doing-time-and-doing-it-time-and-time.html

This is a great example of an academic argument about my topic.  It clearly covers exactly what my topic is based on and has a substantial amount of statistics and logic to back it up. This article is perfect for my audience because it addresses tax payers and shows the consequences the pay because of the lack of rehabilitation in the prison system.

 

To find ths source you can simply go to voices.yahoo.com and enter does prison rehabilitate in the search bar. It is the first article to come up is by a woman who goes by Christine H who apparently has a bachelor’s degree is criminal justice. Here is the link.

http://voices.yahoo.com/does-prison-rehabilitate-2790490.html?cat=9

This article offers a very controversial opinion that conflicts with what I believe.  In her article she says that prison is not necessarily for rehabilitation and it mostly for punishment.  However there is one part of her argument that I do agree with and that is the prisoner has to want rehabilitation.