text:
This information is produced and provided by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The information in this topic may have changed since it was written. For the most current information, contact the National Cancer Institute via the Internet web site at http://cancer.gov or call 1-800-4-CANCER.
Retinoblastoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the retina.
The retina is the nerve tissue that lines the inside of the back of the eye. The retina senses light and sends images to the brain by way of the optic nerve. Anatomy of the eye, showing the outside and inside of the eye including the sclera, cornea, iris, ciliary body, choroid, retina, vitreous humor, and optic nerve. The vitreous humor is a gel that fills the center of the eye.
Although retinoblastoma may occur at any age, it usually occurs in children younger than 5 years, most often younger than 2 years. The tumor may be in one eye or in both eyes. Retinoblastoma rarely spreads from the eye to nearby tissue or other parts of the body.
Retinoblastoma occurs in heritable and nonheritable forms.
A child is thought to have the heritable form of retinoblastoma when one of the following is true:
Nonheritable retinoblastoma is retinoblastoma that is not the heritable form.
After diagnosis and treatment in a child with heritable retinoblastoma, new tumors may continue to form for a few years. Regular eye exams to check for new tumors are usually done every 2 to 4 months for at least 28 months.
The parents, brothers, and sisters of a child with retinoblastoma need to have their eyes checked for retinoblastoma.
The parents of a child with retinoblastoma should have an eye exam by an ophthalmologist (a doctor with special training in diseases of the eye).
The brother or sister of a child with retinoblastoma also should have regular eye exams by an ophthalmologist until age 3 to 5 years, unless it is known that the brother or sister does not have the retinoblastoma gene change. Children who have a close family member with retinoblastoma should have regular eye exams beginning early in life to check for retinoblastoma. Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma may mean the child will need less intense treatment.
Treatment for both forms of retinoblastoma should include genetic counseling.
Parents should receive genetic counseling (a discussion with a trained professional about genetic diseases) to discuss whether genetic testing is needed and the risk of retinoblastoma for the child's brothers or sisters.
A child who has heritable retinoblastoma has an increased risk of trilateral retinoblastoma and other cancers.
A child with heritable retinoblastoma is also at risk for a tumor in the brain. This is called trilateral retinoblastoma and usually occurs more than 20 months after retinoblastoma is diagnosed. Regular screening using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) every 6 months for 5 years may be done for a child thought to have heritable retinoblastoma or for a child with retinoblastoma in one eye and a family history of the disease. CT scans (computerized tomography) should not be used for routine screening to avoid exposing the child to ionizing radiation. Heritable retinoblastoma also increases the child's risk of other types of cancer such as bone or soft tissue sarcoma or melanoma in later years. Regular follow-up exams are important.
Signs and symptoms of retinoblastoma include "white pupil" and eye pain or redness.
These and other signs and symptoms may be caused by retinoblastoma or by other conditions. Check with a doctor if your child has any of the following:
Tests that examine the retina are used to detect (find) and diagnose retinoblastoma.
The following tests and procedures may be used:
There are several types of eye exams that are done with the pupil dilated:
Retinoblastoma is usually diagnosed without a biopsy.
Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options.
The prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options depend on the following:
After retinoblastoma has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the eye or to other parts of the body.
The process used to find out if cancer has spread within the eye or to other parts of the body is called staging. The information gathered from the staging process determines the stage of the disease. It is important to know the stage in order to plan treatment.
The following tests and procedures may be used in the staging process:
The International Retinoblastoma Staging System (IRSS) may be used for staging retinoblastoma.
There are several staging systems for retinoblastoma. The IRSS stages are based on how much cancer remains after surgery to remove the tumor and whether the cancer has spread.
Stage 0
The eye has not been removed and the tumor was treated without surgery.
Stage I
The eye has been removed and no cancer cells are seen.
Stage II
The eye has been removed and there are cancer cells left that can be seen only with a microscope.
Stage III
Stage III is divided into stages IIIa and IIIb:
Stage IV
Stage IV is divided into stages IVa and IVb:
Treatment for retinoblastoma depends on whether it is intraocular (within the eye) or extraocular (outside the eye).
Intraocular retinoblastoma
In intraocular retinoblastoma, cancer is found in the eye and may be only in the retina or may also be in other parts of the eye such as the choroid, ciliary body, or part of the optic nerve. Cancer has not spread to tissues around the outside of the eye or to other parts of the body.
Extraocular retinoblastoma (metastatic)
In extraocular retinoblastoma, cancer has spread beyond the eye. It may be found in tissues around the eye (orbital retinoblastoma) or it may have spread to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) or to other parts of the body such as the bone marrow or lymph nodes.
There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.
Cancer can spread through tissue, the lymph system, and the blood:
Cancer may spread from where it began to other parts of the body.
When cancer spreads to another part of the body, it is called metastasis. Cancer cells break away from where they began (the primary tumor) and travel through the lymph system or blood.
The metastatic tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if retinoblastoma spreads to the bone, the cancer cells in the bone are actually retinoblastoma cells. The disease is metastatic retinoblastoma, not bone cancer.
Recurrent retinoblastoma is cancer that has recurred (come back) after it has been treated. The cancer may recur in the eye, in tissues around the eye, or in other places in the body.
There are different types of treatment for patients with retinoblastoma.
Different types of treatment are available for patients with retinoblastoma. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment.
Because cancer in children is rare, taking part in a clinical trial should be considered. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Children with retinoblastoma should have their treatment planned by a team of health care providers who are experts in treating cancer in children.
The goals of treatment are to save the child's life, to save vision and the eye, and to prevent serious side effects. Treatment will be overseen by a pediatric oncologist, a doctor who specializes in treating children with cancer. The pediatric oncologist works with other health care providers who are experts in treating children with eye cancer and who specialize in certain areas of medicine. These may include a pediatric ophthalmologist (children's eye doctor) who has a lot of experience in treating retinoblastoma and the following specialists:
Some cancer treatments cause side effects months or years after treatment has ended.
Side effects from cancer treatment that begin during or after treatment and continue for months or years are called late effects. Late effects of treatment for retinoblastoma may include the following:
Some late effects may be treated or controlled. It is important to talk with your child's doctors about the effects cancer treatment can have on your child. (See the PDQ summary on Late Effects of Treatment for Childhood Cancer for more information.)
Children with the heritable form of retinoblastoma are at an even greater risk of forming second cancers. Children, especially those younger than 12 months, who have been treated for retinoblastoma with radiation therapy have an increased risk of second cancers. Regular follow-up by health professionals who are experts in diagnosing and treating late effects is important.
Five types of standard treatment are used:
Surgery (enucleation)
Enucleation is surgery to remove the eye and part of the optic nerve. The eye will be checked with a microscope to see if there are any signs that the cancer is likely to spread to other parts of the body. Enucleation is done if the tumor is large and there is little or no chance that vision can be saved. The patient will be fitted for an artificial eye. Close follow-up is needed for 2 years or more to check for signs of recurrence in the area around the eye and to check the other eye.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. There are two types of radiation therapy. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the cancer. Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, plaques, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer. The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated. Methods of radiation therapy used to treat retinoblastoma include the following:
Cryotherapy is a treatment that uses an instrument to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue, such as carcinoma in situ. This type of treatment is also called cryosurgery.
Thermotherapy is the use of heat to destroy cancer cells. Thermotherapy may be given using a laser beam aimed through the dilated pupil or onto the outside of the eyeball. Thermotherapy may be used alone for small tumors or combined with chemotherapy for larger tumors. This type of treatment is also called laser therapy.
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the stage of the cancer and where the cancer is in the body.
There are different types of chemotherapy:
See Drugs Approved for Retinoblastoma for more information.
New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials.
This summary section describes treatments that are being studied in clinical trials. It may not mention every new treatment being studied. Information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue
High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue is a way of giving high doses of chemotherapy and replacing blood -forming cells destroyed by the cancer treatment. Stem cells (immature blood cells) are removed from the blood or bone marrow of the patient and are frozen and stored. After the chemotherapy is completed, the stored stem cells are thawed and given back to the patient through an infusion. These reinfused stem cells grow into (and restore) the body's blood cells.
Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
For some patients, taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice. Clinical trials are part of the cancer research process. Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment.
Many of today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. Patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to receive a new treatment.
Patients who take part in clinical trials also help improve the way cancer will be treated in the future. Even when clinical trials do not lead to effective new treatments, they often answer important questions and help move research forward.
Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment.
Some clinical trials only include patients who have not yet received treatment. Other trials test treatments for patients whose cancer has not gotten better. There are also clinical trials that test new ways to stop cancer from recurring (coming back) or reduce the side effects of cancer treatment.
Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. See the Treatment Options section that follows for links to current treatment clinical trials. These have been retrieved from NCI's listing of clinical trials.
Follow-up tests may be needed.
Some of the tests that were done to diagnose the cancer or to find out the stage of the cancer may be repeated. Some tests will be repeated in order to see how well the treatment is working. Decisions about whether to continue, change, or stop treatment may be based on the results of these tests. This is sometimes called re-staging.
Some of the tests will continue to be done from time to time after treatment has ended. The results of these tests can show if your child's condition has changed or if the cancer has recurred (come back). These tests are sometimes called follow-up tests or check-ups.
Intraocular Retinoblastoma
If the tumor is large and it is expected that the eye cannot be saved, treatment may include the following:
If it is expected that the eye can be saved, treatment may include the following:
When retinoblastoma is in both eyes, the treatment for each eye may be different depending on the size of the tumor and whether it is expected that the eye can be saved.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with intraocular retinoblastoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. Talk with your child's doctor about clinical trials that may be right for your child. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Extraocular Retinoblastoma
Treatment for extraocular retinoblastoma that has spread to the area around the eye may include the following:
Treatment for extraocular retinoblastoma that has spread to the brain may include the following:
It is not clear whether extraocular retinoblastoma that has spread to the brain responds to chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
For trilateral retinoblastoma, treatment may include the following:
For retinoblastoma that has spread to other parts of the body, treatment may include the following:
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with extraocular retinoblastoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. Talk with your child's doctor about clinical trials that may be right for your child. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Recurrent Retinoblastoma
Treatment of recurrent retinoblastoma may include the following:
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with recurrent retinoblastoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. Talk with your child's doctor about clinical trials that may be right for your child. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
For more information from the National Cancer Institute about the treatment of retinoblastoma, see the following:
For more childhood cancer information and other general cancer resources, see the following:
The PDQ cancer information summaries are reviewed regularly and updated as new information becomes available. This section describes the latest changes made to this summary as of the date above.
Changes were made to this summary to match those made to the health professional version.
About PDQ
Physician Data Query (PDQ) is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries come in two versions. The health professional versions have detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions have cancer information that is accurate and up to date and most versions are also available in Spanish.
PDQ is a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH is the federal government's center of biomedical research. The PDQ summaries are based on an independent review of the medical literature. They are not policy statements of the NCI or the NIH.
Purpose of This Summary
This PDQ cancer information summary has current information about the treatment of retinoblastoma. It is meant to inform and help patients, families, and caregivers. It does not give formal guidelines or recommendations for making decisions about health care.
Reviewers and Updates
Editorial Boards write the PDQ cancer information summaries and keep them up to date. These Boards are made up of experts in cancer treatment and other specialties related to cancer. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made when there is new information. The date on each summary ("Date Last Modified") is the date of the most recent change.
The information in this patient summary was taken from the health professional version, which is reviewed regularly and updated as needed, by the PDQ Pediatric Treatment Editorial Board.
Clinical Trial Information
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one treatment is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, information is collected about the effects of a new treatment and how well it works. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Clinical trials are listed in PDQ and can be found online at NCI's Web site. Many cancer doctors who take part in clinical trials are also listed in PDQ. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
Permission to Use This Summary
PDQ is a registered trademark. The content of PDQ documents can be used freely as text. It cannot be identified as an NCI PDQ cancer information summary unless the whole summary is shown and it is updated regularly. However, a user would be allowed to write a sentence such as "NCI's PDQ cancer information summary about breast cancer prevention states the risks in the following way: [include excerpt from the summary]."
The best way to cite this PDQ summary is:
National Cancer Institute: PDQ® Retinoblastoma Treatment. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. Date last modified <MM/DD/YYYY>. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/retinoblastoma/patient. Accessed <MM/DD/YYYY>.
Images in this summary are used with permission of the author(s), artist, and/or publisher for use in the PDQ summaries only. If you want to use an image from a PDQ summary and you are not using the whole summary, you must get permission from the owner. It cannot be given by the National Cancer Institute. Information about using the images in this summary, along with many other images related to cancer can be found in Visuals Online. Visuals Online is a collection of more than 2,000 scientific images.
The information in these summaries should not be used to make decisions about insurance reimbursement. More information on insurance coverage is available on Cancer.gov on the Coping with Cancer: Financial, Insurance, and Legal Information page.
Contact Us
More information about contacting us or receiving help with the Cancer.gov Web site can be found on our Contact Us for Help page. Questions can also be submitted to Cancer.gov through the Web site's Contact Form.
Call 1-800-4-CANCER
For more information, U.S. residents may call the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time. A trained Cancer Information Specialist is available to answer your questions.
Chat online
The NCI's LiveHelp® online chat service provides Internet users with the ability to chat online with an Information Specialist. The service is available from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Information Specialists can help Internet users find information on NCI Web sites and answer questions about cancer.
Write to us
For more information from the NCI, please write to this address:
Search the NCI Web site
The NCI Web site provides online access to information on cancer, clinical trials, and other Web sites and organizations that offer support and resources for cancer patients and their families. For a quick search, use the search box in the upper right corner of each Web page. The results for a wide range of search terms will include a list of "Best Bets," editorially chosen Web pages that are most closely related to the search term entered.
There are also many other places to get materials and information about cancer treatment and services. Hospitals in your area may have information about local and regional agencies that have information on finances, getting to and from treatment, receiving care at home, and dealing with problems related to cancer treatment.
Find Publications
The NCI has booklets and other materials for patients, health professionals, and the public. These publications discuss types of cancer, methods of cancer treatment, coping with cancer, and clinical trials. Some publications provide information on tests for cancer, cancer causes and prevention, cancer statistics, and NCI research activities. NCI materials on these and other topics may be ordered online or printed directly from the NCI Publications Locator. These materials can also be ordered by telephone from the Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
Last Revised: 2014-01-28
If you want to know more about cancer and how it is treated, or if you wish to know about clinical trials for your type of cancer, you can call the NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-422-6237, toll free. A trained information specialist can talk with you and answer your questions.
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use.
How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


text:
Forgive Nashville songwriter Tom Douglas if he's long in returning calls next month: He'll be busy sweating some west coast awards show outcomes.
Already up for an all-genre best song Grammy Award for "The House That Built Me" (performed by Miranda Lambert), Douglas learned Tuesday morning that his "Coming Home," written with Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey, has been nominated for an Oscar. "Coming Home" was performed by Gwyneth Paltrow in the feature film Country Strong. It's nominated in the Academy Awards' best original song category.
Nashville native Peter Kurland -- son of arranger Sheldon Kurland and brother of former Bluebird Cafe owner Amy Kurland -- also earned an Oscar nomination. Kurland is nominated in the sound mixing category for his work on True Grit.
The Grammy Awards show is set for Feb. 13 in Los Angeles, while the Academy Awards are given out in that city on Feb. 27.
Visit Tennessean.com for more on the Oscar nominations.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
in this issue
premium services
online directory
customer care
EnviroTech :: R&D
Dow AgroSciences opens new R&D center at Indianapolis headquarters
2:50 PM MDT | April 10, 2013 | Lindsay Frost
Dow Chemical says its Dow AgroSciences business has opened its new 175,000-sq-ft R&D center at Dow AgroSciences' global headquarters at Indianapolis, IN. The research center is the newest addition to the 192-acre campus and will support R&D activities of over 200 research scientists to develop and commercialize new crop protection and seed, traits and oils products for growers, the company says. "This new center of expertise will greatly enhance our ability to discover new products and technologies, achieve our growth milestones and create new...
This information is only available to Chemical Week subscribers.
Forgot your user ID or password?
Not an IHS Chemical Week member yet?
Here's why you should be:
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
contact us | about us | customer care | privacy policy | sitemap | advertise
Copyright © 2015 IHS, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.


text:
This conversation is closed.
Do jails (Gaols) rehabilitate?
People who commit crimes will sometimes find themselves serving time in a penal institution, whereby they will be punished for their crime and may after a qualifying period be set free back into society.
Western society has differing versions of punishment, eg some countries/states have the death penalty for crimes while some other countries will chop off the hand of a thief for their first offence and then the other if they do it again. I have heard in countries with this practice that their rate of theft is way down.
Conversely I have also heard that the death penalty does not deter people from committing the crime... clearly they are very sorry ...when they are caught.
Also I have heard that some criminals cannot be rehabilitated, eg child molestors, tho in some cultures castration will remedy this'
In a recent American jail documentary I saw, there were two different environments portrayed for offenders. One was in a traditional jail with the prisoners dominating weaker inmates, while the other was very military oriented with prisoners ridden hard by their jailors with strict codes of practice enforced.... the outcomes were incidentally overwhelmingly in favour of the military styled environment in terms of rehabilitive members.
My debate here for TED members revolves around the present status quo for their country/state with regard to prison terms and systems for rehabilitation and what in their opinion would create the ideal system for rehabilitation of offenders! Notwithstanding, measures for dealing with preventative measures which would see for example the over represented numbers of offenders who were affected by or motivated by drugs at the time of their offence : D
Closing Statement from Time Traveller
Thanks to everybody involved for their time, effort, wisdom, experiences and contributions here.
My interpretation in conclusion. is that, jails do not rehabilitate but possibly instead further steep an individual into criminal institutilisation. Money appears to be more at the focus in terms of privatisation and it does seem a MASSIVE overhaul needs to be made in terms of punishment, jailing and criminal behaviour.
It seems that the nurturing/ developing years that a child is raised in are often the breeding ground but also the place to nip in the bud, criminality.
Some programs in jails designed to foster rehabilitation work for some people, as there are people who do care about this. Others will rehabilitate themselves due to wanting to break free of incarceration, tho this may come with maturity and reflection.
On the other side of the equation, if someone who has been rehabilitated after doing their time and paying the price for their crimes/s, they are then further punished by being discriminated against when seeking employment, thus setting up the potential for re-offending.
Many conversations on TED have revolved around this theme and it is unfortunate that there is not some better way (at the moment, I am going to have a crack at exploring our options) of better utilising the ponderings and ideas developed to be subsequently ideas worth spreading into society.
Jul 18 2013: Time Traveller,
I'm wondering if you have tapped into all the other TED conversations that deal with incarceration/rehabilitation? There have been a few very long discussions on this topic, which might give you more information.
I would love to see jails/prisons/correctional facilities operate as self sustaining villages, with offenders actively taking part in the operation of the village. This may give them experience in learning skills which they may be able to use when/if they get out.
One of the facilities I worked in, while volunteering with the dept. of corrections for 6 years, had a mechanic shop, woodworking shop, gardens, etc. We could see the difference with offenders who were active in these programs, because their motivation and attitude was improved as they participated in "cognitive self change" sessions and other programs. They need to learn skills that might help sustain them, otherwise, as we know, they will often re-offend.
Many facilities in the US are now privatized, which does not support rehabilitation. It has become a big business, so there is no motivation to rehabilitate. The privatized facilities would be cutting their profits if they rehabilitated offenders.
I honestly did not witness "reflection and lack of freedom in jail creating the rehabilitation". There needs to be more motivation than that, because many offenders are not thinking about consequences. Many times their actions/reactions/behaviors are knee jerk reactions.
You ask in your comment below..."...identify how to, for those impossible to rehabilitate, options to keep them away from society so society will be safer."
There are some tracking processes which help identify offenders among us in society, like the sexual offender registry, which is public information and available to all of us.
Jul 20 2013: Hi Colleen, no I haven't seen or was aware or know how to easily find all the relevant other post topics that relate to this one and incarceration!
Admittedly, I haven't tried too hard to search either, however in another post by Jimmy (Strobl ?) I had mentioned via his topic of ways on improving TED, that there should be some sort of key word link setup that would engage the other relevant posts so that they could be incorporated.In this way, duplication would be minimised and topics would go deeper and give better informed/discussed answers.
I think that part of what TED could/should be is a growing repository of ideas that are worth spreading, initially via this seed germinating and development of the idea to the point that it is then ready to be taken further afield and adopted in mainstream society for those ideas that are good enough/warrented and deserving/worthwhile! : D
Jul 20 2013: Hi Again TT,
Near the top of this page on the left side, you see "Popular Topics"? If you click on one of those, you get a list of more topics, and that is one way to connect with other talks on the subject.
I clicked on "jail" and "prison" to get these, and I am pretty sure there are more "out there"....perhaps under a different category.
Good idea to develop ideas and take them into mainstream society. I guess I'm going backwards....I worked in the system for quite awhile, and I'm bringing information to TED..
LOL:>)Jul 20 2013: Here are a couple more I thought of TT:>)
Peter Mullen
Jul 17 2013: Let's see. Americans are supposed to be about freedom, yet we have the largest prison population in the world. More than China, more than Russia. Hmmm? How can that be? We take Pot smokers, most of whom wouldn't hurt a fly,if their life depended on it, put them in cells with hardened, violent, mentally unstable people, with long records, and we expect that's good for them, and for society. Hmmm? We put non violent criminals in cages like animals without any positive educational, resources in most cases, and we expect that will help. Hmmm? We send black, and Latino people, in other words the ones with the dark skin, to jail at 4 times the rate of whites. In some states, it's 8 times the rate of white people, and we somehow think that's going to engender respect for the law, and society. Hmmm? We treat drug use as a criminal matter, without any real effort at medical substance abuse treatment. We expect that shaming caging, and abusing them will somehow magically make them pure as the driven snow after years in confinement in dangerous, degrading conditions. We all see, especially the poor, and minorities how Wall Street moguls, (Rich) white people, and (rich every other type) get away with murder,lynchings,hate crimes, theft, bribery, election fraud, civil rights violations,bank fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement, drunken stupidity, racial attacks,and every other crime, but get off with a light sentence, or no punishment at all, at four times the rate of minorities. We provide no contact with mentors, on a consistent, and regular basis, with no significant efforts at teaching career survival skills. We send them out to the world after being devastatingly punished to fend for themselves in a market where even well educated white people can;t find a decent job. Somehow we expect them to get a job immediately with no support, or assistance, with the added burden of a life under the cloud of a criminal record. "Ya" makes a lot of sense, to morons maybe.
- +3
Comment deleted
Jul 18 2013: Love and peace to you Carolyn. "When will we ever learn?"
thomas hill
Jul 16 2013: Well, in my experience, "Jail" itself does not rehabilitate, "time" does. I spent a total of 23 and1/4 years in prison. I served a 31/4 year sentence, got out, and immediately returned and then did 20 years. Now that was an experience! I don't want anyone to think I'm taking it lightly because the experience was anything but... However I believe this is what happened: At 18 i received a total of 12 years in which I was to 'do' 3 & 1/4. during this period i just suspended my life and couldn't wait to get out to continue on with my where I left off. With that attitude I got out and 'continued', which got my right back into prison with a 20 year mandatory sentence. There were lots of issues during both events which were just wrong and prejudiced against me but that isn't the issue here. However during the 20 year sentence, I began to reflect on my life, what went wrong and led me to that place, what could I have done differently, reading and writing and pondering on relevant issues and then the resolve to never return. The 'system' did not rehabilitate me even though I received a college degree. However given the time to reflect and ponder on my life, issues that impacted my life and eventually the realization that my actions have consequences and that I don't want to waste my life in someone else's dream/concept (someone had to come up with the idea of jail). Now, more than 10 years post incarceration, I am still dealing with the injustices of this American judicial system which to this day, disriminates against me for something that happened more than 30 years ago and have paid for it in full, my mind is made up not to go back.Jul 22 2013: There has been some excellent contributions made here. I also was impressed with the number of provided TED links to related (if not very similar) post/contributions.
- +3
Here in is the dilema, and I feel the same way about University thesises left in storage, how can this vast deposit of information be better utilised. When this conversation closes, all of the good work (like all the other related good works) will be just sitting around, while in the meantime, another similar post will eventually come up and so the cycle continues!
Does anyone know or have any ideas or suggestions regarding this, as the findings here I feel should somehow be summised and amalganated and presented to local government representatives for implimentation and social endorsement/petition/support! : D
Jul 22 2013: You are absolutely correct TT! It remains a dilemma because we DO indeed keep recycling the same information.
Reminds me of this quote by Ernest Holmes in "The Science of Mind":
"One of the great difficulties in the new order of thought is that we are likely to indulge in too much theory and too little practice".
Many people in our societies KNOW that the system, as it is, does not work. Many people KNOW of possibilities that might work better for offenders AND society. We continue knocking on doors that are closed!
Around the same time I was volunteering for the dept. of corrections, I also volunteered in a women/children's shelter, a family center, and had a job as a case reviewer for SRS (agency which oversees children in state custody). We were seeing the same families going through these systems generation after generation. There are some cycles that need to be broken, and our social services agencies are failing in that respect.
After learning of some of the corruption within a correctional facility, I and some other people testified before the state legislature which supports and oversees the operations of the state dept. of corrections. There was also an investigation happening at the same time I volunteered. The 4 top administrators were relieved of their positions IN THAT FACILITY, and to the best of my knowledge, they were simply moved to another facility.
When I worked for SRS, I passed on information to authorities regarding misuse of the system...a six year old child being returned to a foster home where there were multiple recorded cases of substantiated abuse, for one example.
These organizations are both funded by the state, with state overview. Why do our tax dollars continue to be dumped into programs that are not working effectively? Why is our government privatizing correctional facilities when we know that it is becoming a big business which does NOT have the best interests of society as a motive? Change is difficult.Jul 22 2013: Prisoners in California are currently staging a hunger strike.
California was also ordered by the federal courts to reduce their prison population. Gov. Brown has refused to comply with this court order.
"A divided U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that California must dramatically reduce its prison population. The justices found that overcrowding in the state's prisons violates constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment."
Taking some action in support of prisoners in California would call attention to the problem nationwide.
That said, I believe that the real problem is the general public who continue to ask for more and more laws, out of fear, even though crime in the US after 9/11 has declined to the lowest levels in decades.
"Hate crimes reported in Los Angeles County fell to the lowest level in 21 years..."
"At the year's midway point, crime rates in Los Angeles generally have continued their decade-long decline,"
"Long Beach reported a 40-year low for violent crime in 2012,"
"Officials say that in spite of budget cuts and an understaffed police force, L.A.'s crime rate reached a 50-year low." the source of these headlines is the LA Time.
The man who may run against Gov. Brown, former LT Gov. Maldonado used fear as a selling point against any effort on the part of Gov. Brown to address the need to reduce the prison population.
"Mr. Maldonado, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, told the paper, that this issue threatens the lives of Californians.
"This notion of families being afraid to go out on the street, being afraid of parking garages, families who are just afraid," he said. "The governor uses a fancy word called realignment. At the end of the day, it's early release.... A shell game is what it is."
However, the evidence backing Mr. Maldonado's claims are questionable, at best."Jul 22 2013: Idea: Ask a local radio talk show to discuss the problem and provide this discussion as a resource.
I just forward the link of this conversation to The Mark Johnson Show @ WDEV. Waterbury, VT.
Jul 23 2013: Theodore,
Did you get a response? Did they use the information in any way?Jul 16 2013: The purpose of jails is not necessarily to rehabilitate. The purpose of jails is to make money. They are built and often run by private industry and provide cheap labor. The companies Correctional Corporation of America (CCA) and Wackenhut run most of the prisons in this country. They receive a fixed payment for each prisoner meaning the cheaper they can run the prison the more profits they make. The more people in jail the more money they make.
Why don't prisons rehabilitate? Because that is not what they are paid to do.
Huey Freeman
Jul 12 2013: Prisons are like graduate schools for crime. Something round 70% of people that come out of prison end up back in prison whether for the same type of crime or worse. Bottom line is when humans are put in stressful situations (prison being one of the most stressful), adverse behaviours start to arise, as in the case with people going into jail/prison, it strengthens that adverse behaviour.
- +2
If we want to stop the violence/crime, we have to look at the social, and economic environment the person(s) are growing up in. Instead of treating the behaviour we need to focus on what are causing those behaviours. And that's when people start to look away and say it is either "genetics" or "moral perversion", when in reality humans are social creatures and the way our nervous system (brain) functions depends very well on social relationships we have in our early and adolescent development.
So for conclusion, Prisons will never work because they are attempting to control behaviour, when in reality, behaviours are a result of relationships within the social environment (or lack of). If a plant grew abnormally would you punish that plant? of course not. You would look at where, during the development of the plant, did certain aspects lack (like water, soil ect.), and humans are no different.
Comment deleted
Jul 12 2013: incorrect? "Among nearly 300,000 prisoners released in 15 states in 1994, 67.5% were rearrested within 3 years" - there you go
And the first point was only people on parole just for that one year. "Of these parolees, about 16% were returned to incarceration in 2007" - and that's just one year! imagine the % in the following...it'll be much higher i assure you.
Regardless, looking over the past century, not only has the legal system failed in abolishing abnormal behaviour, violence, and crime, it has also increased incarcerations dramatically. Which is not a reflection of progress at all.
Jul 12 2013: This might be a better, or additional, link to the research you are citing. It explains that the research followed all the released prisoners in the states that agreed to participate, it indicates which states those were, that the records from those 15 states accounted for 2/3 of the prisoners released that year in the US, and other aspects of the methodology from which one might judge the external validity, or representativeness of the conclusions; http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=dcdetail&iid=270Jul 12 2013: So? whats your point? i know the population is much bigger than what i stated above.. and the link i sent was about increases in the rate of incarceration, not recidivism, hense the word "regardless"
If your implying that the percentage of re-convictions would be lower if they took into account the entire prison system then that's a different story. But i would highly doubt that considering the consistency in rising incarceration rates over the past century or so.
Huey Freeman
Jul 12 2013: lol i fully understand what you mean man and believe me i would be typing like a machine if i actually got defensive :P
- +1
But just one more thing, you never corrected my point, you sent me a link that had a few statistics for a few years, in which one of the points was very close to my hypothesis (even though it was for only a small amount of the prison pop.) But either way it was nice discussion *thumbs up*Jul 11 2013: TT, I have worked in the prison system in Arizona and cannot speak for others. We have the death penalty, hard time, probation and at one time SHOCK ... that was a strict military type environment with many rules and conditions. We have level 5 (most dangerous) to level 1 (least). I worked in MAX LEVEL 5. I worked there 20 years. I would love to tell you there is a simple or even correct answer ... there is not. Your question "Do jails (Gaols) rehabilitate" .. That is not normally the job of the institution ... people are placed in prison to separate them from society for the time determined by a judge and jury of their peers. In our state we are required to provide GEDs training. There are a few other programs offered ... but to define any of the above as rehabilitation would be IMO false. We are funded for to ensure they are kept in custody.
Many on this site argue that it should not be illegal to smoke weed ... that those who are in the country illegally are not criminals ... and many other arguments ... the fact remains that currently these actions ARE illegal. It does not stop them from smoking or entering illegally into the country. They do it because they want to. Laws be damned. A prisoner killed another ... he said he deserved to die. It was his third murder (that I know of) one outside and two inside. Of hundreds or thousands of murders each year maybe only 10 meet the death penalty. The odds are more in their favor of not being put to death. Even if given the death penalty by a jury they will live years in prison and the chance of the penalty being reduced is greater than execution.
The truth is we do not have a speedy trial ... punishment is not harsh ... there is little fear of the system .... and chances are that you will be released three or four time before you are punished. A story recently claimed that a woman had over 50 DUI's was going to jail.
If any system "worked" we would not be having this talk
Lee Miller
Jul 18 2013: Other commenters have already pointed out that rehabilitation is not the goal of the American prison system and I agree.
- +1
I'll just say one thing about deterrence – punishment of any kind does not work as a deterrent and never will. There was a talk on TED a while ago about a psychological phenomenon called the "optimism bias." It explained that it's human nature for people to believe they will be successful at whatever they do. That includes criminal acts. You can only be punished for a crime if you're caught, and if people honestly believed they would be caught, they would not commit the crime in the first place. Therefore punishment cannot possibly work as a deterrent.Jul 14 2013: The clash of heinous crime with the modern version of human rights legislation means that rehabilitation of the perpetrators is seldom achieved in jail. Proper, civilized rehab would work even for serious offenders, but would be too costly to the taxpayer for education, psychological treatment and many other treatments that might rehabilitate prisoners back into society.
The cheaper, less civilized option is punishment - to remove criminals from society, lock them up and throw away the keys. Whilst this appeals to the more visceral forms of 'justice', it has no place in civilized society in my opinion because it is a 'deterrent only' option; once in that loop it is impossible to get out, even if the will is there to do so.
In the UK, many criminals regularly reoffend, safe in the knowledge that they will be treated very nicely indeed with very little in the way of deterrent or rehabilitation during repeated prison sentences. Many homeless people even turn to crime just to get a prison roof over their head, a bed, and free meals.
Like many human ills, we are approaching it the wrong way and looking in the wrong place, in my opinion. Many ills and many crimes are actually being committed by society on the human condition, and certain individuals react by becoming mentally 'ill', turning to crime, and by becoming hopelessly addicted to drugs.
If anything, it is the consumerist, money-led society itself that is in dire need of rehabilitation.Jul 13 2013: Not everyone realizes that newly released prisoners are strapped with bills due to court costs, etc. that sabotage their ability to stay out of prison. Throw in the fact they are labelled with a criminal past, and you have a recipe for failure.
If they can't get a job because of their criminal past they will go back to jail if they don't pay the bill. The only way to get the money is to sell drugs for money, steal money -in essence, commit a crime in order to prevent going back to jail.
And, this is exactly why most newly released criminals end up back in jail.. Those who are successful and not rearrested, pay the costs and can take their time in some programs in order to find work.
The only way to stop this trend is to have programs in place to assist them in restructuring their lives and becoming good citizens. To my knowledge, no such programs exists in any state in the US.
It's all about the money.Jul 11 2013: I prefer rehabilitation to incarceration; but incarceration is preferable to nothing . . . even probation. Some people, like those who commit DUI are just careless to the point of stupidity. It is stupid to drink & drive. That is a crime that should have a penalty. Repeat offenses justifiably earn jail time. Drug possession/use is less a criminal offense than it is a health issue. But the most severely addicted often support their drug habits by stealing. Drug dealing should be a felony, especially if the drugs wind up in the hands of minors/children. There are so many different offenses.
Ideally, every identified criminal would learn a new set of law-abiding behaviors. The criminal would learn how to get along in society without committing crime. If the rehabilitation program worked, make it work for everyone. Lots of research has been done as to what does & does not work. We need to focus on the programs that work and the plans that rehabilitate.
Just locking people up inside the modern equivalent of a dungeon seems counter productive. At best it is unscientific. But those prisons that effectively deter crime and successfully rehabilitate (either by deterrence or other psychological means) - are worth evaluation.
Hey, crime has always been with us. For as long as there have been people on the Earth, there have been criminals. And for as long as there have been cities, we've needed jails/prisons to lock up those who prey upon others. Some solutions have worked & do work. Some don't. Let's do more of what WORKS for a change!Jul 11 2013: Jails produce professional criminals. Only violent people should go to prison.Jul 22 2013: I will add this and hope that more people give it a listen:
For the past two weeks, thousands of California inmates in solitary confinement have been protesting conditions in security housing units with a hunger strike. Among the demands: that a photograph be allowed in the cell, and that counseling and more nutritious food be provided.
Host Dick Gordon speaks with Steven Czifra, who has been out of prison for a decade but is participating in the hunger strike in solidarity. Czifra spent eight years in solitary confinement starting when he was 14 years old. At one point, he spent a whole year without ever leaving his cell. "I think the point is to crack people," he says. "They don't care if you go crazy."
Jul 20 2013: I don't think jails rehabilitate.
- 0
But I do think there are organizations, and individuals, who do care for prisoner reform, and do take the time to visit the prisons in order to speak to, and educate the men and women in prison to life choices.
Just yesterday, I watched a former prisoner get interviewed about how she benefitted from one such program, and how her life is now totally different than it was before.
This is the program I am familiar with.....
Coincidently, this video was posted this week.
It is short, but it goes directly to answering your question:
http://www.jw.org/en/news/by-region/americas/united-states/video-clip-bible-truth-helping-prisoners/Jul 20 2013: The only benefit that comes with this kind of punishment, is we can enjoy watching the reality television serious "Breakout" that airs on the National Geographic Channel.
it is recommended !Jul 19 2013: An audio visual presentation on the dancing inmates of Cebu, Philippines.
CEBU Dancing Inmates
Comment deleted
Jul 20 2013: Rehabilitate or punish?
This is indeed a complex problem that I have done a great deal of research on. Take for example the fact that mental illness in the prison population is at least three times the national average. So for me this is not an easy topic to provide a simple answer to.
I could recommend some books that detail with the cause of the problem:
"The New Jim Crow: Incarceration in an Age of Colorblindness" by Michelle Alexander
"The Collapse of American Criminal Justice" ,by William J. Stuntz
This report is from 2003 but makes several relevant points.
"It's not a very good time to be a prisoner in the United States.
Incarceration is not meant to be fun, of course. But a combination of strict sentencing guidelines, budget shortfalls and a punitive philosophy of corrections has made today's prisons much more unpleasant--and much less likely to rehabilitate their inhabitants--than in the past, many researchers say."
http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug03/rehab.aspxJul 20 2013: We might also bring into the discussion the research to two leading neuroscientists, David Eagleman and Michael S. Gazzaniga
"When a criminal stands in front of the judge's bench today, the legal system wants to know whether he is blameworthy. Was it his fault, or his biology's fault?
I submit that this is the wrong question to be asking. The choices we make are inseparably yoked to our neural circuitry, and therefore we have no meaningful way to tease the two apart. The more we learn, the more the seemingly simple concept of blameworthiness becomes complicated, and the more the foundations of our legal system are strained."
"Today courts rarely admit brain scans as evidence at trial for both legalistic and scientific reasons. As neuroscience matures, however, judges may increasingly see such scans as relevant to arguments about a defendant's mental state or a witness's credibility.
The greatest influence of brain science on the law may eventually come from deeper understanding of the neurological causes of antisocial, illegal behaviors. Future discoveries could lay the foundation for new types of criminal defenses, for example."Jul 20 2013: The final comment for now.
This is a link that touches upon many issues regarding incarceration that many commenting here might not consider. Please have a look.
Jul 20 2013: Theodore and Keith,
Maybe they ARE born that way! There is a lot of research connecting genes with violence and criminal behaviors.
I just googled "genetic research - criminal behavior", and these are the first 4 that popped up.......there is a ton of information about this topic.
All of that being said, perhaps this goes back to the question of nature/nurture? I agree Keith, that there are some things we may be able to do early in a child's life.
It is a FABULOUS idea to use the money we invest in prison systems and use it creating nurturing environments for our kids! Our prison/correction systems are not working, and we have known they are not working for a very long time. And yet, we keep building more and more of these systems? What's wrong with this picture???
I totally agree....wake up...focus....think!!! Then, of course, we need to be engaged with the process:>)Jul 20 2013: Re: "Why do people turn violent? "
The short answer, we don't know.
"What has neuroscience uncovered about the capacity of the person who shot Giffords, the person responsible for the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, and many others (yet still a small percentage of people) to behave so violently?
What happens in these individuals is that their cognitive control mechanisms are deranged. Mind you, these individuals are not out-of-control, enraged people. They just use their cognitive control mechanisms in the service of a disturbed goal. There are probably a multitude of factors at play here. The subject is exposed to influences that lead him or her to violent acts—including, unfortunately, not only the violent political rhetoric but also the media coverage of similar acts, as we are doing here. A variety of issues, especially mental health problems that lead to social isolation, lead the subject to a mental state that alters his or her ability to exercise cognitive control in a healthy manner. The cognitive control capacities of the subject get somewhat redirected—we don't quite understand how—toward goals and activities that are violent in a very specific way. Not the violent outburst of somebody who has "lost it" in a bar, punching people right and left. The violence is channeled in a very specific plan, with a very specific target—generally fed by the media through some sort of rhetoric, political or otherwise—with very specific tools, in the Giffords case, a 9-millimeter Glock."
But I hear you regarding changing the environment for our kids. Stuart Brown's TED talk explains the importance of PLAY in a child's life, and he stared out studying criminals.
I'll add this TEDTalk by David R Dow who was kind enough to write me.
http://www.ted.com/talks/david_r_dow_lessons_from_death_row_inmates.htmlJul 20 2013: Keith,
You mention in a couple comments on this thread...getting to them BEFORE they are hardened criminals who have gotten a Ph.D. in criminology while in jail! I totally agree.
Theodore probably knows this, because we are in the same state, and these programs, or similar programs are used in other states as well.
"Diversion", based on the "Real Justice" model, which is a pre-court program for young, first time offenders. It usually involves education and community service, depending on the level of offence. There is no jail time, and no court record if the offender stays out of trouble. This has been operating in the state for many years, and seems to be effective for many of the participants.
"Reparative", also based on the "Real Justice" model, is post court, ordered by the court for offenders who appear to the court to be receptive to the program. It also encourages and/or requires education, community service, some kind of reparative process, which may include physical labor, financial restitution, etc.Jul 22 2013: Thanks for sharing your stories and wisdom as well Keith!
I think everything is probably linked to diet......we are what we eat? One thing research seems to be showing us is that most kids who are automatically put on behavior altering drugs, are often consuming large quantities of sugar. Decrease the intake of sugar, and it may solve some of the behavior challenges.
I would not say that diet is the only cause, but it certainly contributes.....a LOT...I agree...not only to behaviors, but also to illness and dis-ease.Jul 20 2013: Good videos on the "dancing inmates" Theodore.....that is a GREAT idea. Many of the guys I worked with have a great deal of energy and creativity, so dancing would give them an outlet for pent up energy, it provides creativity, team work, accountability and responsibility. I imagine they have to behave themselves to be able to participate in those programs.
The message in the one video where they are speaking while dancing is also important, and something I heard quite a lot..."they don't really care about us".
Unfortunately, many of the guys incarcerated are drug and/or alcohol dependent (about 95% of those incarcerated), and many of them have been abused and sexually used as children. Not a good start to the life experience!
Jul 20 2013: We could do a lot. TEDx events in prisons would be a worthwhile effort. Donating the left over boks from library book sales. There is also a TED talk that I will find that mentions the need for pictures of nature for those in solitary confinement.
There are other TEDTalks that could be linked here.
Jul 20 2013: OH I agree that we could do a lot. The challenge now, seems to be the fact that jails/prisons/correctional facilities are becoming more and more privatized. What is the motivation or incentive to create and support programs that might rehabilitate? There isn't any motivation.....they would be cutting their profits if there was no re-offending!
Honestly Theodore, I felt WAY more challenged and frustrated with the administrators, than with the incarcerated offenders!Jul 18 2013: Thankyou everyone for some very thoughtful posts. It seems that in general, I could sum up the following,
1. It is better to prevent people from circumstances that lead to a life of crime.
2. Time, reflection and lack of freedom in jail create the rehabilitation.
3. Prisons are not designed to rehabilitate and may in fact create more crime (with the exception of point 2)
Does anyone else have some bullet points to add?
My purpose then is to thru this medium to provide our collective group BEST answers to each bullet point, with the ideal of creating a good as it gets society blueprint to diminish criminal behaviour and rehabilitation for those who still find themselves incarcerated, if it is possible. Also identify how to, for those impossible to rehabilitate, options to keep them away from society so society will be safer.
Peter Mullen
Jul 18 2013: Understanding madness of (private prison ownership) is crucial to understanding the barbarity,+ ineffectiveness of the prison system. It extends to the destructive mechanism poisoning our entire government. That is wholesale (Privatization)! Those that are fond of that concept, who think i'm anti business shouldn't make that mistake. Ben Franklin was my hero, an amazing scholar,humorist, the most pragmatic entrepreneur that ever lived. He would have immediately seen the folly in the privatization of (justice) which is after all what we're talking about here. This doesn't mean, that private industry shouldn't play a roll, and make a profit off aspects of the system. Rather we need to understand a crucial point. That is, the collective responsibility, we all share, to (govern all human beings living within our borders, and sphere of influence). We suffer both individually,and collectively from the offenses of convicts. We as individuals, naturally shrink from the horrors, and suffering of crimes, criminals who perpetrate them, even the victims. Sadly it is a task, and a reality that none of us can afford to ignore. The condition of our prison system, and our broken justice system is in our hands, and should remain so. Those who cling to the fantasy that privatization is the panacea for all our woes, are living in a fools sinking paradise. We now have a dangerous, viral, self preserving, hidden world of vast expenditures, + unbelievable barbarity. It is a self replicating nightmare. The (Prison Industrial Complex) costs (U.S.) at least $228,000,000,000 billion dollars per year. Privatization is bankrupting us,+ we are recreating the fearful beasts of our nightmares, by allowing the mindless monetization of human suffering, for victims,and criminals alike, while expanding the madness that often fostered the crime in the first place. We have no choice as a society, and as individuals, but to deal soberly with the horrors directly to feel the weight of our decisions.Jul 16 2013: There are ways to rehabilitate without jails. If we only had the political will to do so we can achieve it.Jul 15 2013: In my opinion, though prison systems vary worldwide, each has its own set of rules and routines. These routines are critical to inmates for the purpose of anchoring them to daily habits, which undoubtedly effects their sanity - as in the case of "Pavalov's Dog". People tend to fear the unexpected, such as the case when you change the routine within a correctional facility. Regardless of design, inmates will break the rules. I don't believe it's possible to create a perfect solution for rehabilitating criminal behavior.
- +3
In America, prison systems are overcrowding, as the economy strains to pay the cost of "rehabilitation". Everyone wants to save money, and questions the rehabilitation process. The bottom line question people seem to ask is "If an inmate is rehabilitated in 20 years, why can't we save money by rehabilitating him/her in 10?"
I believe in the future, we will see prosecution for drug offenses in decline. We will see more serious criminals sentenced to less time in order to lift correctional budgets. In fashion with community policing efforts, we will also see more "community corrections" programs where offenders check in periodically to stay on the straight and narrow.Jul 15 2013: Rehablitation with incarceration and isolation
can never be better than
Rehab with freedom and involvement.Jul 15 2013: Jails may not be the perfect system for rehab
Jails gives time to the individuals as well as to the society to think and alter ways.
Syed Taj
Jul 14 2013: It is a vogue started from the invention of the world as the penalty of committing immoral activity in the society.
- 0
Why don't we ask to our own conscience about the effect of the punishment after committing a crime more or less affective.?
I know some people in my community, who started a new life of prosperity after coming back from jail. However, i saw opposite effect two.
Most importantly, it depends on the environment of the jail and the mind of the prisoner.
To wind up, it is helpful more or less whatever it is.Jul 13 2013: 1: Jails currently do not rehabilitate, with some few exceptions. This is not always the fault of jails but of societies that have no transition from jails. Once you are convicted, you have a life sentence, no matter what the court says. Compounding matters is the human jungle environment of most US prisons. The so-called "military" style is not actually military, but the way prisons used to be run. However, this is expensive and you incur the risk of having liberals sue you left and right for not letting the prisoners run everything. That being said, at least the stricter prisons (if run FAIRLY) will give someone better tools to deal with the lifetime disadvantage of having been convicted. The problem is that most people will not be bright enough to understand that what the convicts benefit from is NOT from being "ridden hard" all the time. What they benefit from is learning that rules can be useful, that society does not have to only be rule of the strong, and that there are benefits from learning to get along. However, if the "military" style is just used as an excuse to abuse convicts, you will turn out the most hardened and unbreakable recidivists.
2: Castration will not stop child molesters. They will simply use other methods to act out their disease.Jul 13 2013: No , they don't , now. Yes they were effective in the last century. The human behaviour has been also on the change.
To make them effective , we have to keep in line with the human behaviour. The aim of the human have become more important, without considering the cost or the effect. If Human achieve there goal they will pay any price ( Human bomb}
To make them effective , we have to redesign our punishment system. The Capital punishment system has to be abolished , as it only relives one, of the worldly suffering. The Only effective way of punishment, which can rely work & make the person think twice , before committing crimes, is the physiological mental torture . The person convicted , should be fed well , in the day & left in cage on top of the post in summer day & kept in the jail in the night , similarly in winter, he should be left out in the night in cage & kept inside the jail in day. This system . though inhuman, can give us result. We have changed & accepted so many thing , like same sex marriage , so we have to accept this to tone up our societyJul 12 2013: Our present system does not rehabilitate. The short reason is, it deals with humans.
We jail people for breaking the law.
We are not sufficiently knowlegeable in the process of the human mind.
Adaptability to jail conditions is favourable to long term habitation (addiction)
Let us not mistake that those that are realeased that do not recommit have been rehabilitated, they probably would not recommit even if they had not been incarcerated, it is, "I made a grave mistake"
The law is not black and white but, much grey area exists. The crown must deal with the black and white. The problem with the grey area is due to interpretation.
The law is far from being perfect but, it is the best we have.
I must also point out that, it is through trial and error that we have evolved to what we are now, like it or not. :)
We are all human beings. We must remember what is a crime in one part of the world may not be a crime on another.
To come back to the question. Try to imagine what it would be like in a world without crime. All laws made by man obeyed. Does this sound like black and white? Yes, to me it does! .... Unfortunately you cannot put parameters to crime so that they would only be petty ones. It is part of who we are so, real hardcore criminals I believe do not rehabilitate
btw. This conversation is not a simple one, the TED community could write each a book on the subject and still not come up with a universal understandind because we are constantly changing. ;)
Bob Gu
Jul 12 2013: if they offer the psychological and philosophical help needed. Than yes. But if the inmates require solitude to reflect than that may accomodate to someJul 12 2013: Thankyou everyone for your contributions, they do make for interesting and inciteful reading.
- 0
I remember hearing of a recent (present?) Mayor of New York who adopted a zero broken windows policy (along those lines). Effectively it meant that harsh action was taken against those who committed relatively minor misdemeanors, such as throwing rocks and breaking windows.
I believe that the consequence of this approach then led to less people taking the path to higher level criminal activity and so in this instance would align with a prevention better than the cure approach!
Am I analysing this to mean that rehabilitation then means that, it needs to be done before prison? Tracking along the thought lines of before the events, dare I say, there is enough psychological profiling to know what ticks in the boxes are most likely to lead to a criminal path and so what sort of preventative measures are in place or what could/should they be? : DJul 11 2013: What is the name of the documentary?Jul 11 2013: America emphasizes punishment. The Japanese may actually believe in rehabilitation.
I am not sure training more competent criminals is a worthy goal. So we do not always get the yellow ribbon.Jul 11 2013: Every society has its way to juge and to punish, its all about judging every case, to see which punishment is the best to rehabilitate the criminal ! but it's clear that nowadays jail doesn't rehabilitate ! the criminals meet each others and become more dangerous than beforeJul 11 2013: If we're speaking theoretically and assuming they are organized and structured properly, then yes.
In practice, especially in the United States, no.Jul 10 2013: No it is there to warehouse people.
The number of people in jail for drug offenses is hugely unjust. Which IMO is the result of public unions.
Jul 11 2013: Agreed! With the added benefit of teaching them new skills in the criminal arts.


text:
Extension > Environment > Environmental Science Education > White Earth Reservation Academy
Reach for the Sky
This program mixes hands-on STEM education with traditional American Indian stories. More
Fourteenth annual White Earth Academy of Math and Science
The 14th annual White Earth Academy of Math and Science will be held June 11-29, 2012 at the Circle of Life Academy with a feast and awards program on June 29 to recognize students and instructors that have participated in the program.
Featured stories
- Finding the way—A decade-long collaboration makes science and math meaningful for Ojibwe youth
- School is in for the summer—The White Earth Academy of Math and Science helps forge new futures.
- Natural kids nutrition—White Earth Academy instructor Carol Robinson discusses how to sustain ourselves naturally.
- Head of the class—Novel ways to introduce STEM education (145 K PDF)
- Building and maintaining successful relationships between Reservation and University programs—A Journal of Forestry article (61 K PDF)


text:
En español | There's a new crop of cookbooks out just in time for holiday gift-giving. If you need help choosing one for someone on your list (or maybe even for yourself), don't worry — we've done the reading and recipe-testing for you. (Check out the five recipes we include below.)
Subscribe to the AARP Health Newsletter
The following six books are our favorites because they do two things we love: inspire us to cook and ensure that what we're cooking keeps us healthy.
For empty nesters, newlyweds or anyone who needs some dinnertime inspiration: One Pan, Two Plates: More Than 70 Complete Weeknight Meals for Two by Carla Snyder (Chronicle Books, $25)
I had a hard time deciding which of the terrific recipes in this book I wanted to try. And all of the ones I finally did try were winners. Author Carla Snyder's experience as a caterer, cooking school teacher and food writer really shines through. Her recipes are clear, concise, creative — and delicious. Plus, they only use one pan, so cleanup is quick. The recipes serve two, but they easily could be doubled to serve four. The book is conveniently divided into pasta, grains and hot sandwich meals; meat dinners; poultry dinners; and fish dinners. My husband loved the One-Pan Roast Deviled Chicken, a mustardy chicken and vegetable dish.
For the frugal but health-conscious cook: Root to Stalk Cooking: The Art of Using the Whole Vegetable by Tara Duggan (Ten Speed Press, $22)
Leafy carrot tops, chard and kale stems, broccoli stalks — we normally toss these parts of the vegetable, but that's not only a waste of money, it's a waste of perfectly good nutrients. San Francisco writer Tara Duggan, who also has a small vegetable farm, has come up with a wealth of inventive ways to use nearly every part of the vegetable. Those bright green carrot tops, for example, can be a stand-in for parsley in sauces and tabbouleh salad. And the usually discarded chard and kale stems? In Duggan's Garlic-Braised Greens, the tougher stems are softened by sizzling them first with a little red pepper, garlic and olive oil, before adding in the quicker-cooking, tender chopped leaves. As a bonus, the result can be a side dish or tossed with pasta.
For those who love books big and beautiful: Bountiful: Recipes Inspired by Our Garden by Todd Porter and Diane Cu (Stewart Tabori & Chang, $35)
This book is gorgeous, which is not surprising given that Cu is a professional photographer, Porter has worked for many years in restaurants, and together the couple produce a beautiful food and travel blog (whiteonricecouple.com). Their first book is dedicated to their grandmothers, and the recipes reflect an unfussy, backyard garden approach to cooking. A good example is their bacon-studded Hearty Celery Root and Red Lentil Soup, perfect for these chilly winter months.


text:
SAVE Nespresso Pixie C60 Electric
Enjoy a wonderful cup of coffee and espresso whenever you want with the buttonpatented Nespresso Coffee Capsule technology and 19 bars of pressure!
Discover the Nespresso Pixie Electric Espresso Maker.
Designed to reach its brewing temperature in just 25 seconds, it features an ultra fast thermoblock heating unit and an optimised water circuit, allowing you to enjoy your coffee even quicker! It also features a unique built in infrared warning light to alert you when you need to refill the .7 liter water tank. Plus it's ecologically conscious too! After 9 minutes of non-use, it automatically shuts itself off, so you're never wasting electricity! Plus it also features a cup holder which adapts for espresso, lungo, latte or macchiato.
Dimensions 13" L x 4" W x 9.25" H 9 lbs.
Nespresso Pixie C60 Electric
Reviewed by 1 customer
- Easy To Use
- Great Taste
- Quick Brewing
Best Uses
- Anytime
- Formal Dinners
- Kitchen
- Morning Coffee
Comments about Nespresso Pixie C60 Electric:
I use it daily. It's not inexpensive, but to me, it's worth it.
- Primary use:
- Personal
Nespresso Pixie C60 Electric
Our innovative products will provide you and your family with years of enjoyment. And with the Brookstone Protection Plus service and replacement plans, you'll have the added peace of mind knowing that if the unexpected does happen, we will simply repair or replace your covered product. Our enhanced coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty, saving you time and money.
- 2-Year Extended Replacement Plan $29.99
- 3-Year Extended Replacement Plan $49.99
Nespresso Pixie C60 Electric
Nespresso Pixie C60 Electric
You May Also Like
Shopping Cart


text:
My brother has a MM251 used it 4 times for about 6 hours each time and now it has sat for about 4 months now bought it brand new got own bottles the whole show for this thing and now it sits.
My Question is will anything happen to the machine like the circuit board or anything internal I don't know if it is in a damp location or not but still it is a paper weight now but will it become useless down the road what exactly will happen to this machine?
Results 1 to 7 of 7
Thread: MM251 Question
MM251 Question
mine has sat for some prity long pereods over the last 6 ish years with no i'll efects and i am defenetly in a damp enviorment. i think it will be fine till he needs it again.
biggest problem will be the wire spool will get serface rust on it. but you can still use it or just role off about 25-30ft and its clean again, or was for me. if he is concerned he could take the wire off and store it in the house in a controled enviorment.thanks for the help
hope i helped
feel free to shoot me an e-mail direct i have time to chat. email@example.com
summer is here, plant a tree. if you don't have space or time to plant one sponsor some one else to plant one for you. a tree is an investment in our planet, help it out.
Hey fun4now Thanks thats exactly the answers that I'm looking for. It might even sit for 1 to 2 years I hope not but it's his machine. The funny thing is though he can't even plug it into anything where he lives because his landlord doesn't want any of that going on in or around his house. So I said to my brother get a TB 302 and run it off that so I don't know what he'll do I just wasn't sure how long these machines could sit for with out benign used. So once again thanks.
i think i would plug into the dryer outlet and weld in the bathroom.
bummer about not being able to use it at his house, you could always offer to store it for him. if its going to sit that long i would defenetly bring the wire in and just throw it on a shelf over the kitchen cabenets or some thing like that, but the welder should be fine in the garage. mine lives in an unheated (except when im in there) shop/wooden shed here in NY.
i would probly blow it out with some air befor starting it up if it sat that long also. just to get any dust out of it. i blow mine out every 6-12 months depending on usage but always atleast once a year, although now that i keep it coverd its much cleaner inside.thanks for the help
hope i helped
feel free to shoot me an e-mail direct i have time to chat. firstname.lastname@example.com
summer is here, plant a tree. if you don't have space or time to plant one sponsor some one else to plant one for you. a tree is an investment in our planet, help it out.
Mine sat for a long time also, got some surface rust on it, ran out 'bout 30 ft and welded like I just bought it. No problem, but he won't let you use it?I'm not late...
I'm just on Hawaiian Time
Hey bert my brother is funny that way not a chance. He would rather see it root in the ground before anybody could use it If he can't use it then nobody will.I have my own stuff and this is one of the reasons why.He's right to a point I guess if I or anybody else breaks it then if there ever came a time that he needed it well it's broken and in the shop for repairs right so if nobody uses it then there is no chance for it to get broken right so about this time you are now shaking your head saying to your self that's a fucCed up way of thinking well it's his machine he can do what he wants with it.But then I don't loan anything out either if something breaks I want it to break on me because I can't mad at my self. But then I use my stuff after hours and most weekends.
no, I don't blame him or you. I'm the same way. Too many friends broke my stuff and decided it wasn't there fault. Even if it wasn't, I expect them to fix it or have it fixed. Better this way. Now if they ask me if I have a tool, I just say no, but I was thinking of buying one one dayI'm not late...
I'm just on Hawaiian Time


text:
Gallery: The Next Mercedes Benz Might be Grown in a Laboratory
Forget about assembly lines, the folks at Mercedes Benz see cars assembling themselves like trees in the future. That's right, the latest idea from Mercedes is the Biome car, an ultra lightweight vehicle that starts with "seeds" fused with the company's star logo and then literally grow to form a car in a laboratory. And to top it all off, to ensure that this green automobile of the future comes full circle, the Mercedes Benz team doesn't see this car heading to a junk yard – they are envisioning that it will be completely biodegradable.
Though this idea sounds totally awesome to us we're a little skeptical that the Mercedes Benz researchers have figured out any of the technology that could make it come to life. They say that the car will collect energy from the sun and store it in a fluid called BioNectar4534 in the form of chemical bonds – and while sounds great, they don't explain any part of this process. They also say they have the technology that can help trees harvest extra energy and store it as BioNectar4354 that can be used later to fuel the Biome car.
In their description they note that the vehicles will be "grown in the Mercedes-Benz Nursery through proprietary DNA. The customer's specific desires are genetically engineered into the Star and the vehicle grows when this combines with the Seed capsule." So not only will Mercedes be growing luxury vehicles, but they'll have the capabilities to tailor the growth to fit your demands. It sounds like they've been in cahoots with Dr. Craig Venter…
+ The Biome entry to the LA Auto Show Design Competition
Via Gizmodo
5 Comments
December 19, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Would I go to a mechanic or a botanist. I can't go to work today, my car has dutch elms disease.
December 6, 2010 at 12:27 pm
December 1, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Eventually we'll have something like this, but I'd expect plenty of embarassingly premature corporate announcements first. The only question is what form of pollution will be generated – by production, use and research. Will a bio-generated machine be able to host infections and, perhaps, pass them along to people? No need to panic, but as we inevitably use biological techniques for industrial production, we'll have to consider many unknowns.


text:
Girlie Night
You Got Served: Alamo Danceoke
|Run Time
|Age Policy
18 and up; Children 6 and up will be allowed only with a parent guardian. No children under the age of 6 will be allowed.
Let's face it: dance movies are awesome.
With innovative choreography and mind-blowing physical feats, these films prove that anything, from poverty to prejudice, can be cured through the power of dance. Things that usually matter in film, like a good script or strong acting, take a backseat to what's really important: busting a move.
The only problem with this genre is you can't jump up from your seat and join the dance party... until now.
We've partnered with GrooveFit Austin to host the first ever Alamo Danceoke competition, in which local crews compete by reenacting routines live on stage as the movie plays on the silver screen behind them.
Step up to the Ritz and watch performers bring scenes to life from CENTER STAGE, DIRTY DANCING, ROMY & MICHELE'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION, PULP FICTION and more! Mark your calendars and get ready to kick off your Sunday shoes, because you know this boogie is for real. (Sarah Pitre)


text:
Of the 30 stocks currently in the Dow Industrials /quotes/zigman/627449 INDU , 25 were in the benchmark index when it set its closing high of 14,164.53 on Oct. 9, 2007.
So, which ones have performed best and worst since?
On a percentage basis, Home Depot /quotes/zigman/229488 /quotes/nls/hd HD takes the prize, having gained 103% to $68.50 in the intervening years, based on data compiled from FactSet. IBM /quotes/zigman/230066 /quotes/nls/ibm IBM is second, having moved up 71% to $202.58. And McDonald's /quotes/zigman/233369 /quotes/nls/mcd MCD has seen its shares appreciate 67% over the same period.
At the other end of the spectrum, Alcoa /quotes/zigman/246295 /quotes/nls/aa AA has seen its share price fall nearly 80% to $8.51, Hewlett-Packard /quotes/zigman/229301 /quotes/nls/hpq HPQ is down 62% to $19.87. And GE /quotes/zigman/227468 /quotes/nls/ge GE is off 44% to $23.40.
Among the stocks added to Dow Industrials over the past 5 years to replace the likes of GM, Citigroup and American International Group, shares of Travelers /quotes/zigman/455344 /quotes/nls/trv TRV have seen gains of 51% since the peak, while Bank of America /quotes/zigman/190927 /quotes/nls/bac BAC is down nearly 80%.
– Tom Bemis
Follow The Tell blog on Twitter @thetellblog


text:
adidas Men's Denver Nuggets Ty Lawson #3 Powder Blue T-Shirt
Product Information:
Dunk like your favorite player in the adidas® Men's Denver Nuggets Ty Lawson #3 Powder Blue Gametime T-Shirt. The screen-printed team logo on the front and player graphics on the back show support for your favorite Nuggets superstar. With the official NBA® design on the left chest, you'll look like the sixth man in the adidas® Gametime T-Shirt.
- Standard fit, crew neck, T-shirt
- Player name and number screen-print graphics on front and back
- Team logo at back neck
- adidas® logo on right chest
- Official NBA® logo on left chest
- Machine washable
- Officially licensed by the NBA®
- 100% cotton
- adidas
Country of Origin: ImportedWeb ID: 16671806


text:
Arnolds Park
Francis Larson is a young, overweight, social outcast who while innocent confesses to the murder of his classmate. With the help of his rich, eccentric uncle, Francis fakes his suicide and begins an amazing physical and personal transformation so he can return to solve the mystery and bring the real killer to justice. His Uncle Bobby plans an elaborate scheme that includes buying the resort town's "sacred" Amusement Park in order to help Francis (now turned Frank) When Frank arrives, undetected by his classmates, he builds a romantic relationship with his childhood crush, Jackie Newmar, using her to gain a closer link to the real killer. Meanwhile, his Uncle Bobby creatively turns the town upside down to remind the townsfolk of their horrific past. As a result, the town is abuzz with rumors that the "ghost" of Francis Larson has returned. Now the mayor and sheriff must try to restore order in this otherwise peaceful resort community.
Cast: Ryan Overton, Jessica Stier, Jim Detmar, Maitland McConnell, Tac Fitzgerald
Produced by: Jillian Nodland
Directed by: Gene Teigland
Written by: Gene Teigland
Running time: 1hr 42min
Opens: Jul 19, 2007 Arnolds Park, IA
|Theaters for Today
Pick a day


text:
My current hands-down favorite is the oddly named Write Monkey.
I tried WriteMonkey ("WM") a year or so ago, but found it to be too 'odd'. Your praise made me give it another try, but once again it failed to please me. I made myslef acquainted with the strange GUI, and I accepted the various features, I guess you must call them. And I thought, okay, I can live with that, this could work for me! Then I told it to start with Windows, and restarted my XP to see how WM would perform at startup. At start, a message box popped up and told me that 'null' was missing, and all of my text was deleted and I had to start all over with a blank page.
It seems you have to gently close this program, before shutting down the computer? I didn't, and I won't. I just told XP to close, and left WM open. And because of this (?) the text was deleted. I find such a behaviour unacceptable, given WM has 'auto-save'.
I was also sadly surprised that I was not given the option to change a single hotkey - on my machine F12 will close down the computer.
I did find find some features about WriteMonkey that I like. Nevertheless it will now leave my PC.


text:
22 November 2009
Posted in Member News
When you invest in an Orlando Science Center membership you are investing not only in the development of Arts and Sciences, but in the opportunity to spend quality time with your family and form those special memories that will last a lifetime.
I would like to say, "Thank You!" to all of our current Orlando Science Center members for contributing to the growth of our organization. As of right now we have a membership base of over 6,000 and it continues to grow everyday!
Discover all that a year-long experience provides for you and your family: discounts on school break camps, award-winning birthday parties, innovative educational programs, free convenient parking, and unlimited Dr. Phillips CineDome films.
Enjoy your V.I.P. status as you are lavishly rewarded by exclusive members-only special events and sneak preview access to new exhibits. Members-only days at the Science Center give our members exclusive privilege to interact with Science Center staff while in a exhibit environment.
Enjoy FREE access to any museum of your choice as long as that museum is on the ASTC list. ASTC stands for the Association of Science Technology Centers. For more information go to www.astc.org/members/passlist_about.htm.
The importance of family activities and learning together is important now more than ever, given the current state of the economy. We happily provide to you the much-needed avenue to enjoy quality time together while you learn, explore, and grow - together with your loved ones. And soon, that experience will grow with you - as we unveil spectacular new hands on activities in our educational environment, at a fraction of the cost of other area attractions.
Relative to other attractions in the area, a family membership is more affordable than ever, especially with the 10% off early-renewal discount we provide. So join us at the Orlando Science Center as we keep looking forward to the important learning and entertainment services for your family for many years into the future.
Thank you, and have a Scienterrific Day!
Heide Evans
Manager of Member Relations


text:
The first Bridgeport campus patient screenings for TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) were held in April by Edward Tuohy, MD, Cardiology, John Forrest, MD, Cardiology, Yale-New Haven Hospital, and Catherine Wright, APRN. The two patients screened underwent TAVR, a recently approved, significantly less invasive alternative for severe aortic stenosis than more traditional surgical aortic valve replacement. Patients must be considered high risk or inoperable for consideration. Aortic valves are placed through the femoral artery directly through the aorta without a sternotomy.
Bridgeport Hospital screens two to three patients monthly. Screenings include patient history and a physical with review of a recent echocardiogram, as well as available cardiac catheterization data. Umer Darr, MD, Surgery, evaluates the patient to determine if traditional surgery is suitable. Cardiac catheterization, pulmonary function tests and CTA of the chest and thoracic/ femoral arteries are required to determine eligibility.
The comprehensive program offers options for the FDAapproved Edwards Sapien valve or the investigational Medtronic CoreValve, depending on the patient. Referrals can be made through Dr. Tuohy, Stephen Marshalko, MD, Cardiology, or the Cardiology department at 203-384-3844.