Question

How might offenders configure their environment to ensure their own reformative process? How might society assist in this endeavor?

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) An offender would have to consider three pivotal aspects in order to ensure his reformative process. The society, the people close to them and themselves are what the focus should be. Let us assume that the offender, in this case, has been arrested for driving under the influence and has to go to a rehabilitation clinic. Fortunately, no one was hurt during the accident.

The delinquent seems to be taking the court mandate of rehab quite lightly. Furthermore, upon psychological sessions, it seems that the delinquent has a complete disregard for his life and might even be suicidal. A counselor reminds the delinquent that even if he/she did not care about their own life, it could have been an innocent person that could have died the day of the accident because of personal issues that the delinquent is facing.

This would make the offender realise that their actions and choices have consequences on other too. Sometimes these individuals are innocent and bear the brunt of the irresponsible and rash decisions of another. Secondly, a person should be responsible for the individuals in their life who they might have a close relationship with. It is essential to treat these connections with a certain sense of responsibility. This can be done by keeping in mind that offensive actions tend to hurt the individuals around us as well.

Finally, the responsibility that one needs to fulfill towards oneself is the most essential of all. This is when one might realise that life should be full of pursuit of happiness of oneself and the people around us. This happiness is not only a responsibility but, also a birthright that might be tarnished through offensive actions.

Society might be responsible for providing the necessary tools for a person to achieve this understanding. Society and the government should be provisional of necessary counseling, rehabilitation and other therapeutic assistance. However, the actual process of self-actualisation can only be conceived by the person itself.