Negotiation is a broad and general term Free Essays

Negotiation is a broad and general term that may be defined in several ways. Not most of us are aware that negotiation happens in almost every aspect of our lives. In fact, San Diego State University sponsored a seminar about negotiation and conducted a survey among the participants about the frequency or rate of recurrence of negotiation in general in their lives. We will write a custom essay sample on Negotiation is a broad and general term or any similar topic only for you Order Now Sixty four percent of the respondents answered ‘always’ (Stark, 2008). That must mean that in most aspects of our lives, we do negotiations. To fully understand, negotiation, it is significant to go over several definitions that may narrow down the long list of definitive terms used to define the word. Gerard I. Neirenberg wrote the book â€Å"The Art of Negotiating† and the president of Negotiations Institute, Inc. in New York. According to him, negotiation as the exchange of ideas in an attempt to alter the status of a relationship and deliberate to make an agreement. (Stark, 2008) The iron ore price negotiations are an example of a negotiation. An article released on the 2nd of March this year tackles this issue. It is soon to be settled with the heightened demand for pellets from the Companhia Vale do Rico Doce (Vale), therefore negotiations for the prices of the these items is well underway. The CEO of Vale, Mr. Roger Agnelli, stated that talks are being conducted with their consumers to guarantee fairness in their transactions. Apparently, Agnelli said that Vale wants to assure their clients that they will not be overcharged, and at the same time guarantee that their clients will not be paying a lesser amount either. (Steel Guru, 2008a) Another article released on the 3rd of March this year reveals a negotiation going on between Vale and Arcelor Mittal. The article is also about the price of iron ores. Vale is active in the mining and metal industry in Brazil. Arcelor Mittal, on the other hand, is involved in the steel business. Apparently, Arcelor Mittal is the major client of Vale. Both companies are negotiating to close a deal involving the price of iron ores that will be purchased from Vale. The negotiation is similar to Vale’s negotiations with other companies all over the world. (Steel Guru, 2008b) In this scenario, Vale is involved in major negotiations with several companies mostly involved in the steel business. Since the demands for pellets and iron ores have reached its summit, there is a need to negotiate the prices of these commodities. This is to ensure that the buying capacity of clients will be able to compensate the production of pellets and iron ores by Vale. The negotiations would then be a vehicle for companies and Vale to agree on a price that would be advantageous for all. The main point of the negotiation process is exemplified in a statement by Agnelli, the CEO of Vale, wherein he states that they want to make sure they will not be charging too much for their products and at the same time, their clients will not be paying reduced amounts for the actual cost of pellets and iron ores (Steel Guru, 2008a) Perhaps this is a very good example of a well-mannered negotiation because both parties are making sure to agree at a certain point that would be mutually fair. Conceivably, this is the primary concept of negotiation. At this point, it would be significant to discuss the elements of negotiation. According to Roger Fisher, negotiation has seven elements namely alternatives, interests, options, legitimacy, commitment, communication, and relationship. Having alternatives means that the factions that are holding negotiations should have back-up plans that they can follow individually just in case they fail to arrive at a consensus. Interests are the desires or the requisites of each faction. These are the conditions that are reasons for a negotiation between factions. The options available in negotiation are the ways or modes in which two factions can compromise. There should be several options available in a negotiation, and it is best that each of these options ensure that the results would lead to a fair and balanced position for both factions. Legitimacy is the evenhandedness of negotiations based on standards or rubrics that are advantageous to both factions. The commitment of both factions to adhere to their agreement should be talked about or materialized in a written agreement that would state how they are going to go about realizing what they have agreed on. Communication is a significant tool in negotiating because without it, both factions will not be able to understand and arrive at a consensus. During and after negotiations, the relationship between the factions should have improved to affect a harmonious and workable rapport. (Fisher, 2006) There are also negotiation strategies that ensure a fair and a balanced agreement favorable to both negotiating parties. To cite three of them, negotiation strategies include assigning people who would lead or represent a party in the negotiation process, evaluating the weaknesses and strengths of both negotiating parties, and developing a negotiation plan where priorities are ranked as to importance. Assigning people to represent a party in negotiation proceedings is strategic in nature because the acquisition of the objectives of the party is dependent on their performance as a negotiating team. It is important to make sure that the negotiating team is a small group and that specific tasks in the negotiating process is assigned to them. It is also strategic to evaluate the strong and weak points of each party involved in the negotiation, such as the background, the existing knowledge, bargaining skills, and importance of the agreement, etc. of and to the other party. It is important for a negotiating party to create a plan wherein their priorities or interests are ranked in order of importance. The non-negotiable interests, issues that are open to compromise, etc. should be identified and laid out to the other negotiating party. (Federal Acquisition Insitute, 2003) All three strategies are appropriate for negotiators to use before and during the negotiation process. The inappropriateness lies in the negative response of negotiating parties to these strategies mainly because these strategies are laid out in order to affect success in negotiations. These strategies are the foundation of successful negotiations. In marketing and other business issues, most negotiation subjects are pricing and cost estimates. Pricing analysis is an act of evaluating the appropriateness of a given cost (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2008). Pricing or estimating costs should involve marketing analysis and evaluation of other factors involved in pricing, such as the demands, pricing objectives, etc. Negotiating parties should conduct marketing analysis in order to identify the demands of the consumers. After this, the production of commodities, its distribution, and promotional strategies should be evaluated in order to arrive at the actual cost of producing the demands of the clients. All the expenses involved in the production of commodities for consumers and the standard for altering prices according to the rate of demand should be taken into account. These strategies will then be used to arrive at a price that should appropriate and fair for both negotiating parties. (Net MBA, 2007) Negotiations are significant in the realization of a goal or objective that cannot be attainable through individual efforts alone. Negotiation is there to provide for a means to attain the interests of an organization through the help of another organization. Negotiation strategies are available for each party to adhere to in order to accumulate success that is favorable for both parties. In marketing and business administration, pricing and cost estimation is very common in negotiation proceedings. Therefore, pricing strategies are also made available for business groups to follow in order to close deals with other negotiating process in a fair and balanced way that is desirable to all of them. Negotiating parties should be able to propel the negotiation on the way to their success. Resources Federal Acquisition Institute. (2003). Unit 42: Negotiation Strategies. Retrieved March 9,  2008,    from Federal Acquisition Institute. Website: http://www.fai.gov/pdfs/Unit42.pdf Fisher, R. (2006). The 7 Elements of Negotiation. Retrieved March 9, 2008, from Net MBA. (2007). Pricing Strategy. Retrieved March 9, 2008 from Internet Center for Management and Business Administration, Inc. Website: http://www.netmba.com/marketing/pricing/ Stark, P. B. (2008). What is Negotiation. Retrieved March 9, 2008 from SmartBiz. Website: http://www.smartbiz.com/article/articleview/618/1/5/ Steel Guru. (2008b). Iron ore price negotiations – Vale and Arcelor Mittal. Retrieved U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2008) Quick Guide to Cost and Price Analysis for HUD Grantees and Funding Recipients. Retrieved March 9,  2008 from Homes and Communities: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Website: https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/cpo/grantees/cstprice How to cite Negotiation is a broad and general term, Essay examples

Little Piece of Me free essay sample

As far back as I can remember my mother has always been telling me that I have three strikes against me. I am a female, I am Hispanic, and I am from the Bronx. Although it is not necessarily a crime for being all such things, it is surely enough to keep me from getting ahead. At least thats what Ive been brought up to believe about this game I like to call life. There are rules, some of which arent fair and hold you back from your true potential. There are guidelines, which are experiences and wisdom passed on from others. And of course there is the never-ending sensation of competition lingering within. My whole life has been a vast routine led by my parents, pushing me as hard as I could take it to be an ideal person all so I could succeed in life. So many times have I heard Sweetie, you want that nice car when you grow up? That big house? Well youve got to work at it, work harder then any other kid out there. We will write a custom essay sample on Little Piece of Me or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page You know why? Because you have three strikes against you, which is something all those other kids dont have. Can you imagine being 5 and having your mom pull you aside and tell you this on your first day of school? It can be pretty intimidating. Fortunately the intimidation would fade away as the same old lecture became more and more routine. Every bad grade, un-hung shirt in the closet, shoe left by the door and unwashed dish in the sink resulted in the lecture . It was kind of like a broken record, annoying at times but then you remember that you used to like the song it played. That song was something you thrived on for a while; it was a piece of you. But like all one hit wonders, another one usually comes along later down the line. When it came time for me to apply to high school I wanted to go somewhere that was different from what I was used to. My two acceptances were Bard High School Early College and Lehman High School . Deciding to attend B.H.S.E.C had to have been one of the hardest decisions of my life. Do I go to a school that has everything I want, will challenge me, is miles from home and will probably make my grades drop? Or do I attend a school with no curriculum, 10 minutes from home, will not teach me anything whatsoever and I will without a doubt continue to get straight As in? My final choice was obvious and up until this day I never regretted my decision. B.H.S.E.C took the place of my mothers lecture, shaping and motivating me in ways I never thought possible. To be honest my middle school never prepared me enough to attend B.H.S.E.C. Every day I have pushed myself to stay afloat in this sea of over achievers and Im proud that I have managed to do so. At B.H.S.E.C the lessons I have learned are in my eyes far more useful then calculus and biology. I learned how to open up and use my voice to share with people every single idea that runs through my mind. I learned how to develop these ideas and turn them into something tangible and more concrete that I could share with my peers and the world. Furthermore I learned how to work with and challenge my peers, whose ability to efficiently use their vast knowledge in a classroom setting was very foreign to me at first. When I was a freshman I used to want to stay in a little comfort zone where I was sure of myself and didnt take risks, but thats not me anymore. I look back on who I was 4 years ago and that person is unrecognizable. Ive grown and look forward to a triumphant college career. B.H.S. E.C taught me to be my own person and to not worry about everyone else, just yourself. So yes, I may be a Hispanic female from the Bronx but I wont let that determine the life that lays ahead of me. Life is a game, and its my turn now, the odds of striking out wont keep me from playing.

History Of Asian Economies Essays - Economy Of South Korea

History Of Asian Economies Korea was one of the poorest countries in world after experiencing two wars. World War II and Korean war (1950 ~ 1953). The country even experienced a food shortage so that it had to heavily rely on the foreign aid. Yearly per capita consumption was a mere $88 as late as 1965. However, since 1965, Korea has been transformed from its underdeveloped agricultural economy to a leading Newly Industrializing Country. Between 1965 and 1981, its gross national product GNP multiplied twenty times from $3 billion to $63 billion and per capita GNP increased sixteen times from $88 to $1,554. There have been many explanations for Korea's successful story. Among those, the strong role of government would be probably the most important one. At the same time, this would be also responsible for current recession. After Koran war, the government in fact had no sense of direction and also due to the unstable political situation, the country didn't have specific economic policy until 1961 when military government came to power and established the major institution guiding its economic planning called Economic Planing Board (EPB). This government set economic development as the top national priority and recognized the financial system in support of economic development plan. To achieve this purpose, it focused its policies mainly on export expansion moving its emphasis from import substitution. The result was considered quite successful for economic growth. Between 1965 and 1973, exports grew at average annual rate of 45%, from $175 million to $3,271 million. The success of the expansion was due primary to three factors (Kwack, 72). The first was a favorable international economic environment, which saw total world imports expand from $175 billion in 1965 to $536 billion by 1973. This boom in imports of the world reflected the fact that the industrialized had not yet erected import barriers against exports from developing countries and were, on the contrary, quite active importers of cheaper goods from Newly Industrializing Countries such as Korea. A second significant factor was the Korean government's policy of promoting exports, which was set in motion in 1965. Initially, the government introduced a number of fiscal and financial incentives, which I will discuss more later. A third factor was Korea's abundant and highly productive labor force. This gave Korea a strong comparative advantage in producing labor intensive products and provided the impetus for the notable expansion for exports. In order to expand total exports over time periods, however, Korea turned to new export industries that were expected to have a comparative advantage with abundant labor, but skilled labor at this time, such as shipbuilding, electronics, and steel industries. This attempt was viewed as a manufacturing shifting of its emphasis from light industries to heavy industries which later started to produce intermediary goods as substitutes for imports (Kwack, 77). However, this government's promotion of heavy industries for large-scale economies led to under-investment in light manufacturing industries causing productive gap between small and large firms. Actually, the large firm that runs heavy industries has been given priorities, and small and medium firms relatively disregarded in government's allocation of loanable funds and other administrative preference. As a result, conglomerates later known as chaebol (family owned conglomerate) have been formed through this expansion of heavy industries. Government's Policy Before 1961 As seen above, the Korean government has been focused on import substitution for economic growth during 1953 ~ 65 period and followed by export expansion policy after 1965. However, to progress its policy efficiently, the government had to face to one of serious problem, poverty. After two major wars, the country even with a food shortage experienced lack of capital. There was no source for savings and investment to finance economic growth domestically, so it depended heavily on foreign capital which inflow in a form of mostly aid and loan in the early stage of economic growth. The proportion of foreign capital to total capital formation in 1965 was approximately 40 percent. In addition to inflow of foreign capital, the government faced allocation of capital with using its financial system. Before the military government in 1961, the loan decisions of commercial banks were heavily influenced by political interference (Haggard, 26). Well, in fact the loan decisions in Korea mostly were affected by political interference rather than bank themselves until recent time, but during the 1948 ~ 1961 period, the rent generated by low interest rate was used for its political activities rather than economic growth. Government's Export Promotion Policies In the economic development, the government's creation of economic rent for certain segments of business takes critical role.

Review Essay Example

Review Essay Example Review Essay Review Essay Questions 1. What is forensic science? The application of science to the criminal justice system 2. What three tasks or responsibilities does a forensic scientist have? Three responsibilities of a forensic scientist are collect and analyze evidence, and train other law enforcement or officials in how to record and collect evidence 3. What criteria might be used to establish someone as an expert witness? Criteria used to establish an expert witness might be the person’s degrees, and the number of years of experience that that person has in the field 4. What are two of the ways that a forensic pathologist might use to help determine the time of death? Two ways a forensic scientist can determine the time of death are algor mortis and liver mortis 5. What does a forensic anthropologist do? Specializes in the identification and examination of skeletal remains Critical Thinking Questions 1. Why do you think it is so important to use proper methods when collecting evidence from a crime scene? The criminal could get away because you didn’t use proper methods to collect evidence, which could lead to another crime 2. Why do you think forensic science has been increasingly used by the criminal justice system? They use science in an investigation so on a court system it isn’t â€Å"person A† against the criminal, there would be proof and evidence 3. Which of the forensic scientist’s responsibilities do you think would be the most challenging? Why? I feel like the hardest responsibility would be finding evidence at a scene. Sometimes criminals wear gloves so there would be no finger prints, so you would have to look for tire tracks or foot prints, making the investigation even harder. . Which of the forensic scientist’s responsibilities do you think would be the most interesting to you? Why? I feel that the most interesting responsibility would be gathering and examining the evidence because I am one to wonder how things work and how things fit together like a puzzle. An investigation is similar to a puzzle. 5. Which of the specialty areas do you think you would most like to work in? Why? I would want to specialize in forensic pathology because determining the time and cause of death you be really interesting to me

Source report - Surrogacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Source report - Surrogacy - Essay Example Haughey’s studies develop theoretically and descriptive analysis of gender selection through surrogacy. According to the author, medical methods used in surrogacy have made it able for prospective parents to propose the preferred sex of their children. In addition, people have developed appealing hypothesis to explain an aspect of sex selection. One of the theoretical hypotheses is concerned with creating a â€Å"balance† in families. Haughey (2005: 85) provides a descriptive study on how surrogacy technology provides couples with a chance to choose sperms that fertilise eggs; hence determining the sex of the offspring. The discussion above lays a scientific foundation regarding the determination of offspring’s sexual features through the selection of sperms to be used for fertilization. Gender balancing eradicates the domination of one gender of children in the family unit by deciding which sexes should be included. In addition, some families may use sex selection to replace or rebuild the family after the death of a child. It is also evident that sex selection occurs when the foetus is selected based on gender, social or medical reasons before it is implanted into the womb. In addition, it is important to note that sex selection also occurs when the foetus is aborted based on gender. Stacey develops theoretically and descriptive hypothesis to that link gender selection in surrogacy and medical reasons. According to the author, couples prefer to point out the desired gender of their children to avoid gender specific genetic and chromosomal disorders. Surrogacy also offers a ground where embryos are screened for genetic diseases and those that are found safe implanted into the mothers’ womb. The descriptive argument presented is that sex selection prevents people from having children with sex-linked diseases such as Duchene’s muscular dystrophy, sickle cell anemia or

Xerox Corporation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Xerox Corporation - Assignment Example   Local Area Network (LAN) is a computer network typically for an office or building. It is important in sharing information and data storage. This network can be built with low-priced hardware such as hubs, network adapters and Ethernet cables. It can depend on the wired connection for security, speed and for wireless connections. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) entails network of an entire city. It is larger than a LAN. It is used to connect several LANs to create a bigger network. Since it is mainly used on the campus, it is also referred to as a Campus Area Network. Wide Area Network (WAN) is a geographically dispersed telecommunications network over long distances. It entails several LANs and WANs. They are built using leased lines despite them being expensive. But for a lesser cost, one can use packet and circuit switching methods.The network may enable individuals to chat via email and transfer data over the network. It is different from other systems because it can be contr olled by an individual. Moreover, LAN has limited distance to move, few transmissions errors, a high-speed interface, high reliability and ability to handle data traffic. Additionally, the maintenance cost is reasonable and it uses technologies such as Ethernet and token ring. A good example is a network in an office building can be a LAN. The network can be used to share information and communication purposes. The network is significant in that it covers a larger geographical area and transfers data at a medium speed depending on the cables.

Does Prison Work For Offenders?

Does Prison Work For Offenders? Introduction Prisons, most commonly known as correctional institutions, have been an integral part of Criminal Justice System along with Police and the Courts (Griffiths, 2007: 3). Even though prisons and sentencing varies from country to country, they all operate in same manner i.e. to sentence criminals and prevent further damage to the society. Offenders are usually sent to a prison when a legal penalty is imposed on them. Prison is considered to be as the last resort. In past few decades, prisons have been a controversial topic. Recent trends have shown disapproval of prison system by public (Griffiths, 2007: 64). There has been lots of debate on whether prisons are effective or whether they are ineffective in making criminals law-abiding citizens. This essay opens with a discourse of what prisons are in general, looks at analysis and evaluation made by scholars, criminologists, and sociologists on potency of prisons in Canada as well as provides insights into possible reforms to enhance pris ons effectiveness. According to Christianson (2002: 1168), A prison is any institution or device that holds a captive in custody. Prisons have been in existence since ancient times. They didnt serve as a form of punishment back then but rather were just used to hold individuals until they receive their punishment which included beheading, death penalty and public shaming. Crime and punishment are both public acts. Ancient punishments were cruel and harsh but today punishment is used as a form to make all offenders or criminals law-abiding citizens including prisoners. In modern prisons, criminals are deprived of their freedom and they must follow all the protocols, rules and regulations set by the correctional institutions. Jails and closed structures are also considered as part of prison but they just hold individuals for a day or two while they await their trail (ibid: 1168). Slavery was another form of imprisonment where a slave must abide by his/her master (ibid: 1168).International Prisoner Trade and Convict Transportation during seventeenth century which was selling criminals to America, Australia as slaves marked criticism, which leads to enlightenment along with American Revolution and finally put a stop on International Prisoner Trade in eighteenth century (ibid: 1169). Jails, what we call prison today, were first modern structure ever built in Colonial America (ibid: 1169) and early eighteenth century marked modern foundation of prisons. Contemporary institutions came into existence in nineteenth century. They first originated in United States of America (Goff, 2004: 278). Prisons hold convicted offenders who have been sanctioned to be there by the judges. In Canada, there are two levels of prisons Federal Level and Provincial/Territorial Level. People serving two years or less go to provincial or territorial prisons whereas inmates serving more then two years go to federal prisons (Griffiths, 2007: 294-297). Correctional System in various countries operates in same manner but the incarceration rate between all countries is very dissimilar. According to Statistics Canada (Internet), about 158,000 people were serving some sort of sentence in 2008 in Canada compared to other countries which is comparatively low. Canada holds 116 per 100,000 populations compared 702 of United States of America (Griffiths, 2007: 289). Compared to size of country and rate of incarceration, why is the prison population going up despite the best effort made to rehabilitate offenders? Does prison work? Is correctional system effective? Prisons have gone fundamental changes since they first came into existence. Punishment has become very essential for law thats broken. People are always given some sort of punishment if they break any law. There have been lots of issues with prison recently. Criminologists, Sociologists and various scholars have debated both on success and failures of prison. Lots of scholars argue that prisons doesnt rehabilitate offenders, it rather makes them bad. Other scholars argue that prisons are really effective and they are an essential component of criminal justice system along with society and helps in improving all those who have committed crimes. This paper is going to discuss which opinion is more valid and true. Canadian Correctional System Canadas prison system first originated in early 1800s. Kingston Penitentiary was first prison ever to open in Canada. Canadas prison has vastly grown since then. Today Canada has about 215 facilities all over Canada ranging from federal prisons to provincial/territorial prison (Goff, 2004: 259). Correctional System plays a significant role in keeping the community safe. There are three general models laid out the foundations of Canadian Correctional System: The Custodial Model, The Rehabilitation Model, and The Reintegration/Risk Reduction Model (ibid: 265-266). All the models emphasize on prisoners incarceration for purpose of deterrence, ideal treatment of all offenders and reintegration into the society. According to Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics Profile Series, there are few very common and general themes among the population in custody. Most of the prisoners are either black or aboriginal and are substance addict. Most of them are men and many of them suffer some sort o f psychological disablement (Griffiths, 2007: 292-293). People who have committed property offences, addicted to drug/alcohol, failed to pay a fine go to provincial/territorial prison whereas people convicted of serious offences such as murder go to federal prisons. There are various security levels of prison in Canada including maximum security, medium security and minimum security (Goff, 2004: 267). Factors such as severeness of offence, level of danger to society, prior criminal record, substance abuse, and psychological impairdness determines level of security and type of prison an offender is going to (Mathews, 2003). Regardless of best efforts made by Correctional institutions to reform the prisoners, there has been constant debate both in favour and effectiveness of prison. Next part of this paper will discuss arguments and counter-arguments regarding success of prisons. Prison Does Work Based on research done by many authors, scholars, criminologists, sociologists, various survey agencies, some evidence has been presented on success of prisons. They argue that prisons are effective. According to Goodman (2006), who was former diocesan director of education as well as former chair of Independent Monitoring Board, prisons are effective and help prisoners changing from criminals to law-abiding citizens. Public can play a big role in make their life better. Prisons offer very special courses such as anger management courses to rehabilitate them. Intensive courses are also offered to help prisoners overcoming their drug problems. According to the Economic Theory of Crime, developed by Becker, offenders are different and each of them offends due to different reasons. Theory has been tested in various countries and has indeed provided positive results. Punishment does exercise substantial influence on conduct. (Saunders et al, 2002-03: 4). Prison well wishers also argue th at the courses that are being provided to the inmates have changed their thinking from criminal side to a law-abiding citizen. These courses include educational and treatment programs, adult basic education, skills development program which helps in shaping their behaviour. Rehabilitation programs have been really effective as they focus on targeting specific problem areas. Rehabilitation programs include pro-criminal attitudes, problem solving deficit, creating educational and employment opportunities (Ore et al, 2003: 62). Prisons are effective as they rehabilitate prisoners along with deterrence. Also it has been suggested that police arrest rather than reported crime to police should be used in minimizing bias in comparative studies across countries regarding success of prisons (ibid: 62). In addition, what varies from country to country is which crimes are considered for incarceration. Saunders and Billante further defended this point by arguing that prisons deterrence effect d oes reduce crime. Co-relation between crimes rates and incarceration doesnt prelude success of prisons (Saunders et al, 2002-03: 8). For example, in Canada, criminal law is same throughout the country but dispensed differently on provincial levels. Charles Murray mentioned in his work that prisons do work and are effective. He used USA as an example and described how high incarceration rates in USA led to low crimes between 1980s and 1990s (ibid: 5). He further added that even if crime is low, incarceration must be kept high and prison can definitely put halt on crime, thats the main reason why crime rates in United Kingdom were up the roof. Dulilio further expanded Murrays point by saying that prison is an answer to question of how to deter crime (ibid: 5). Crimes in Australia and New Zealand have escalated because of an ease on imprisonment. The New Generation correctional facilities have been praiseworthy. They have dramatically reduced the escapes and violent acts in prison. The direct supervision model has also been considered really valuable. There are six different objectives attached to it along with seven behavioural dimensions that supervise the inmates in pods (Goff, 2004: 268-269). Other custody options or alternatives to imprisonment have had mixed reviews. No accurate numbers have been released whether they have been considered to be far more successful than incarceration, especially treatment approaches and community-based programs (Griffiths, 2007: 278-279). Restorative justices have high review rates. According to Goff (2004: 345), Restorative Justice refers to activities within the criminal justice system that are directed at repairing the injury to the victim and the community. Its one of the central features in Canadian criminal justice (Griffiths, 2007: 272). Believers of our system hold the fact that sanction must be proportionate to the crime. Its different from Utilitarian Goals and Retributive Goals (ibid: 237). Offender must realize what he/she has done and how he/she has disturbed society as whole and should apologize to the victim for his/her actions. One of the main goals of this type of sanction is to avoid the offender from going thorough the criminal justice process and then be sent to prison. Circumstances, intentions and motives of offender are always taken into consideration. This type is totally based on restitution. According to Zehr (1990) this process rebuilds relationships and restores peace. Prisons Dont Work Counter-argument for potency of prisons is failure of prisons, that is, prisons dont work. Criminologists have argued that a prison doesnt alter criminal behaviour and theres a very high likelihood that inmates will re-offend once they finish their term and leave prison. People have encountered brutality and unfairness in prisons. According to Frank, Beirie and Mackenzie (2010: 93) prisons dont alter criminal behaviour, but they rather often promote criminality. They are generally delegitimizing. Prisons are considered schools of crime. Emotions play crucial role in phase of incarceration. Some researchers have indicated that criminals dont cope well in prisons whereas critics have argued prisons do cope criminals (Frank et al, 2010: 93). According to research conducted by Hurd (2005: 26-27), prisons dont work at all. Increase in imprisonment doesnt reduce crime. He used England and Wales as an example. Number of prisoners increased from 44,000 to 60,000 from 1986 to 1997, but no red uction in crime was recorded. Offenders were being numbered up into jails but crime was still going up. Other scholars have argued the same thing. Sinead Hanks have argued the same point. The author used England and Wales as an example. In February 2008, there were about 82,000 people in prison, highest ever in the country. But crimes were still up as more than half of offenders were reoffending within two years after being released from prison (Hurd, 2005: 26-27). Many prisoners have indicated that they have learned more on how to commit crimes during their imprisonment. Hanks (2008: 95-96) argued that prison has been considered as dumping ground, that is, people who have mental health issues, drug addiction problems, are homeless and illiterate are offenders. The author also argued that since imprisonment rates have gone up, overcrowding is a big concern in prisons. This problem further leads to problem of less rehabilitation and higher reconviction rates. The cycle perpetuates it self. It was also discussed that its really expensive to keep the offenders in prison and more than half of the offenders are back within two years or so, thus putting extra burden on the budget (Hanks, 2008: 95-96). Penal Policy is an important weapon in fighting crime. Article written by Mathews (2003), former inmate, suggests that maximum security prison doesnt rehabilitate prisoners, it rather makes them worse. He further added that inmates spend twenty hours a day in their cell in total isolation and its hard for them to function properly in society after spending that amount of time in total isolation, without any human contact. Most prisoners have developed some sort of psychological illness and those who had it before, their situation is even worse. Prisoners are abused most of the time. Criminologists argue that this type of incarceration is inflicting punishment rather then rehabilitating those individuals. Individuals also face administrative separatism (Mathews, 2003: 41 ). This article has received a lot of attention from various scholars, researchers, criminologists, sociologists and more research is being done on maximum security aspect of prison. Some of them even say it that its totally inhumane and degrading. Roger Matthews, Professor at London South Bank University, mentioned that looking at recidivism figures, it certainly looks like that prison isnt totally effective. Instead of rehabilitating prisoners, it adds up to governments budget (Matthews, 2005). People learn more about crime in prisons. Studies have revealed that prison time can help offenders in enhancing their criminal skills, described as prisonization effect (Tremblay, 2009). Other research studies have revealed that incarceration is not meeting up the expectations. According Griffiths (2007: 279-280), incarceration is not an effectual restraint but being caught and punished is a deterrent. It has also been argued that people who have spent more time in prison feel more comfortable in prison rather then being out in community. Longer prisons are totally ineffective because sometimes low- risk offenders are exposed to high-risk offenders, and likelihood of learning other ways to commit crimes is very high. Further studies have revealed that even most offenders prefer probation over incarceration. Studies further revealed that prisons dont always carry out through its provisions and some of them have even failed to meet their performance targets (The Economist, 2003). There are bunch of other challenges faced by prisons. Prison Violence is still prevalent. It can be between inmates or between inmates and staff members (Goff, 2004: 275). No body knows what happens inside the walls but official data disclosed that prison violence has gone up since 1989-90. Prison suicide is another challenge faced by correction facilities. No particular details are available why prisoners commit suicide but it has been said that mostly white males commit suicide in prison (ibid: 275-276). Rising cost of prisons is viewed as another trend in institutional corrections (Griffiths, 2007: 323). As per the statistics, in 2003-04, average cost of inmate housing was approximately $ 87,000 in federal prisons, and approximately $ 51,000 for provincial/territorial prisons. This further raises question on effectiveness and rehabilitation of prisoners (ibid: 324). Overcrowding is another issue and has been considered as a leading cause of violence. In federal prisons, about 25 p ercent of inmates share their room with another inmate (ibid: 324). Over-representation of black and aboriginal people has definitely raised concerns. It has been said that criminal justice system is biased against them and systematic discrimination against aboriginals prevails (ibid: 292-293). Comparison/Conclusion Effectiveness of prisons is a hot debate topic but its not easy to say whether prisons are effective or not. Studies have definitely revealed that high incarceration have lead to low crimes in countries like Australia, England, New Zealand and United states but at the same time critics have argued that high incarceration rate have inflicted upon high crime rates in England and United States. It has also been argued that abuse of power by prison staff is degrading and inhumane and makes them even less collectible, that is, they dont use their authority legitimately but at the same point it has been argued that their legitimate authority have promoted people to follow the rules and be of good behavior. Media has also affected our thinking as prisons are predominantly represented as bad place. Charter of Rights and Freedoms provides limited rights to prisoners but their rights are being violated (Goff, 2004: 276-277). Overcrowding of prisons and high costs have forced government to impl ement reforms. Provincial/territorial governments have debated earlier about privatization of prisons as private companies can provide better and cost effective service. This can definitely take off some burden from the budget but at the same time private companies try to maximize their profits by using less staff and paying them low wages (Klassen, 2009). Restorative justice has proven to be successful in recidivism and restitution (Klassen, 2009). Restorative system saves an offender from further damage and helps him/her in reintegration into society. Incarceration rate and its success is a topic that will never have a proper ending. Every time arguments have been presented regarding success of prison, they have been criticized using counter-arguments and more evidence is presented focusing on failure of correctional systems. Appropriate reforms should be implemented to make prisons more effective. Social programs should be provided, both inside and outside of prison, to strengthe n public safety. Penal Crisis and Justice System reforms should be addressed and modified as per the needs. Theres no need of new prisons, or to rise up incarceration rates. Democratic values of any given country are reflected through prisons and therefore, prisons continue to be an integral part of our justice system and society. Careful analysis needs to be done to evaluate the effectiveness of prisons as presentation of incorrect information can be misleading to the society and public.