Incarceration In America
Recently America has undergone a massive rise in its prison population. From growing populations, the higher crime rates that follow, and high numbers of recidivism America’s imprisonment rate has increased five-fold in the last four decades. Today’s current incarceration rate is over 700 per 100,000 of population, making it the highest in the nation’s history and in the world (Steiker, 2014). With the numbers still growing, it is time to re-examine the model of incapacitation that is in current affect throughout America’s criminal justice system. From the Merriam-Webster’s definition, incapacitate means, “To make (someone or something) unable to work, move, or function in the usual way,” (Encyclopaedia Britannica Company, 2015). Currently
this is the model for dealing with criminals in the United States. A criminal commits a crime, is caught, convicted, and is then simply locked away for a determined amount of time. Just as dirt is swept under a rug, so is the criminal swept away from the rest of society. When the criminal is freed hopefully he/she has learned his/her lesson and would think better before committing a crime the next time. However, what has the criminal really learned while being incarcerated? When the offender is released into society will they work hard to build a new life, or simply work harder on not being caught if they reoffend?
this is the model for dealing with criminals in the United States. A criminal commits a crime, is caught, convicted, and is then simply locked away for a determined amount of time. Just as dirt is swept under a rug, so is the criminal swept away from the rest of society. When the criminal is freed hopefully he/she has learned his/her lesson and would think better before committing a crime the next time. However, what has the criminal really learned while being incarcerated? When the offender is released into society will they work hard to build a new life, or simply work harder on not being caught if they reoffend?