Preview

Prison Overcrowding

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
953 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Prison Overcrowding
Prison Overcrowding
Sherita Bowens
American Intercontinental University
April 24, 2010

Abstract
Prison overcrowding is one of the many different problems throughout the world that law enforcement faces. Prison overcrowding not only affects those in law enforcement, it also affects the taxpayers in the community as well. The problem of overcrowded prisons is being handled in many different ways. Some of these ways have been proven to be sufficient and successful while others have not been so successful.

Prison Overcrowding There is no right or wrong way to address the problem of prison overcrowding. One way to address this situation is to build bigger prisons. However, building bigger prisons affects the wrong people. By building bigger prisons, the taxpayers in the communities have to pay more money, which is not fair. Taxpayers in the community should not have to spend more money to help build bigger prisons, especially since there are other solutions to prison overcrowding that are positively effective for both the inmates and the taxpayers, like privatizing some of the state’s prisons and introducing educational and treatment programs. Although prison overcrowding affects many countries throughout the world, it is a much bigger problem in America. Today America is number one when it comes to having the world’s highest rate of incarceration. “Federal and state prisons already are stuffed with a third more inmates than they were built to house” (Clash, 2007, p.66). Prisons that were built years ago are not capable of housing the many inmates that are being sent to prison today. “The population in carceral establishments has increased considerably in the past twenty years, in both Canada and the United States” (Landreville, 1995). Most states are addressing increased incarceration rates by building bigger prisons. However, “the more money a state spends on building and running prisons, the less there is for everything else, from roads and


References: 1. Clash, J.M. (2007, September 3). Jailhouse stocks. Forbes, (180)4, 66-66. Retrieved from Academic Source Premier Database. 2. Gonnerman, J. and Brown, E. (2008, August). Slammed. Mother Jones, (33)4, 44- 46. Retrieved from Academic Source Premier Database 3. Jailhouse blues. (2010, February 13). Economist, (394)8669, 37-37. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Database. 4. Kaiser, R.M. (2004, April). Correctional programming: A value-added service. Corrections Today, (66)2, 8-13. Retrieved from Academic Source Premier Database. 5. Landerville, P. (1995, January). Prison overpopulation and strategies for decarceration. Canadian Journal of Criminology, (37)1, 39-60. Retrieved from Academic Source Premier Database.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Annotated Bibliography for an Essay on the Correlation Between Suicide and Violence in Prisons
    • 1571 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Annotated Bibliography for an Essay on the Correlation Between Suicide and Violence in Prisons

    Kennedy, E. (1985). Prison Overcrowding: The law’s Dilemma. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 478(1), 113-122. doi: 10.1177/0002716285478001010. Sage Publications.…

    • 1571 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Cja/234 Sentencing Paper
    • 1495 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Cja/234 Sentencing Paper

    In the United States the number of criminals incarcerated in state and federal correctional systems has grown massively over the past several years. The number of those incarcerated has the greatest effect on state and federal correction systems. From 1930 to 1975 the average incarceration rate was 106 inmates per 100,000 adults in the population (Mackenzie, 2001). These numbers remained relatively stable until after 1975 (Mackenzie, 2001). By 1985 the rates were 202 per 100,000. By 1995 it was 411 and by 1997 it was 652 including local jail populations (Mackenzie, 2001). At the end of 1998 more than 1.3 million prisoners were under Federal or State jurisdiction (Mackenzie,…

    • 1495 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Pros And Cons Of Mass Incarceration
    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Pros And Cons Of Mass Incarceration

    The United States accounts for 5% of the world population but has nearly 22% of world prison population. This means that nearly 2 million people are incarcerated, and 1 in 3 black men will go to prison or jail if this trend continues (Amnesty International). Mass Incarceration has been one of the major debate recently in Politics. The politician has been debating on a method to reduce the prison population, and to do that they need to find the cause of it and the different contribution. In recent year, there has been a cut in funding for many states rehabilitation, education and other programs because the costs to accommodate an inmate is escalating upward. At the same time, laws are put in place that put disadvantaged people within the criminal…

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Time To Invest In Schools Not Prisons Rhetorical Analysis
    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Time To Invest In Schools Not Prisons Rhetorical Analysis

    “Since the 1970s the rate of incarceration in the United States has quadrupled, after having been relatively flat over the prior half-century.”-Anthony Zurcher. The rate of prison incarcerations has increased so much over the years; the government can’t afford to incarcerate that many people. Karen Thomas’s article “Time to Invest in Schools, Note Prisons” shows that United States incarcerates too many criminals violent and non-violent. Joan Petersilia said in her article “Beyond the Prison Bubble” that, the United States has the highest incarceration rate of any free nation. This also supports the idea that The United States incarcerates too many people.…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Pros And Cons Of The United States Prison System
    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Pros And Cons Of The United States Prison System

    The United states prisons have over 2.5 million inmates within their walls. The system has become strained with all the prisoners. There are people advocating for and against the prison system. The system has the good, the bad, and the ugly, but many people disagree on which one prevails.…

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    How Prison Overcrowding Affects State Budgets
    • 3377 Words
    • 14 Pages

    How Prison Overcrowding Affects State Budgets

    Prison overcrowding poses as a threat to security and personnel. When prison are overcrowded budgets have to be cut, therefore some people whom work for the department lose their jobs, take pay cuts, and the closing of some facilities are inevitable. There are some precautions that lawmakers and the Department of Corrections have taken in order to help with prison overcrowding and budgets. A lot of departments are investing in private prison to house inmates. This has become quite popular lately within the Department of Corrections. This does help with the overcrowding of the prisons but it hasn’t been proven that it helps out with the budget overall. That would depend on which private prison you’re using and their cost for housing inmates. Some states are ordering that prison reduces is prison population to no more than 137.5% of its designed capacity. By reducing it to no more than 137.5% of its designed capacity it saves the state money and in return helps with the state budget. A lot of community corrections facilities are being closed or the number of inmates being serviced by the community corrections is an all time low. When the community corrections have a low amount of inmates in the program they are more likely to be eliminated. Earlier we discussed how two community correction centers were scheduled to reopen…

    • 3377 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Pros And Cons Of Prisons
    • 1556 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Pros And Cons Of Prisons

    In society today, it is commonly known that crime rate has increased dramatically by the years. This is where many of us look for ways to solve such issue. It is the last place anybody would want to be in. but unfortunately we have hundreds of thousands of them, if not millions around the world. Thousands in just the United States, Those are prisons. Just hearing that word makes us think bad things right away. Murder, theft, violence, and everything bad that happens in this world. We live in a world where prisons and jail are very important and almost every country, state, county, or city must have at least one. Prisons now are much more crowded than they were 20 years ago. The number of inmates in just the United States has doubled between the years of 1992 and 2011. The question many of us should ask ourselves is why do we need prisons? Are prisons effective in any way? Are prisons causing economic issues? Are prisoners getting proper treatment while incarcerated?…

    • 1556 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Pros And Cons Of Prison Overcrowding
    • 1824 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Pros And Cons Of Prison Overcrowding

    Current research regarding overcrowding in prisons and jails is relatively limited in its scope. Most research focuses on only prisons and is primarily quantitative research. Quantitative research is incapable of examining personal opinions of inmates who serve time in overcrowded institutions; and ask whether or not inmates accredit their failure to rehabilitate to overcrowding. Qualitative research would help better understand how inmates perceive the issue, and whether or not the statistical issues are reflected in their minds. Quantitative data clearly shows that overcrowding in prisons has negative effects such as lack of resources, poorer living environment, and ultimately higher recidivism…

    • 1824 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Should Prisons Be Allowed In America
    • 1962 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Should Prisons Be Allowed In America

    These issues are having an effect on the government and U.S citizens. Overcrowding is among the most controversial issues in America’s prisons. Barden wrote, “Between 1979 and 1984, 126 new prisons were built in the United States. Yet these prisons have not met the demand for more prison space. By 1986 our prisons were operating at between 107 and 121 percent of capacity” (Barden 50). Overcrowding of prisons does not only affect the outside world, but also the prisoners inside due to increased violence resulting in many deaths. Barden said, “Prisons continue to be overcrowded to this day. In more than 40 states, courts have issued orders to reduce prison overcrowding. But the states have been slow to comply” (Barden 50). The reason for not taking action is due to the expenses that come with increasing prison space. Most states do not have the money to reduce overcrowding, especially after the recession. Violence is most likely the best known issue in prisons. The author stated, “In the old days, prisoners feared brutal guards. Now the fear permeating American prisons comes mostly from fellow convicts. Beatings, stabbings, and homosexual rapes are everyday occurrences” (Hjelemeland 52). Violence leads to deaths and suicides in many of America’s prisons which also affect those convicts’ families. Another fact Andy wrote was, “Overcrowding is a major factor in…

    • 1962 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How To Reduce Prison Overcrowding
    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How To Reduce Prison Overcrowding

    Prisons are already filled beyond maximum capacity, and we continue to keep incarcerating more people. What can be done to end the problem of prison overcrowding and maintain the safety of the public? I chose this topic because I wanted to shine a light on what I consider to be an injustice. I believe that the criminal justice system needs a complete overhaul. When I chose this topic, I wasn’t fully aware of the mandatory sentencing guidelines or how harsh they were. I always believed that judges had more leeway in deciding sentencing. Originally, I hadn’t even considered the possibility of criminal corporal punishment, because I believed it was cruel and something that other less civilized countries would do, not America. I believe that the prison overcrowding problem can be resolved by changing our laws regarding nonviolent offenders, abolishing the mandatory sentencing guidelines and using alternative solutions that do not involve incarceration.…

    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Incarceration In Jail
    • 178 Words
    • 1 Page

    Incarceration In Jail

    In recent discussions of over populated jails, a controversial issue has been it would make the world safer. On the one hand, some argue that it could be dangerous. On the other hand, however, others argue that it could help in the long run. In sum, then, the issue is who we should be sending to the slammer.…

    • 178 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Private Prisons
    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Private Prisons

    Over-crowding in our federal, state, and local prisons, along with a depressed economy, has resulted in a trend toward privatization of these facilities. This paper examines the core issues surrounding private prisons in the areas of cost-effectiveness, recidivism, and the special needs of specific groups of inmates, including the elderly and mentally challenged. It explores problems related to the prison industry in general and whether privatization is the solution to these problems.…

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Prison over Crowding
    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Prison over Crowding

    Overcrowding in prisons is one of the biggest challenges facing the American criminal justice system today. The total population of prisons and jails in the United States neared the 2.1 million mark in June 2003, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported incarceration rates of state and federal prisoners continued to rise. At midyear 2003, the number of sentenced inmates was 480 per 100,000 U.S. residents, up from 476 per 100,000 on December 31, 2002. There were 238 jail inmates for every 100,000 on June 30, 2003. Overall, one out of every 140 U.S residents was incarcerated in prison or in jail. During the late 1980’s and early 1990’s state and local governments got tougher on crime by passing legislation calling for mandatory sentences for repeat offenders, such as California’s “three strikes you’re out” law and New York and other cities adopted the “Broken Windows” strategy that called for the arrest and prosecution of all crimes large and small. Because of these polices the number of violent crimes has dropped. Unfortunately, one unintended consequence of America’s new tough stance on crime is that our prison system has become dangerously overcrowded, forcing prison officials to release violent criminals after serving only a fraction of their sentences. The current system used to relieve overcrowding has created a “revolving door” criminal justice system. The recidivism rate among those released early from state and county prisons is extremely high. In fact, a Department of Justice study found that 67.5 percent of criminals released from prison were rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor within three years (USDOJ, 2013). A Large portion of the overcrowded conditions in the prison system is a result of the” war on drugs”. This war alone costs taxpayers a large amount of money each year because new prisons are needed to be constructed to house the ever-growing…

    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Incarceration In Prisons
    • 1000 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Incarceration In Prisons

    Incarceration rates have dramatically increased in the United States than in anywhere else in the world. In fact, according to “Incarceration nation,” America has about 707,000 incarcerated people compared to Russia, who has about 474,000 people. Not only has this caused a problem inside the prison walls, it has also increased economic situations for stakeholders.The recent increase in incarceration rates has had negative effects on the United States economy by causing an increase in expenditure on prisons that could be better used for education. This increase in incarceration rates has also led to overcrowding in prisons, leading to unsuitable conditions for prisoners and prison workers.…

    • 1000 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    High Incarceration In Prisons
    • 345 Words
    • 2 Pages

    High Incarceration In Prisons

    The United States has some of the highest incarceration rates in the world with currently 2.2 million people in US prison and jails – a 500% increase over the last forty years. According to The Sentencing Policy, changes in sentencing and law policy, not changes in crime rates, explain most of this increase. This has resulted in overcrowding in prisons and has become a financial burden on states because they have to adjust to the growing prison system, even though it has been found that high incarceration is not an effective way to achieve public safety.…

    • 345 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics