Pros And Cons Of Prison Overcrowding

become successful.
Strengths and Limitations 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
rates. Future research would benefit by examining the effects of proposition 47 and how it relieved the prison and jail systems. Another topic of focus should be how inmates perceive overcrowding
Conclusion
The overcrowding of prisons and jails in Los Angeles is an issue which has negative effects, not only on the inmates, but greater society as well. With overcrowding comes high recidivism rates, creating a continuous cycle of incarceration and a constant consumption of government resources. Efforts to help rehabilitate inmates are valiant yet are to no avail. In recent years various propositions, including Proposition 36 and 47, have made an effort to reform policies in order to reduce the severity of sentencing and criminalization of crimes. Through research, we are able to better understand the issue in hopes of reforming current, or creating new policies which will help alleviate the system.
Perspective
California State Prison Los Angeles was built to hold up to 2,300 inmates at a single time. The current population is over 3,500 inmates, meaning that the prison is operating at over 150% capacity (California Department of Corrections, 2016). With such a high population the facility is unable to properly care for every inmate. Correctional counselor, Jane Doe, has a first-hand look at how overcrowding in California State Prison Los Angeles is negatively effecting the inmates. It is her job to meet with inmates and assessing them on a psychological level, to help them through any issues they may be going through, and ultimately help them gain the tools necessary to assimilate to society once they are released. When asked how overcrowding affects her ability to carry out her job duties, Doe responded by saying that with such a high population it is impossible to give inmates the time and attention that is needed to help them rehabilitate in prison and ultimately become productive members of society upon release. She is currently the only counselor serving the entire population. At one counselor per 3,500 inmates, the chances of an inmate getting the time of day to even meet with her are not good. According to Doe, the amount of time spent with an inmate can range from a few minutes to half an hour, the average being somewhere in between (Personal Communication, Jan 27, 2016). There are few exceptions where a meeting may last longer; however, it is not likely. With such a short time frame to assess the inmates it is difficult to properly determine what type of programs will best aid the inmate in rehabilitation. She stated that certain inmates are a quick read, assuming they are open about their issues. An example she gave is that if an inmate clearly exhibits signs of drug withdrawal or they openly state they are addicted to certain drugs, she is able to assign them to drug programs; however, this is not always the case. For inmates who may suffer from mental illness, it is more difficult for her to accurately determine what type counseling, if any, would best suit them. Doe’s concern is that her inability to meet with every inmate and spend sufficient time with the inmates she does meet with is related to them staying out of prison or not. Doe believes that overcrowding is one of the causes for high recidivism rates. Since she is not able to completely assess each inmate, she is not able to properly recommend specific treatments or programs that the facility offers. An example she gave is if an inmate has post-traumatic stress disorder which caused them to cope with drugs and alcohol, with the little time she has to spend with an inmate it is difficult to assess that the inmate has PTSD. The easy and obvious diagnosis is that they are a substance abuse user who needs to attend drug rehabilitation programs. The issue with this is that, the PTSD will not subside just because the person stops drinking and using drugs. In order for that individual to properly rehabilitate they need help learning to control their PTSD; by doing so would also potentially alleviate any substance abuse issues. Resolving the issue of overcrowding is not an easy task, and it is not a task a corrections counselor is equipped to take on.
Doe did mention that she does not personally feel she has the ability or power to directly reduce overcrowding in prisons and jails (Personal Communication, Jan 27, 2016). With the passing of Proposition 47 Doe noticed that there was a drop in prison population and her work load was slightly decreased. She continued to see the same amount of inmates every day; however, her services were more accessible to inmates after Proposition 47. Since there were less people in the prison a greater proportion of the inmates were able to meet with the counselor to get help. It is difficult for Doe to say as to whether or not she has seen a drop in recidivism rates after Proposition 47 was passed. She guessed that there might be a slight decrease in recidivism rates at her facility; however, overcrowding is only one the many issues that effects recidivism rates (Personal Communication, Jan 27,
2016).
Recommendations
Overcrowding in prison and jail facilities is an issue that has existed for decades with few signs of hope to relieve the problem.
Certain efforts have been made, such as Proposition 47, but they are not without flaws and backfire. There is a cause and effect with every effort to relieve overcrowding. With Proposition 47, there was a large number of inmates who were released early from their sentence. This resulted in a quick drop in prison population; however, more people were committing low level offenses because they did not fear incarceration. The more crimes there were, the more the court system got backed up. There are many ways to go about resolving the issue of overcrowding in Los Angeles. There may not be a perfect solution, but in order to spark change, something must be
done. The various programs within prisons offered to inmates are not universal across all institutions. Some institutions offer more programs to help inmates rehabilitate, learn life skills, learn career skills, and learn how to re-enter society. It is important that inmates have access to these various resources in order to better their chances in becoming productive members of society upon release. A major area of concern for institutions in Los Angeles, and around the country, is that upon release inmates are shuttled off with just enough money for a train or bus ticket. There is rarely any preparation being put into the inmates’ release. Inmates are left on their own, in terms of arranging a place to live, somewhere to work, and modes of transportation. Inmates are being set up to fail. They serve time, partake in various programs if they are fortunate enough, and then upon release they are thrown to the wolves. They are expected to go from one culture to an entirely different culture in a matter of minutes, without any assistance. By assisting inmates in the re-entry process it helps solidify all the previous rehabilitation that they went through while incarcerated. The amount of money spent on rehabilitative programs goes down the drain if an inmate is unable to successfully re-enter society. By making re-entry programs mandatory for inmates to be released it would greatly reduce recidivism rates. Prisons in Ireland have implemented earned release programs, which require inmates to partake in various programs to be eligible for release. Upon release they are required to check in on a daily basis at a local police station, attend various self-help groups and participate in community service (Mulcahy, 2013). High recidivism rates are an issue that Los Angeles is all too familiar with. By improving on re-entry programs and re-entry assistance there will be a dramatic reduction in recidivism rates, ultimately leading to less crowding in prisons. The re-entry program would have multiple areas of focus. Work skills and life skills are two of the most important things for inmates to learn in order to be successful upon release. It is imperative that inmates are able to find a job once they are released. Stable work will provide stable income, which will make it so that they do not have to resort to illegal methods of making money. Certain vocational training will be made available to inmates, these can include electrical work, construction, carpentry, and mechanics. The program will not only teach inmates certain work skills but will help connect inmates with potential employers on the outside to better their chances of finding work. Another important factor in an inmate becoming a productive member of society is that they learn proper life skills. Life skills training programs will be made mandatory prior to release. The program will focus on anger management, de-escalation training, child rearing, relationship building, and basic social interaction. The combination of work skills and life skills training will greatly increase the chances that an inmate becomes a productive member of society and will not re-offend, leading to re-incarceration. This more humane, less punitive approach, to incarceration is already in effect in Hong Kong. According to Palermo (2011), Hong Kong has focused more on a humane rehabilitative environment, teaching moral ethics, and they have seen a reduction in prison population.
In order to fund the program, it is necessary that government grants are received. Donations will also be solicited by educating people on what the program offers and how it can ultimately save tax payer dollars in the future. While it may be costly for the initial start-up of the program, the goal is to have long term savings. The cost of housing an inmate annually is much higher than the cost of the program for multiple inmates. If the program is successful it will keep inmates from coming back to prison, which will reduce the amount of money used to continuously house and care for the inmates. The main costs of the program would be paying professionals to operate the program. Various professionals would be required, drug rehabilitation professionals, familial therapy professionals, and career planning professionals are a few of the people who could head the program. Other costs may include reading materials, handouts, and other basic supplies which may be necessary to facilitate the program.