The American Prison System
The American Prison System The American Prison system is home to many of the nations criminals. The ever-growing population is due in part to incarceration, where an alternate punishment would suffice. The sustenance of the inmates is drawn directly of of society's pocket, in the form of taxes. I believe that we, as a nation, should focus on providing more sensible, economical ways for criminals to pay off their debt to the community. There is no doubt that America is one of the world's largest and most formidable countries. Therefore, the prison system must follow accordingly, abiding by the government regulated rules and guidelines of equality and fairness. Unfortunately for the unsuspecting citizens of the United States, the statistics speak otherwise.
The prison system in America is undoubtedly the largest in the world, claiming the freedom of roughly four hundred and eighty six for every one hundred thousand Americans, on average. (Federal Bureau of Justice Consensus) The amount of inmates rises annually. At last consensus, midyear 2004, there were 2,131,180 inmates in the prison system, an increase of 2.3%. This increase was slightly less than that of previous years (3.5% since 1995) but is still an increase regardless. In fact this steady incline in total number of inmates has been increasing for over a decade.
Many people have never been to prison. But those who have will know that the system basically provides free housing and meals for the convicted inmate, with the exception of a twenty dollar fee for entry and processing. As sad as it sounds, if I were homeless, I would rather be in prison than on the streets. The point that I'm reaching is that these people's sustenance and cost of living comes directly out of us, the taxpayers' pockets. Why should we be forced to keep the scum of the earth alive with our hard earned pay? In my opinion, the courts should keep all except for the most dangerous and repeat offenders out of the prisons, developing
The prison system in America is undoubtedly the largest in the world, claiming the freedom of roughly four hundred and eighty six for every one hundred thousand Americans, on average. (Federal Bureau of Justice Consensus) The amount of inmates rises annually. At last consensus, midyear 2004, there were 2,131,180 inmates in the prison system, an increase of 2.3%. This increase was slightly less than that of previous years (3.5% since 1995) but is still an increase regardless. In fact this steady incline in total number of inmates has been increasing for over a decade.
Many people have never been to prison. But those who have will know that the system basically provides free housing and meals for the convicted inmate, with the exception of a twenty dollar fee for entry and processing. As sad as it sounds, if I were homeless, I would rather be in prison than on the streets. The point that I'm reaching is that these people's sustenance and cost of living comes directly out of us, the taxpayers' pockets. Why should we be forced to keep the scum of the earth alive with our hard earned pay? In my opinion, the courts should keep all except for the most dangerous and repeat offenders out of the prisons, developing