Tough On Crime Mentality

The mentality and the attitude of the politicians effects the state of jails and prisons today. Many politicians are crowd pleasers; they must worry about election and re-election. In a way, the mentality of the politicians is representative of the mentality of the public.
The “tough on crime” mentality, as discussed in class, can be dangerous. On the surface, it sounds good. It is an admirable goal to have to eliminate crime and “clean up the streets,” but there are issues with the execution. One issue with the “tough on crime mentality” is that it takes a complex social phenomenon and offers a simple solution, mandatory minimum sentencing. Mandatory minimum sentencing takes away from the complex nature of crime by suggesting harsh sentences for all. Often, harsh sentencing is not always what is needed. Some offenders do not need to be in prison for 25 years on drug charges, some offenders need not be in prison at all. But with the “tough on crime” mentality taken on by many politicians, the laws in place sentence everyone extremely harshly.
We know that harsh sentences have cause problems while trying to fix old ones. Economically, it has caused problems. When there are offenders in jail or prison that do not need to be there, it costs money. Harsh sentencing has caused issues with overcrowding as
When jails and prisons are overcrowded, resources are limited. These resources include, food, medical, psychological, and psychiatric attention. Other resources for inmates may be religious, educational, and vocational programs; and while very important, not as necessary as the first few mentioned. When inmates have limited access to food, medical attention, therapy, and medication, prison becomes a much more unsafe place. And when these programs disappear, inmates find they have nothing to do, and when this happens violence almost always in