Increase In Prison Incarceration

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In the United States “1 in nearly 100 American adults” are incarcerated. (ALEC) The increase in prison population began in the late 80s and early 90s, due increased prosecution for all levels of crime and the adoption in many states of “three strikes” laws requiring mandatory sentences for offenders convicted of a third felony. (ALEC) Many jurisdictions are attempting to find alternatives to incarceration including community supervision programs to deal with the revolving door of prison and the overcrowding that results from it. Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and North Carolina are the four states with estimated populations that are most similar to that of Ohio. The annual budget for each state's Corrections Department ranges from 1.14 billion