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Mass Incarceration In Prisons

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A shift is happening in America. The pendulum is swinging from the ideals of get tough and mass incarceration. The swing has both positive and negative affects on the prison system. On the plus side, prison populations are decreasing. By shifting away from incarcerating any who break the law, there are fewer drug dealers and fewer violent offenders in the system. The other side of this trend is that many who make these choices are likely to become repeat offenders.Individuals also may escalate their negative behaviors to more violent or disturbing crimes. The punishment may not do enough to deter these actions in the future. Opinions on the best way to handle criminals are as vast as the varying crimes committed. Some say that these individuals …show more content…

This caused a rapid increase in prison populations across the country. Unfortunately the system was not completely prepared for the astronomical influx of prisoners, which caused other issues to arise that needed attention. Lack of resources, space, and qualified personnel became new problems that had immediate impacts to prisons, counties, and states. Moving farther from this practice has both positive and negative impacts. Prison populations are no longer growing exponentially and are beginning to recede, which in turn can cause states to shift away from privatizing prisons. This action signifies that money is not more important than anyone's rights. At the same time, the public could become outraged because those who are committing crimes are being let out sooner, or not incarcerated at all, This brings them into contact with the general public, most of which who live by a moral and legal code and don’t commit crimes and who expect to be safe in their homes, streets, town, and schools. Many parents are likely to be vocal about their disagreement with this policy. Parents want the best for their children and know that gangs, drugs and violence are environments that lead to danger, destruction and death. Parents want their children safe above all else, and allowing drug dealers, degenerate gang member and violent …show more content…

Inmates who want to change their lives and priorities have the opportunity to learn a trade, go to school, enter drug rehabilitation programs have more opportunities to do so. This can be seen as a positive affect to the shift. At the same time. it is negatively affecting the prison system because inmates who don't want to take advantage of the programs, are getting a less strict time in prison. If one is not serious about making changes in their lives, it is likely they will change their ways and not become repeat offenders and re enter the prison system after they have served their time for a certain crime. The system may be a better place for these individuals. Their lives are simpler with less temptations and situations that entice them to commit crimes again . In conclusion, there are both positive and negative effects on the prison system in America due to the shifts in sentencing of criminals. The positive effects outweigh the negative effects as America is less about mass incarceration and more about rehabilitation. By lowering the incarceration rate and lowering the over population of the prisons we are able to take more severe offender and try to get them the rehabilitation that they need. Resources are not as thinly spread, which allow the system to more adequately meet the needs of those who spend time in

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The blunt facts of mass incarceration for criminal offenders in United are very well known as they house the world’s largest prison population (Raphael & Stoll 2011). As of March 2010, the incarceration population in United States are as high as 2.3 million, making them the world leader in incarcerating its citizens. The jurisdiction believes that prison has an important role to play in protecting the community against offenders and in punishing them for their crime (Foucault, 2009). However, research and evidence have shown that the use of imprisonment has many disadvantages. The rate of growth in criminal justice system has slowed in recent years and the call for prison reforms have largely fallen on deaf ears (Raphael & Stoll, 2011).

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