Persuasive Essay On Incarceration

The United States contains 1,566 state prisons, 102 federal prisons, and 2,850 local jails. Out of those statistics only 20 percent of prisons in the U.S. have rehabilitation programs, and only 5 percent of inmates have access to these programs (Sawyer and Wagner). Incarceration rates in America skyrocket each year. This is due to the fact that prisoners are being kept for longer periods of time than they should be. Without rehabilitation programs implemented in prisons, these rates will only keep increasing. Though incarceration is the current system in which the United States sentences those accused of crimes, for these individuals must be executed to allow these individuals to thrive and successfully reintegrate themselves into society.

Those who are incarcerated in the United States face severe conditions throughout their time in prison. Many become beaten, stabbed, raped, and killed. Inmates are faced with dangerous environments where they do not know what their next days will look like. Many prisoners have a variety of illnesses that become untreated while incarcerated. Whether that is addiction, mental illness, or a physical illness, prisons are ignoring the issue. Today, the U.S. Department of Justice estimates about 15 to 20 percent of people in prison are dealing with mental illness (Sawyer and Wagner). The conditions that the inmates are faced with can only put them in further harm. Jails are becoming incompatible with the basic rights of all human beings. Prisons are losing their fundamental duties as time goes on. The Constitution entails that every prisoner must be protected from all inhumane conditions. A prisoner should not lose their dignity due to becoming detained. Inmates should be receiving respect and dignity no matter the circumstances. Furthermore, all people are valued human beings under God and should be treated

These types of punishment can evidently lead to vengeance being surrounded by prison systems. At the end of the day, will prison systems be known for solving an issue or just creating time to pass while an issue is not being dealt with. Without rehabilitation programs, becoming incarcerated truly means empty days on repeat. Programs attack the root of the issue within prison systems rather than the end results. This means that criminals will not just keep their issues hidden but they will be alert to them. With these programs prisoners will get the opportunity to implement change in their lives everyday while imprisoned. In order for the justice system to rectify the mindset of criminals, then one must learn why the law was broken in the first place. In addition, crimes are the results of societal issues (“Rehabilitation, Not Punishment”). For example a person with a decrease in their economy can result in the act of stealing. This is why many countries with a low economy, like Brazil and Mexico, often face higher crime rates. The circumstances of the crime then becomes ignored, while the outcome does not become dealt