ipl-logo

Prison Reform Essay

1771 Words8 Pages

In the United States, there has been debate over prison reform for many years. In comparison to other large nations, the U.S. prison system is different due to the immense volume of inmates, the length and severity of sentences, and the conditions inside the facilities. This essay will explore the history of U.S. prison reform, compare the U.S. prison system to other countries, and discuss potential reforms that could improve the system.

As of 2023, there are almost 2 million incarcerated inmates in the United States, the highest number of incarcerated inmates in the world. The result is an overcrowded, underfunded, and frequently inhumane prison system. Part of the overcrowded prisons is due to the war on drugs. The war on drugs started …show more content…

The significant economic cost of the US prison system is one of its major consequences. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, the US spends $80 billion per year on corrections, which includes the costs of operating prisons, probation, and parole. The high cost of incarceration can put a strain on government budgets and divert resources away from other critical social programs like education, healthcare, and housing. Furthermore, the economic toll of having a large prison population has an impact on many communities, as prisons frequently become the largest employer in rural areas. Another effect of the US prison system is the impact on prisoners' families. Incarceration can have serious emotional, social, and financial consequences for families, especially children. Children of incarcerated parents are more likely to experience mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, as well as being at a higher risk of poverty and homelessness. Having a parent incarcerated can also disrupt family dynamics and lead to social stigma and …show more content…

(Bureau of Justice Statistics) Norway, in contrast, has one of the lowest relapse rates in the world, with only 20% of released prisoners committing new crimes within two years. The conditions of confinement are another significant distinction between the two prison systems. In many prisons in the United States, there is overcrowding, violence, and subpar living conditions. As a result, prisoners may become more resistant to reform and engage in a cycle of violence and abuse. The goal in Norway is to give prisoners a humane and respectable environment. Prisoners have access to a variety of amenities, including televisions, music systems, and sports facilities, and their cells are designed to resemble dorm rooms. It has been demonstrated that this strategy improves the mental health of prisoners and lowers the likelihood of violent incidents. Of course, there are also differences between the two systems' operating environments in terms of culture and politics. Norway is a relatively small nation that places a strong emphasis on social equality. On the other hand, the United States is a sizable, ethnically diverse nation with a more individualistic culture and a political system that frequently exhibits

Show More
Related
366 Words | 2 Pages

This is just one manifestation of America’s culture of incarceration. The United States has twenty-five percent of the world’s prisoners and only five percent of the world’s population. The prison population in the

Read More
713 Words | 3 Pages

In today's society more and more violence is occurring each and everyday. With the increase of violence, the inmate population grows and locations of incarcerating inmates are rising as well. In his article, Private prisons, career correctional administrator and academic, Richard P. Seiter argues that the private corrections care about the well being of inmate not about making profit off the enormous populus incarcerated. Richard P. Seiter is a career Correctional Administrator. Mr. Seiter served as a Warden at two federal prisons, Federal Prison Camp in Allenwood, Pennsylvania from 1981 to 1982 and Federal Correctional Institution in Greenville Illinois from 1993 to 1999..

Read More
903 Words | 4 Pages

In the documentary film Private Prisons, provides insight on how two private prisons industries, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and Geo Group, generate revenue through mass incarceration. It is no surprise that the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. The United States represents approximately 5% of the world’s population index and approximately 25% of the world’s prisoners due to expansion of the private prison industry complex (Private Prisons, 2013). The number of people incarcerated in private prions has grown exponentially over the past decades. To put into perspective, the number of individuals increased by 1600% between 1990 and 2005 (Private Prisons, 2003).

Read More
1097 Words | 5 Pages

Today in the United States, there is more than 7.1 million individuals under correctional supervision. For every 100,000 people, there is approximately 737 people incarcerated, nearly seven times higher than the world average incarceration rate of 166 per 100,000 people. This rapid explosion of prison populations over the past 25 years can largely be attributed to The War on Drugs and mandatory minimums which have primarily target the African-American community. Mandatory sentencing guides have led to many individuals being locked up for minor drug offences and non-violent crimes. As a result, prisons are overflowing with incarcerated individuals.

Read More
1008 Words | 5 Pages

It decided to spend state money on the “correction and rehabilitation” of many people. By making this decision it turned away from many other possibilities that could have positively impacted several communities. The San Quentin State Prison spends approximately $267,244,488 per year. The state money invested into San Quentin could be used in a more beneficial manner for the state of California. There are several institutions that could benefit from the budget used by San Quentin, but an important project, that could immensely help many of California’s residents, is the construction of affordable housing.

Read More
906 Words | 4 Pages

INTRODUCTION The United States incarcerates a greater percentage of the population than any country in the world (CBS, 2012). According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, over 2.3 million adults were incarcerated in federal and state prisons, and county jails in 2013. There are an additional 820,000 people on parole and 3.8 million people on probation (Wagner & Rabuy, 2016) Jail and prison differ primarily in regards to the length of stay for inmates.

Read More
1224 Words | 5 Pages

It is no secret that the US relies extremely heavily on our prison systems to hold citizens that are not currently properly following rules set forth by the US government. The US currently has twenty five percent of the world's prisoner population, despite only having five percent of the world's total population (Incarceration Nation). This clearly displays a problem within our prison system and a disconnect from the values which our country claims to have as our prison rates are currently most comparable to North Korea (Incarceration Nation). The US prison system is in desperate need for reforms to better rehabilitate prisoners and be more ethically responsible towards them; the US could have a positive effect on the treatment of our prisoners

Read More
2232 Words | 9 Pages

In prisons today, they are large, guarded, organized penitentiaries that rehabilitate prisoners in a controlled and heavily guarded environment while also doing it in humanitarian ways. This system of prisons allows people who have committed crimes to learn from their mistakes and become better people after their sentence. This wasn't always the case, however, before the antebellum period, prisons were unorganized, poorly funded, and run, and their morals were completely based on physically harming prisoners to “teach them a lesson.” Before this movement, the crime rates across the United States surged with a large increase of immigrants moving to the country. Due to this, there was a large need for a change in the prison system so reformers

Read More
1840 Words | 8 Pages

However, besides the factors that have contributed to the growing rates in prisons, it is equally as important to note how mass incarceration has affected the communities of those incarcerated. Clear (2008) discusses various effects inflicted on ones community once they are incarcerated and mentions “These destructive effects are felt in the lives of children, as well as in family functioning, mental and physical health, labor markets, and the economic and political infrastructures of these places. (Clear, P.102). In other words, it affects the community largely in the sense that those children do poorly in their education and could even end up on the same path. As for family functioning, incarceration can affect the family dynamic because loss of income, and the socioeconomic view of the community could decrease even more due to the fear of further crime and as a result, it will be a challenge to obtain a decent living.

Read More
959 Words | 4 Pages

Compared to other countries, the United States has the highest incarceration rates. Americans, know that the prison system exists for the simple fact of punishing those in our society who have done wrongful acts. However, not many Americans know about the social cost that mass incarceration causes. In fact, we rarely even see our prisons or know about the full functions of it because they are tucked away in plain sight and considered to be invisible for your average citizen to comprehend. Unfortunately, policymakers of this country believe our prison system to be fully functional and productive across all boards, but it is not.

Read More
852 Words | 4 Pages

V. PRISON REFORMS The main part of this research paper is the reforms for the conditions of prison and make prison a better place for prisoner and make an alternative for incarceration. The prison Reform for prevention of overcrowding in prisons: A ten-point method for reducing the overcrowding in the prisons all over the world, these points are1: 1. Collect and use data to inform a rational, humane and cost-effective use of prison.

Read More
679 Words | 3 Pages

Thesis: It is very important for the sake of Americans tax dollars that we change the way that prisons are run and increase the productivity of inmates so when they are released from jail they are ready to be a productive member in society and have the confidence to achieve new goals. Introduction: Day after day, millions of inmates sit in jail doing nothing productive with their lives. We are paying to house inmates that may not even have a good reason to be there. For example, drug offenders are being kept with murderers and other violent offenders.

Read More
1174 Words | 5 Pages

In the United States, mass incarceration is at an all- time high and socially concentrated. Nowhere in the world is as high as our prison system. Since 1970, incarceration rates have quintupled, while the U.S. population itself has only grown by about 40% (Alexander,2010). The U.S. census report said black Americans were incarcerated in state prisons at an average rate of 5.1 times that of white Americans. In some states that rate was 10 times or more.

Read More
2373 Words | 10 Pages

Criminal Justice Reform Sources: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/issues/criminal-justice-reform The U.S continues to face a crisis of mass incarceration that seems to be growing bigger and bigger each day in this country. There are nearly two million people in prison in America today, according to the Obama White House Archives, over twice the number there were 30 years ago, when there were just 500,000 in jail. There are fewer than five percent of the world's population in the United States, but there are more than 25 percent of the world's prisoners there. Approximately $80 billion of the national budget is spent on keeping people in prison in the United States every year.

Read More
874 Words | 4 Pages

Over 2 million people are currently being held in United States prisons, and while the U.S. may only hold 5% of the world’s population, it houses 25% of its prisoners. In the past few years, America’s prison system has fallen under public scrutiny for it’s rising incarceration rate and poor statistics. Many Americans have recently taken notice of the country’s disproportionate prisoner ratio, realized it’s the worst on the planet, and called for the immediate reformation of the failing system. The war on drugs and racial profiling are some of the largest concerns, and many people, some ordinary citizens and others important government figures, are attempting to bring change to one of the country 's lowest aspects.

Read More

More about Prison Reform Essay

Related Topics

Open Document