Prison Sentencing Trends

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There are six current trends in prison sentencing. These tends play a big role when it comes down to offenders being sentenced to prison and even after they may be released. Prisons are using these current trends to help cut down prison populations and cost. These trends include adjusting sentences, improving community supervision, responding to probation and parole violations, addressing offender needs, and attention to release and reentry. Adjusting sentences lets the state legislatures reexamine who goes to prison and for how long .with a focus on reserving space for more threatening offenders. Improving community supervision is an emerging trend that agencies that supervise offenders make use of policies and practices that help to stop …show more content…

I had no idea how big of a role these current trends played in our prison system. From all the information and facts that I have learned and read about I am glad that we have these trends. They help our government and states to save our tax money. I really agree with the trend that addresses the needs of offenders. I especially agree with this trend, because I think that we should find help for the offenders that have mental illnesses and substance abuse rather just sit them behind bars and punish them. Yes, they need to be punished for the crimes they committed, but they also need to be treated for their illnesses. I also agree with the trend on adjusting sentences, simply because I believe that we should give offenders and prisoners a sentence that goes with the crime that they have committed. The more severe their crime is the more time I believe that they should get. If an offender committed a petty crime I do not believe that they should get a severe punishment. If we give every offender an lengthy sentence in jail or prison, our prisons will fill up more quickly, then when we get an offender that committed an crime such as murder and when it’s time to sentence them, the jails or prisons might be to full due to too many prisoners. The way I look at it is who I would rather see in jail somebody who committed a petty theft charge, or someone who committed a murder charge. That is why I agree with this trend. I agree with all the current trends that the prisons are using during their prison sentencing, but to me I believe these two are more