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Prison overpopulation problem in america
Prison overpopulation problem in america
Prison overpopulation problem in america
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Private prisons were constructed as a response to the overcrowding in federal prisons during the 1980s; many people speculate whether or not private prisons are good or bad. Critics argue that private prisons like any business are driven by profit, and prisons profit from the amount of criminals they are able to contain which gives the private prisons and their shareholders incentive to keep the prison population high and expenses low. The National Council on Crime and Delinquency estimates that over the next ten years state and federal expenditures on prisons will amount to $351 billion6. These government subsidies along with the support of private prison shareholders allow the prison industrial complex to keep their power and influence
Private prison began booming in the 1980s, under the presidential terms of Ronald Reagan and Bush Sr., however, it slowed down in 1990. When prison sales began to slow down in the 1990's, Clinton who was the acting president, wanted to cut the program but the Justice Department took over and began contracting private prison out to corporations again. Private prisons are the largest business in the prison industry. About 18 corporations guard 10,000 prisoners in 27 states.
Today, it costs about $20,000 per year to confine just one physically fit and capable offender, and about three times that cost for an older prisoner in a penitentiary (“Reasons” 1). Considering that California is just one of the fifty states that is required to uphold this law, how much money is really being siphoned annually just to keep so many offenders in jail? The state court systems costs are also rising due to the abundance of felony cases being persecuted. Since the prisons are being over populated, new prisons are being build, funneling more money into the equation. There is an obvious chain reaction that can be seen when taking a step back and observing the bigger picture.
United States Prisons: A Mental Cage The United States is one of the world’s most recognized and powerful superpowers since its industrial and commercial production along with their nearly limitless military budget make them practically invincible. This demonstrates the power of the United States on foreign soil and problems, yet many internal problems in the United States are left disregarded and neglected, simply thrown away. Citizens and lawmakers remain silent on several key social issues and on one of the biggest shameful topics of neglect, America’s incarceration rate.
developed—the first institution in which men were both “confined and set to labor in order to learn the habits of industry” (LeBaron, 2012, p.331). Although prisons had been designed to enforce and promote punishment, retribution and deterrence, they have also fallen into the conceptual belief that they were in many instances, nothing more than a sweat shop for the socially-undesired. At this point in history, there was very little reform and an immense lack of regulation for prisons or for the proper way they should be ran. Finances. In modern-day calculations, prison labor has been rather beneficial to the U.S. government, bringing in an average of 1.6 billion dollars in 1997.
Those who find themselves sentenced to time in a penitentiary, jail, or prison are at risk of either being broken or strengthened by the time they spend behind bars. There is a great debate of whether or not the prison system in the United States is positive or negative. The following will briefly highlight the positives, negatives, and possible alternatives for our nation's prison system. First, there is a long list of negatives that the prison system in America brings. The prison system is filled with crime, hate, and negativity almost as much as the free world is.
III. Literature Review Prison overcrowding has been a global issue for many years. We can all attest to the fact that incarceration is said to be the main deterrent for individuals who have committed a criminal offense. The sole purpose of this literature review is to identify prospective policies that may assist Ohio with the reduction of their overcrowded prison population. My aimed is to identify four best practices that other states like New York, New Jersey, California and Massachusetts have been using as alternatives to prison hence reducing prison overcrowding.
I've grown up with the concept that police are not always the all-American, friendly ideal who want nothing more than for every "good" citizen to be safe. As young as in third grade I remember hearing from my father, a public defense attorney, about how police often target black and Hispanic male youth. Not only that, but jail inmates are kept in questionable conditions and sometimes subjected to horrific abuse. One inmate's case gained public attention when he posted an anti-police statement on Facebook and was subsequently arrested. While this man was in jail for another alleged crime, an angry guard allowed several other inmates into the inmate's cell to brutalize him.
In the early days, prisons were a relatively new concept. Both in Europe and in America residents used the approach of an eye for an eye, and public hangings in town squares for the price of a murder, rape and even theft. As more humane punishments began to change, officers stored prisoners in warehouses, buildings, and individual rooms. According to vasiliades, "this experiment of which the favorable results have been anticipated, prove fatal for the majority of prisoners". "It devours the victim's instantly and hummer sadly it does not reform, it kills"(Vasiliades, 2005).
Politicians are the ones that decide over legislations, which are often put in place to protect private property rather than protecting the everyday Joe. For example, the police are paid to ensure that the laws are enforced, no matter how unreasonable those laws may be. In the U.S.A. prisons are overflowed with people and the government are in the process of trying to build more prisons to accommodate the growing number of the population put behind bars. There is no confirmation that prison punishments avert crime, in reality many cases have revealed the exact opposite. They have exposed the inclination of doing more harm than good, destroying individuals and families, as well as communities.
In looking at the idea of prisoners’ rights, I must admit, I was totally ignorant. I assumed the hands- off doctrine applied to all inmates when they became a convicted felon (Schmalleger & Smykla, 2015). I have to say, I totally agree that a convicted felon forfeits his rights to life as any other American citizen, but, he does not forfeit the right to be treated in a humane way. On the contrary , I do not believe prisoners can dictate their living conditions to the point that they not be confined in a high security cell, if their behavior warrants it, as elucidated in the Wilkinson vs. Austin decision by the Supreme Court in 2005. I do agree with the prisoners in the fact that they have a right to make petitions to the court unobstructed
Another factor that prisoners experience on a daily basis is prison overcrowding. While officers experience, and may even stress over prison overcrowding, they do not live in it like their inmates. Eventually, when their shift is over, officers return to their not-so-crowded homes. Overcrowding impacts the quality of life in prisons. While these criminals should do the time if they do the crime, it can be difficult dealing with such low standards of basic cleanliness.
According to Department of corrections and rehabilitation there is approximately 2.3 million adult offenders currently detained and which consist of 316,229 prisoners which are overseen by correctional officers on an ongoing basis costing on an average of $49 per prisoner, additionally their current budget is approximately $11 billion, which is distributed between 33 state prisons, 40 camps, as well as 12 community correctional facilities. Furthermore, the male population is 93%, 7% are females, Hispanics represent 39%, 29% are African American, and 26% are Caucasian, moreover, there are 24,000 inmates currently serving life sentences and 680 on death row, as well as the 124,000 parolees of which there is a 51% return ratio for parole violations, thus resulting in prison over-crowding.
2. The Prison-Industrial Complex introduced by Eric Schlosser, is a theory that claims that the prison system is constructed by political pressures, economic requirements, and commercial demands. The prison system has been continuously growing in the last three decades, regardless of the actual need for it. The PIC is specifically harmful to the most vulnerable of people, such as homeless people, mentally ill, etc. The PIC does more harm, than good, therefore, it is a poor system all-around.
Open prisons are usually for prisoners who were moved from closed prisons for rehab purposes. There are no external protection to an open prison. The prisoners with good conduct in the work force belong in this kind of prison area. Enforcement officers can go out under the supervision and protection, and also it is possible to discuss freely with visitors. Prisoners in the open prison are required to work hard labor for the government, it can also be community service.
