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California overcrowding prisons conditions has gain National attention. The U.S. Supreme court has found that California is in violation of the 8th Amendment. California has been required to reduce their prison inmates by 40,000 inmates. California has utilized many options to reduce the inmate population within the prison system. California has to two years to reduce the inmates count in the prison system.
Super Max prisons are harsh and rigid. They house individuals who have been convicted of some of the worst, most violent, and most heinous crimes which shock the conscience. Individuals who are incarcerated in Super Max prisons are confined solitarily on a basis of 23/7. For 23 hours per day, 7 days per week they are confined solely to themselves in a small cell with little to no view of the outside world, and only receive one hour per day of recreational time which allows them to exit their cells (Tapley, 2012). Furthermore, this type of confinement is extremely difficult on the mental health of individuals (Schmalleger & Smykla, 2015).
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
In my paper I will be stating my opinion on if super max prisons are doing what they were intended to do. Furthermore, what I feel are the improvements needed to terminate outside communication amongst inmates. Additionally, I will talk about the pros and cons of having this type of facility. Likewise, I will give general facts about super maximum security prisons. Lastly, I will explain what the differences between super max and the other levels of prison are.
Supermax prisons, also known as secure housing units (SHUs) or administrative maximum (ADX) facilities, have been a controversial topic in the criminal justice system for several decades. These facilities are designed to hold the most dangerous and high-risk prisoners, who pose a threat to other inmates or staff members. However, the conditions in these facilities have raised questions about whether they are actually contributing to the mental and physical decline of the prisoners, or if the descriptions of these conditions are exaggerated. Critics of supermax prisons argue that the extreme isolation and sensory deprivation in these facilities can cause mental illness and a variety of physical ailments. It is well-documented that social isolation can have significant impacts on a person's mental health.
This website covers the issue of prison overpopulation. This issue affects prisons all across the country. The first feature the website provides a list of each of the fifty states. Choosing a state will take you to a page that provides the number of incarcerated prisoners currently being held and the total cost to run the prison per day. The website also has a section that has articles explaining why prison overcrowding is a problem.
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.
One possible alternative route to the prison system could be a boarding school type system where convicts are required to participate in an educational program that gives them the knowledge and ability to be released and given the needs to go make something better of the life they have been given. This system where they are required to participate in educational training would come along side a strict rule system that would encourage them to make the decision to choose something better. The debate is whether or not prison is beneficial or not for those who will be convicted, sentenced, and released. Whether we change the system or not there will always be crime and
Pros and Cons There are two common viewpoints when discussing mass incarceration. The first of the two revolves around the idea that the system of criminal justice is working, while the second provides that the word “justice” means “just us” – referring to the profiling of people of color (Brown, 2008, p. 53). Looking at the statistics at face value may seem staggering, but there are important aspects to consider before determining whether mass incarceration is justified. For those who believe that mass incarceration is justified, there are facts that may provide some truth.
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.
It can also increase the difficulties for the guards to control the extra amount of inmates. California prisons were ordered by district court panel to release or transfer more than 33,000 inmates due to overcrowding in 2011 (CNN.com). This decision was made by the United States Supreme Court which said that the conditions in the overcrowded prisons are so overwhelming that unusual punishment must be held.
Reduce sentence lengths and ensure consistent sentencing practice. 10. Develop opportunities for parole or other forms of early release and assist prisoners on release to prevent their return to prison. These are some measures to prevent the overcrowding of prison which is major root cause of many problems in the prisons.
When in actuality the purpose is to rehabilitate and lower the percentage of inmates committing a crime upon release. To teach skills in order to less likely land back into prison which would further the issue of overcrowding. Some Americans believe overcrowding prisons is fair because criminals are not entitled while inmates live better than a lot of lower income members of society due to their access to healthcare. Many claim that criminals should not be comfortable that taxpayers are paying for them to be sheltered, fed, and clothed. That the $30,000 average per inmate to keep them incarcerated by funds from taxpayers is more than enough.
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.
This approach also prevents overcrowding in prisons because it also deals with rehabilitative
