Prison Population Boom

Abstract

Overcrowding in prisons is one of the prevailing challenges faced by US. There are several causes behind this drastic increase. Some of them include economic downturn, unemployment, mentally ill people incarceration, and war on drugs. This paper outlines the cause of overcrowding in US prisons, along with remedies to reduce prison population. Prison Population Boom

Introduction

There are several reasons behind overcrowded prisons. This is not a new problem, and everyone is aware of this dilemma. Media has also highlighted this issue on several forums. Since, this is not just a local problem, it is almost everywhere. Are there reasons why this continues to happen, and has this situation improved through out the years? Are there things us as a society can do to change overcrowding in prisons? These are questions we should ask ourselves considering tax payers are the people that pay the most for food, shelter, and medical care for all the prisoners that are incarcerated.

In the US prisons, the rate of recidivism is amazingly high. In 1994, the prominent study of prisoner recidivism that has been ever been completed in the US proved that, of nearly 300,000 adult prisoners who were released in 15 different states, 67.5% were arrested again within three years. In addition, 2010, the United States is considered the most punitive country in the world, has the world's highest incarceration rate holding more than 2.3 million people and overcrowding has become a major problem for the prison system. There are 748 people inmates per 100,000 population and these figures are rapidly increasing (Appelbaum, 2011).

Discussion

In the United States, the issues of prison overcrowding have gained momentum. Prison overcrowding has an awful impact on the conditions of incarceration and the perceived results of imprisonment under the criminal justice system. Problems resulting from prison overcrowding must be identified; carefully analyzed and remedial procedures should be introduced to address the issues. Moreover, overcrowding is directly associated with a loss of privacy and elements of human dignity. Adverse living conditions in prisons due to overcrowding induce hatred and anger among prisoners and hinder the intended outcomes of their incarceration.

Causes behind Prison Overcrowding

There a several reasons why overcrowding in the US prison system is a problem. Even though, there is never any excuse to break the law, there are some people that would say they are just trying to provide for their families because they are unable to get a legal job cause by the economy. After the hit of recession, a lot of people lost their jobs, therefore losing their way to provide for their families. Because of this more people were committing crimes, such as drug sales, robbery, armed robbery, and burglary. Other crime rates got higher like assault and homicide but not as much as the others. This is just one reason why some people are arrested and sent to prison. There are plenty of resources from the government and state that people can assistance with paying bills, getting food, etc (Drago, Galbiati & Vertova, ...