Not only does overcrowding leave a lack of proper health care for all inmates, but also leaves unsanitary conditions in the prison. Richard Seiter states, “Inmates often complain about overcrowding and poor overall conditions of confinement (poor food, lack of satisfactory health care, unsanitary conditions) that can result from overcrowding or from simple neglect by prison officials” (p.463). Overcrowding leads to the sewers becoming overloaded. When the prison sewers and wastewater systems can result in the discharge of waste past the maximum capacity. This would result in sewage spills and environmental contamination.
Ever since the populations of prisons have gradually increased over 2 million inmates, many prisons are becoming overcrowded. This leads to inmates being forced to room with 3 other inmates in a very small cell. Also, many prisons don’t have enough beds for all of the prisoners that continue to pile into their facility. Most prison systems don’t try to get more beds for their prisoners; they feel as if the prisoners deserve to sleep on the floor. I believe that most people would consider this as torture.
These eye-popping numbers came about for many reasons: mandatory minimum sentences, three-strikes legislation, illegal drugs, gangs, immorality in all its modern forms, the war on drugs, the decline of marriage and families, high rates of recidivism, incarceration of the mentally ill, the decline of capital punishment, problems with the criminal justice system and all the forces pushing tough crime policies. Difficult economic times focus attention on the increasing costs of keeping all these people - 93% of them men - behind bars. Each prisoner costs about $32,000 per year, and the average prisoner does little to offset the cost of confinement. The social costs may be even higher. Breadwinners are lost, families destroyed, more kids grow up without fathers or mothers, welfare costs increase, the entire sex ratio is thrown out of balance and prisoners face grim prospects when released.
Since the mid-1970s, the prison population in the nation’s largest state has risen by more than 750%, from about 20,000 to more than 160,000 (Equal Justice Initiative, 2010). California’s prison system is among one of the worst in the system and part of it is due to their adaptation of their “Three Strikes” laws. The laws are harsh and the criminals, especially the ones already having two strikes don’t seem to care about the seriousness of committing crimes. California’s prisons, 33 total, are operating at almost twice their design capacity. Overcrowding is a very serious issue that worries the state officials such as Governor Schwarzenegger.
RUNNING HEAD: THE ISSUES 1 The Issues of Overcrowding in Prisons By Barbarito Capote ENGL107-1203B English Composition 2 July 29, 2012 RUNNING HEAD: THE ISSUES 2 Outline: I. Intro a. Overcrowding in prisons a huge issue i. Not enough prisons to reduce overcrowding b. Solutions to prison overcrowding c. Prisons as an end result have suffered from overcrowding causing higher suicide rates as well as increased diseases, sharing of beds and toilets, etc. Because of this overcrowding of prisons is a big issue.
Placing them in adult prison subjects them to violence and exploitation, and deprives them of the chance to start their new lives. Author Howell C.James, reveals in his book Juvenile Justice and Youth Violence that ‘An OOJJDP study (Flaherty, 1980) found the suicide rate among jailed juveniles to be seven times as high as the rate among juveniles held in detention centers. Experience had shown that juveniles did not receive basic services (counseling, medical, recreational) in facilities constructed and operated for adults’ (Howell 36). Minors in an adult prison are having their most creative years destroyed and they are certainly not learning how to be good citizens by being abused by inmates three times their age. Putting juvenile offenders in with adults increases their chances offending again when they are
One fourth of these (26.3%) are serving a sentence of life without parole.Life sentences in America today stand at an unprecedented level: as of 2012, 159,520 people in prison were serving a life sentence and 49,081 (30.8%) of them have no possibility for parole. Nationally, one in every nine people in prison today are serving a life sentence (Hugo 132). The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) stated, “Life without parole provides swift, severe, and certain punishment. It provides justice to survivors of murdered victims and allows more resources to be invested into solving other murders and preventing violence. Sentencing people to die in prison is the sensible alternative for public safety and murdered victims’ families” (ACLU Hill vs
Criminal Justice April 4, 2011 Term Paper For many years, abuse in prisons has been a serious issue and over the years, the abuse has only gotten worse. We see on the news of this happening in other countries but many Americans do not realize this is happening in our country as well, right under our noses. Some of the most unimaginable things take place in prisons not too far from where we live. Everyday, inmates undergo a variance of different forms of abuse. According to www.hrw.org, some forms of abuse are being beaten with fists and batons, stomped on, kicked, shot, stunned with electronic devices, doused with chemical sprays, choked, and slammed face first onto concrete floors by the officers whose job it is to guard them.
With mandatory minimum, fixed and longer prison sentences for non-violent drug related convictions, it has put a strain on every state’s correctional department. Overcrowded prisons results in lack of programming and the available resources are being stretched even further, limited access to mental health resources, and there is an increased possibility of disarray. In this paper, we will discuss the history, causes and effects of overcrowding as well as alternatives to incarceration. TABLE OF CONTENT ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………..…….2 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………..…………4 HISTORY OF PRISON OVERCROWDING………………………………………..….……..5 DEFINE OVERCROWDING……………………………………………………………..…….6 CAUSES OF OVERCROWDING….………………..…………………………………..…….7 HOW CROWDED ARE U.S. PRISONS…………………………………………….….…….8 PRISON CAPACITIES…………………………………………………….………………….11 EFFECTS OF OVERCROWDING…………………………………………….……………..13 ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATION……………………………………….………….16 REDUCING THE
That doesn't include the other millions of people who are infected with AIDS and other incurable diseases. An overwhelming amount of people with mental and psychosocial disabilities are living in poverty, poor physical health, and are impacted by human rights violations. Mental health issues cannot be considered in isolation from other areas of development, such as education, employment, emergency responses and human rights capacity building. People with mental and psychosocial disabilities is an open to attack group as a result of the way they are treated by society. They are subjected to a sign of social unacceptability and discrimination on a daily basis, and they experience extremely high rates of physical and sexual victimization.