Little known, overcrowding of prisons affect the American people, our economy and our lives. When we think about it this is one of the main reasons why taxes are sky rocketing out of the roof. Now, the question is, how can the issue of overcrowding prisons in the American correctional system be corrected? Looking at the stats, causes, and effects, of prison population we will determine how overcrowding can be corrected. First let’s take a look at the prison overcrowding statistics.
The "three strikes" laws have filled up the nation's jails with people guilty of relatively minor offenses, causing overcrowding and frustration. In addition, the vigilante mood that overtook the country on 9/11 has led
With little or no rehabilitation in the American Criminal Justice System our families and communities are not safe. Thousands of prisoners are being released back into society each year with no education, occupation skills or rational judgment to solve problems. When Alex from A Clockwork Orange was released back into society with classical conditioning but no rehabilitation, he didn’t know how to get started with his life again. Alex, just like the majority of prisoners being released today, had no coping methods or decision making skills to make the transformation from being an incarcerated criminal to being a successful citizen. The justice system needs to adopt new rehabilitation strategies to make sure prisoners can reintegrate into society.
In the United States the 1990 US Sentencing Commissions report Minimum Mandatory Penalties in the Federal Criminal Justice System was described as demonstrating: "...that mandatory minimum sentencing laws unwarrantedly shift discretion from judges to prosecutors, result in higher trial rates and lengthened case processing times, arbitrarily failed to acknowledge salient differences between cases and often punish minor offenders much more harshly than anyone believes is warranted. Interviews with judges, lawyers and probation officers at twelve sites showed that heavy majorities of judges, defence counsel and probation officers disliked mandatory penalties; prosecutors are about evenly divided. Finally, and perhaps not surprisingly given the other findings, the report shows that judges and lawyers not uncommonly circumvent mandatories." (McColl, n.d, pg
With poverty being the most substantial factor in this writer’s opinion, because one can remove all other facets and keep only poverty, which still puts this particular social class in the most prevalent community to commit deviant acts. Although, with this research it has been found that another median exist that is not viewed as the standard definition of crime and punishment. However, is more powerful and more imposing on social norms then we as a society are willing to acknowledge and comprehend. Moreover, the median in question is greed and power that can be looked at through the history of this or any other culture or nation. With how to contain a growing population of prisoners America has transformed from a publicly or governmentally run prison facilities, into a shift to ever growing for profit private prison institution systems.
"Overcrowding has overtaken the limited resources of prison staff, imposed demands well beyond the capacity of medical and mental heath facilities, and created unsanitary and unsafe conditions that make progress in the provision of care difficult or impossible to achieve." (2) San Quentin State prison isn't the only prison in the United States violating prisoner's rights. Prisoners all across the nation suffer from bugs and vermin, dampness, exposure to hazards, too hot or
When this bill is signed and presented to the state many police stations will crack down on this misuse of authority causing harsher penalties and termination of jobs for those seen unfit for this change. 3. If something happens to you I recommend you show restraint, you have rights, fighting back can result in only making the situation escalate, offer unconditional surrender, get through the deal and contact a police brutality lawyer C. (Third Main Point) 1. Many of our American tax dollars are going to authorities around the United States and they are abusing our rights. After this letter is signed fear of safety will not be of issue anymore and there will be no reason to fear or be intimidated by law
Statistics show that inmates that take college classes and classes to achieve their GED are 33% less likely to return back to prison (Science Daily). This is because once a prisoner shows that he can achieve success on an educational level, they feel empowered, and feel as if the impossible is possible. Before President Clinton took office there used to be more college prison programs throughout the country. But during his term
Are the Poor people committing more crimes than the Rich? Fact: The rich commit far more crime than the poor and evades Punishment. Most economists writings I read have a glib answer: Poor people are more often arrested and charged for committing crimes, but the fact is that the master minds under all these crimes, or the people who encourage the poor to do these crimes are often the high class people. Crime is just one of many, many "social pathologies" that are more often over-represented among the poor: alcoholism, drug abuse, obesity, illegitimacy, etc. And of course none of these are good escape routes from poverty and we all believe in the term "poverty causes crime".
Today, hundreds of thousands of less qualified citizens are hired for jobs over other citizens, who are more than qualified for that position, all because of race (www.adversity.net). This is ridiculous and puts limitations on us as Americans. The more qualified, suited individual should be hired; race should not even be a factor. Is it not commonly acknowledged that we are all the same? This seems to be the case because employers are still discriminating against citizens and meeting “racial quotas”.