American Corrections System
Prisons are so overcrowded within the states that typically "only one criminal is jailed for every one hundred violent crimes committed" (Economist, 1996). Many violent criminal offenders do not even serve out their entire terms; many serve half of their term and are released on an appeal or probation (Economist, 1996). These prisoners are often released to society only to commit another crime at a later date.
Statistics validate the fact the American Correctional System is currently overburdened. According to one report, "More than one million inmates were confined in American prisons in 1995 alone and the number has been steadily increasing over the last few years (Albion, 2003)." The ability of state and local correctional facilities to manage and keep pace with the upward spiral of people incarcerated and imprisoned within the U.S. also continues to decrease, as most prisons within America currently continue to operate at levels above carrying capacity (Alexander, 1996). Many prisons house as many as 170% of the inmates they were designed to be able to manage, which creates security risks and hazards to inmates and their communities (Alexander, 1996). These statistics alone validate the need to re-evaluate the American prison system. The solution offered to overcrowding in the past has been building more prisons. Yet building more prisons does not deal with the underlying problem of more and more incarcerations.
Another side effect of overcrowding in prisons is understaffing. Prisons are overburdened and enough staff can't be hired to contain the prisoners currently incarcerated. As a result of this, assaults to corrections officers continue to rise as well as conditions within prisons continue to deteriorate (Alexander, 1996).
Some opponents of creating new prisons have argued that rehabilitation is the best means to reduce and crime and toughen up the American corrections system. Some have suggested that one way to assist prisoners may...
The increased expectation of lawful income will reduce the temptation of illegitimate activity. This is referred to as the 'motivation effect. The opportunity effect is a long- term influence that is positively correlated with crime, while the motivation effect is more short-term and has a negative correlation with crime. Thus, in years when people increase their spending by very small amounts or reduces it altogether, notably quickly. In contrast, during
Court records also stick on, whether the charges are dropped or followed by a conviction. People of color or ethnic minorities, such as African-Americans and Hispanics, have come to accept that they cannot avoid acquiring a criminal record. The 1990 Washington DC-based sentencing project found that one in every four African-Americans aged 20 to 29 was in prison, in jail or on probation or parole. A research conducted by
For this reason, "(p) end up leaving prison with the same (or worse) addictions, educational deficiencies, and tendencies toward violence that they had when they were first incarcerated. Thus the cycle of crime is perpetuated and the community as a whole is damaged" ("Addressing Prison"). Long-Term Solutions to Prison Overcrowding: There are typically two governmental responses to solving the overcrowded prisons dilemma: building more prisons or enacting reforms, the later being
Prison Overcrowding Arguably the most pressing issue facing the field of corrections today is the problem of prison overcrowding. Overcrowding negatively impacts nearly every aspect of running a corrections facility, and even exacerbates problems when inmates are eventually released (Specter, 2010). Overcrowded prisons increase the likelihood of violence against both inmates and corrections officers, and there is evidence tying overcrowding to higher rates of suicide and homicide (Davies, 2004, & Camp,
Crime and Violence: Cultural Beliefs and Biases Religion and Stereotyping Diverse sociocultural customs promote diverse forms of aggression; e.g., the conventional idea that males are authorized, by nature, to discipline or control females renders the latter susceptible to sexual abuse and spousal violence. Societal tolerance towards such hampers external intervention, preventing victims from protesting and seeking support. Sexual abuse reporting is also hampered by the stigma certain cultures attach to victims. Further,
Overcrowding in Prisons: Impacts on African-Americans The overcrowded prisons in the United States are heavily populated by African-Americans, many of them incarcerated due to petty, non-violent crimes such as drug dealing. This paper points out that not only are today's prisons overcrowded, the fact of their being overcrowded negatively impacts the African-American community above and beyond the individuals who are locked up. This paper also points to the racist-themed legislation that
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