Mandatory vs. Discretionary Prison Release
By getting rid of parole boards in favor of mandatory sentences -- has this policy tended to reduce crime? For the sixteen states that have abolished parole boards in favor of mandatory sentencing -- has the rate of recidivism declined? Those are two of the questions approached in this paper; this paper notes that when parole boards are eliminated prisoners have no incentive to try and better themselves so they can be released earlier. Thesis: getting rid of parole boards does little if anything to reduce recidivism, and in fact there is evidence that the parole system is more effective in reducing repeat criminality.
Is Discretionary Release a Better System than Mandatory Release?
According to journalist Fox Butterfield (writing in The New York Times), in 1999 several states that had eliminated parole boards "reinstituted" them because their prisons became overcrowded to the point that these states "were forced to release many of them early" (Butterfield, 1999). In other words, under a discretionary system, some prisoners that had shown a change in mindset away from criminality were released before the initial sentencing date set by a court. But once the discretionary system was gone, prisoners were held...
Overhaul of Our Prison System Needed Most people credit increased incarceration with reduced crime (5). Prison growth has skyrocketed (5). Prison costs have skyrocketed (1) Large numbers of mentally ill in U.S. prisons (3). overcrowding, failure to protect both adults and juveniles, has not reduced crime rate, increased recidivism. Overcrowding statistics on problem Three strikes and you're out rule Drug laws have caused increase in inmates increased sentence length Unrealistic expectations Political consequences if this pattern is challenged Affect areas of society
This can have adverse effects on the child's mental and emotional state and could make it more likely that the child will follow the same path. Also, incarcerating an individual who has a minor child is another way of creating a single parent home. Incarceration by a parent also increases the likelihood that that a child will become a product of the system. Mothers in state prison (58%) were
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