Prison System: The Main Problems and the Hidden Pitfalls
The prison system in many countries, especially in the United States and the United Kingdom, is facing a crisis of overcrowding, violence, poor conditions, and high recidivism rates. These problems not only affect the inmates, but also the public safety, the taxpayers, and the human rights of millions of people. In this paper, I will analyze some of the main causes and consequences of these problems, and suggest some possible solutions to improve the prison system.
One of the main causes of the prison crisis is the excessive use of incarceration as a punishment for various offenses, regardless of their severity or impact. According to the World Prison Brief, the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with 639 prisoners per 100,000 population, followed by the United Kingdom with 139 prisoners per 100,000 population. These rates are much higher than other developed countries, such as Germany (77), France (98), or Japan (39). The high incarceration rates are partly due to the harsh sentencing policies, such as mandatory minimums, three-strikes laws, or life without parole, that have been adopted in many jurisdictions since the 1980s. These policies have resulted in a dramatic increase in the prison population, especially among minorities and low-income groups, who are disproportionately affected by the criminal justice system.
Another cause of the prison crisis is the lack of adequate resources and programs to address the needs and challenges of the inmates. Many prisons are overcrowded, understaffed, and underfunded, which creates a hostile and unsafe environment for both staff and inmates. In prison, people contract diseases like HIV and tuberculosis at a rate 10 to 100 times higher than outside the prison system. They suffer physical and sexual abuse, develop mental health problems, and have a hard time earning enough money when they’re released. Part of the reason our prisons are so violent is due to the idleness that occurs in them. As prison systems expanded over the last four decades, many states rejected the role of rehabilitation and reduced the number of available rehabilitation and educational programs. These programs are essential to help inmates acquire new skills, cope with their emotions, and prepare for their reentry into society.
The consequences of these problems are manifold and far-reaching. The prison crisis not only violates the human dignity and rights of the inmates, but also undermines their chances of successful reintegration into society. A long-term study of recidivism rates of people released from state prisons from 2005 to 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay found that 68 percent were arrested within three years and 83 percent were arrested within nine years following their release. And evidence confirms the great irony of our American criminal justice system: **the longer someone spends in “corrections,” the less likely they are to stay out of jail or prison after their release**. The data tells us that people are spending more time in prisons and **the longest prison terms just keep getting longer**, and thus our system of mass incarceration all but assures high rates of recidivism. This cycle of incarceration not only harms the individuals involved, but also their families, communities, and society as a whole. It also costs a lot of money to maintain such a large and inefficient prison system. According to a report by the Vera Institute of Justice, in 2015 – Research Paper Writing Help Service, **the total cost of prisons in the United States was $80.7 billion**, which is more than three times higher than what is usually reported by state corrections budgets.
To address these problems, some possible solutions include:
– Reducing the reliance on incarceration as a punishment for nonviolent or minor offenses, and expanding the use of alternatives such as community service, fines, probation, or restorative justice.
– Reforming the sentencing policies to eliminate or reduce mandatory minimums, three-strikes laws, or life without parole sentences, and allowing more judicial discretion and individualized assessments.
– Improving the conditions and safety of prisons by increasing staffing levels, providing adequate health care and sanitation services, preventing abuse and violence, and ensuring compliance with human rights standards.
– Enhancing the rehabilitation and education programs in prisons by offering more opportunities for vocational training, academic learning, counseling, therapy, drug treatment, and other interventions that can help inmates develop positive attitudes and behaviors.
– Supporting the reentry and reintegration of former inmates into society by providing them with assistance in finding housing, employment, education, health care, social support, and other services that can help them overcome the barriers and challenges they face.
In conclusion, **the prison system is failing inmates and the public alike**. It is not fulfilling its purpose of protecting society from crime or rehabilitating offenders. Instead, it is creating more problems than it solves. Therefore, it is urgent to reform the prison system and adopt a more humane and effective approach to criminal justice.
Help write my assignment – Bibliography
: Hopwood, S. (2021). How Atrocious Prisons Conditions Make Us All Less Safe. Brennan Center for Justice. Retrieved from https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/how-atrocious-prisons-conditions-make-us-all-less-safe
: Stelman, A., Peel, M., and others. (2023). The prison system is failing inmates and the public alike. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/oct/16/the-prison-system-is-failing-inmates-and-the-public-alike
: Fordham Newsroom. (2019: 2024 – Online Assignment Homework Writing Help Service By Expert Research Writers). Fixing America’s Prison Problem. Fordham University. Retrieved from https://news.fordham.edu/fordham-magazine/fixing-americas-prison-problem/
: Mai, C., and Subramanian, R. (2017). The Price of Prisons: Examining State Spending Trends, 2010 – Essay Writing Service: Write My Essay by Top-Notch Writer-2015 – Research Paper Writing Help Service. Vera Institute of Justice. Retrieved from https://www.vera.org/publications/price-of-prisons-2015 – Research Paper Writing Help Service-state-spending-trends
