Crime Vs Incarceration Essay

Research Indeed, there must be a connection between crime rates and incarceration rates. Whether the problem of mass incarceration tends to lower the rate of crime is up for discussion. It is only logical to think that when people are behind bars they are no longer able to contribute to crime and raise the crime rate. The more people that are incarcerated must mean that crime rates are expected to fall as a result; studies have shown that this statement is false. An explanation for this could be that when one person gets locked up, there is usually another person who takes his place, thus maintaining the crime rate. This is often true for drug-related crimes as well as crimes committed by young men in groups (Austin, 2009 ).
Overall, the data on the United States crime rates trends show that there is no consistent relationship. Changes in penal practices are not a direct indication of increases in crime rate. Ultimately, the increasing rates of crime cannot explain the increasing rate of incarceration, but there is evidence that it has contributed to the incarceration boom in the 1970’s. Nonetheless, incarceration continued to grow, even after crime rates have decreased. What is most important is how we as a society choose to …show more content…
The goal is to reduce mass incarceration through policy, legal reform, and social interventions. Through these actions, we can create a system that is focused on the safety of the people while maintaining a fair and equal judicial system. Our current policies have led us to where we are today; a criminal justice system overcrowded with inmates who have been harshly punished for drug-related offenses. The war on drugs was a failure that needed to be treated as a health concern instead of a criminal issue. Health based approaches while decriminalizing drug offenses are some measures that need to be implemented to tackle the issue at