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Criminal Justice System In America

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The number of prisoners in America has never been greater today, and has more inmate’s incarceration than any other country in the world. A prison is a facility designed to house people convicted of felonies for extended periods of time. County jail usually ran by the local sheriff’s department is authorized to hold pretrial detainees and offenders who committed low level crimes or misdemeanors. The criminal justice system in America was created to keep communities safe, to respect and restore victims, and to return offenders who leave prison to be self-sufficient and law-abiding, but prisons are seen today, as instruments of punishment instead of methods to rehabilitate. What the criminal justice system has become is an enormous failure that …show more content…
The term refers to the act of committing another crime after a person has already received punishment for previous offenses, in other words, “relapse.” Solutions and programs such as “HomeBoy Industries”, are a prime example of organizations trying to alleviate the problem of California’s prison overcrowding. Homeboy Industries program serves high-risk, formerly gang-involved men and women with a continuum of free services and programs, and operates several social enterprises that serve as job-training sites (HomeBoy). The program provides hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated men and women allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of our community. According to the Homeboy Industries website explains that “Recidivism among youthful offenders is extremely high: 2/3 will be re-arrested, up to 1/3 re-incarcerated within a few years after release” (HomeBoy). Furthermore, programs such as HomBoy helps put a stop to the ever-growing prison overcrowding from keeping people from re-entering the prison system. The Rev. Gregory J. Boyle, S.J., is the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world (HomeBoy). Moreover, Homeboy Industries employs and trains former gang members in a range of social enterprises, as well as provides critical services to 15,000 men and women who walk through the doors of “HomeBoy” seeking to make change for a better life. People coming out of prison need many things, but the critical ones are safe housing, drug treatment and job opportunities in hopes of not returning back to

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