Decrease In Prison Incarceration

Many people think that incarceration is like a vacation at a country club until they see what really happens behind the bars. Offenders do not get the help that they need when they are in prison. When offenders go to prison and when they are let out nothing has changed and they usually end up back in prison. The rates of population have gone up and prisons are becoming over populated. Craig Jones and Don Weatherburn proves, “The sentenced adult prison population has increased by about 20 per cent since the mid 1990s” (10). People are ending up in jail for small and victimless crimes for longer periods of time that they need to be. Sometimes when criminals are released they end up back in prison because they do not know how to survive on their own. …show more content…
If offenders learn how to care for themselves for when they are out of prison it may decrease the population in prisons. There could also be a decrease in prison population by sending offenders to rehab centers. Craig Jones and Don Weatherburn explains, “the best adult based rehabilitation programs, such as intensive treatment based supervision programs, can be expected to reduce offending by approximately 16 17 per cent at a cost of slightly more than $US7,000 per offender” (20). Sending offenders to rehab centers would also cost less than sending them to prisons. Craig Jones and Don Weatherburn explains, “Annual cost of imprisoning an adult offender is about $271 per day, or more than $100,000 over the course of a year” (22). Criminals also have a hard time finically supporting themselves because they left prison with no money and cannot find a job. Prison is sometimes more punishing criminals rather than rehabilitating them. Incarceration does not help prisoners