Prison overpopulation has been a rising issue for over a decade, and many politicians have proposed pathways to solutions to the issue. Today the federal prisons are housing over 200,000 people (Total Federal Inmate Statistics, 2015) and numerous prisons are reaching capacity every day. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, since 1980 the United States prison population has risen by 184,000 people. The prison population is expected to continue to swell over 45 percent of its limit by 2018, according to the Government Accountability Report (McLaughlin, 2012). Those housed in federal prison are incarcerated by various crimes. Sex offenses, arson, robbery, national security, drug offenses; these are just a few of the crimes inmates
…show more content…
When it comes to victimless crimes such as prostitution or drugs, inmates can sit behind bars between 6 to 11 years. Where is the harm done? When an inmate is sentenced for a victimless crime there is no one next to the prosecutor wanting justice taken because there is no need for it. If there were others involved during the crime, it was due to consent. So knowing that, why send these people to jail. I propose that they pay a fine for their offense and taken part in community service, but other than that they have not harm a soul so they do not deserve to spend their life behind bars for a choice they and another party taken part in. Next immigration, what have the immigrants done wrong? Nine times out of ten they are hopping the border to escape the brutality and unjust laws of their countries. They have harmed no one, the immigrants only wish to provide a better life for their families instead of living in fear or poverty everyday of their lives. Instead of locking up illegal immigrants, I propose helping them work toward their citizenship for those who wish to remain here in the United States and if they refuse ship the immigrants back to their countries. There is no need to take up space in our jail systems whenever we can allow them to become citizens legally or we can return them to their own county. And lastly the three strikes law, whenever this was first proposed it was meant to be seen as a deterrent for criminality and it was also proposed in order to keep habitual offenders off the street, this way they cannot be lose to hurt anyone on the streets. The problem with the three strikes law is that if someone has two prior felonies on their record and then they commit an offense known as a “wobbler,” which means it can either be a misdemeanor or felony, because of their record the prosecutor will generally charge them with a felony to keep them off the
When it comes to victimless crimes such as prostitution or drugs, inmates can sit behind bars between 6 to 11 years. Where is the harm done? When an inmate is sentenced for a victimless crime there is no one next to the prosecutor wanting justice taken because there is no need for it. If there were others involved during the crime, it was due to consent. So knowing that, why send these people to jail. I propose that they pay a fine for their offense and taken part in community service, but other than that they have not harm a soul so they do not deserve to spend their life behind bars for a choice they and another party taken part in. Next immigration, what have the immigrants done wrong? Nine times out of ten they are hopping the border to escape the brutality and unjust laws of their countries. They have harmed no one, the immigrants only wish to provide a better life for their families instead of living in fear or poverty everyday of their lives. Instead of locking up illegal immigrants, I propose helping them work toward their citizenship for those who wish to remain here in the United States and if they refuse ship the immigrants back to their countries. There is no need to take up space in our jail systems whenever we can allow them to become citizens legally or we can return them to their own county. And lastly the three strikes law, whenever this was first proposed it was meant to be seen as a deterrent for criminality and it was also proposed in order to keep habitual offenders off the street, this way they cannot be lose to hurt anyone on the streets. The problem with the three strikes law is that if someone has two prior felonies on their record and then they commit an offense known as a “wobbler,” which means it can either be a misdemeanor or felony, because of their record the prosecutor will generally charge them with a felony to keep them off the