The Importance Of Sentence In The United States

The ratio of people serving some sort of sentence in the United States is growing drastically. According to the Population Reference Bureau, The United States has had the highest incarceration rate in the world since the year 2002. Also it states in 2010, the Bureau of Justice Statistics recorded that the United States rated 500 prisoners per 100,000 residents (Population Reference Bureau, 2015). The Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that between the year 2008 and 2013, the total population of persons under some sort of supervision was roughly between seven to eight million people (Office of Justice Programs). “About 1 in 35 adults in the United States was under some sort of sentence in 2013 and about 1 in 51 adults was on probation or parole in 2013” (Office of Justice Programs, 2015). In the past two years the ratio of persons serving some sort of sentence has grown dramatically. I believe this is due to numerous reasons. It all starts with the criminal justice system. I believe that the reason why the ratio has changed and grown is because of the criminal justice system. Instead of taking the time out really catch the bad guys who commit serious crimes, the criminal justice system extends the incarceration length of those who are charged with possession of illegal substances. I believe that this does little to no help with …show more content…
As a part of a correctional facility, the main goal should be to aid the inmates in their reentry into society. Although this is the main goal, inmates are still re offending once released from jail. This is causing the incarceration rate to increase drastically. The inmates are just returning because they are not receiving the amount of help that they need. The inmates are being placed in jail, prison, under probation or some sort of sentence for long periods of time and it does not do anything because they are still offending and returning back to