Prison overcrowding has become a huge issue in America today; causing poor prison and jail conditions, placing financial burdens on the Government, and placing more stress on correctional officers and personnel. Over the past two decades, stakeholders from various jurisdictions have conducted research to show that there are better ways to handle people convicted of a crime than incarceration. Alternatives to imprisonment can include drug courts, probation, home confinement, halfway houses, community service, mental health courts, restorative justice, boot camp, fines and restitution, weekend jail programs, shock incarceration, and parole. There are many benefits of these alternatives. They can help reduce overcrowding, jail and prison cost,
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Imprisonment is viewed as the main form of punishment and retribution for committing a felony or other offenses in the United States. Since 1790, when the first prison opened up in the U.S., the justice system had been focused on throwing an offender in jail or prison regardless of the crime that was committed. The United States justice system has been known to have much longer sentences than any other part of the world. Because of this, the number of offenders incarcerated has increased drastically. Between 1972 and 2008, the number of adults incarcerated increased from 330,000 to 2.3 million. Because of the increased rate of incarceration, prisons and jails are now dealing with the problem of overcrowding. Prison overcrowding has led to even greater problems like increased levels of violence and conflict, security and control difficulties, the well-being of inmates and staff and failure of rehabilitation resulting in a higher recidivism …show more content…
Probation is sometimes referred to as “community corrections”; it’s a “front-end solution” and keeps the offender in the community instead of going to jail. Probation is usually available for minor offenses, first-time offenders depending on the crime committed, and low-risk offenders. While on probation, an offender is required to follow certain court-ordered rules and conditions while under the supervision of a probation officer. Probation can include community service, refraining from the use of illegal drugs and/or alcohol, being required to submit to random drug screenings, meeting with a probation officer, appearing at scheduled court dates, paying fines and restitutions, and obeying all laws. If an offender doesn’t comply with the terms of their probation the probation officer can either give you a warning or schedule you for a probation violation hearing. During your hearing, the judge decides if you’ve violated probation or not. In the event that an offender is charged with violation of probation, they can face heavy fines, revoked probation, jail time, or additional probation terms. Probation has been proven to be more effective in helping promote long-term behavior change. Not only has probation been highly effective, it has also been substantially lower in cost for the Government and taxpayers. The average cost of probation is $9.92 per day per offender, which is about $6,000
Imprisonment is viewed as the main form of punishment and retribution for committing a felony or other offenses in the United States. Since 1790, when the first prison opened up in the U.S., the justice system had been focused on throwing an offender in jail or prison regardless of the crime that was committed. The United States justice system has been known to have much longer sentences than any other part of the world. Because of this, the number of offenders incarcerated has increased drastically. Between 1972 and 2008, the number of adults incarcerated increased from 330,000 to 2.3 million. Because of the increased rate of incarceration, prisons and jails are now dealing with the problem of overcrowding. Prison overcrowding has led to even greater problems like increased levels of violence and conflict, security and control difficulties, the well-being of inmates and staff and failure of rehabilitation resulting in a higher recidivism …show more content…
Probation is sometimes referred to as “community corrections”; it’s a “front-end solution” and keeps the offender in the community instead of going to jail. Probation is usually available for minor offenses, first-time offenders depending on the crime committed, and low-risk offenders. While on probation, an offender is required to follow certain court-ordered rules and conditions while under the supervision of a probation officer. Probation can include community service, refraining from the use of illegal drugs and/or alcohol, being required to submit to random drug screenings, meeting with a probation officer, appearing at scheduled court dates, paying fines and restitutions, and obeying all laws. If an offender doesn’t comply with the terms of their probation the probation officer can either give you a warning or schedule you for a probation violation hearing. During your hearing, the judge decides if you’ve violated probation or not. In the event that an offender is charged with violation of probation, they can face heavy fines, revoked probation, jail time, or additional probation terms. Probation has been proven to be more effective in helping promote long-term behavior change. Not only has probation been highly effective, it has also been substantially lower in cost for the Government and taxpayers. The average cost of probation is $9.92 per day per offender, which is about $6,000