Causes of Prison Overcrowding Essay

Rachel Herzing defines "Prison Industrial Complex" (PIC) as, “a term we use to describe the overlapping interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to what are, in actuality, economic, social, and political ‘problems’” (Herzing). She means that the prison industrial complex protects the people who gain control through structural privileges. It helps the government, industry, and people who have power in our society. This unequal power…

Prison systems across the country are attempting to deal with an issue never dealt with in the U.S.’s history. Overcrowding of prison systems is a trend which began in the 1970’s when the country decided the criminal justice system was too soft on crime. Crime rates were souring yet incarceration rates remained relatively stable. Thus, began the current crime control era leading to 2008 incarceration rates of 506 per 100,000 compared to only 96 per 100,000 in 1973. There are several…

1 Life on Death Row The number of inmates in today’s prisons serving time on death row has increased to over 3000 since 1968. This doesn’t necessary mean that more individuals are involved in more criminal activity that would issue them a death sentence But, it has become a very slow process to carry out the sentence to persons convicted by a jury of their peers. This…

Canadian prisons have been rising at a steady rate; in Ontario alone assaults in prison totaled to 2,762 in 2016, an increase of thirteen percent from 2015. All the issues surrounding the Canadian prison system reveal a prison reform must happen. Current issues with the Canadian prison system are overcrowding, low rehabilitation rate, violence and poor medical attention within the prisons. Despite the issues with the Canadian prison system privatization is not the correct change prisons need to…

The overcrowding in prisons has become a serious threat to public health. A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office “predicted that overcrowding would climb to more than 45% above the Bureau of Prison’s maximum capacity by 2018”. As a result, prisons are faced with limited funding to provide adequate healthcare and medical treatments to their prisoners. Consequently, prisons fail to meet health standards putting the life of prison staff, visitors, and inmates at risk for diseases…

In 1985 a man by the name of Gerald G Gaes Discovered that “prison crowding is often a cause of inmates ill health”. However, have there been enough things implemented in order to decrease that problem since his discovery. As of 2012 personnel have notice that “since 2002 the United States had the highest incarceration rate in the world” (Scommegna). Recidivism a relapse of crime, is one cause of inmates returning to prison and serving more time. On the other hand one can put in place programs…

Most of the prisons in America doesn't believe in that incarcerated inmates should not be treated as slaves while serving their time in prison. Which is better known as prison labor? Therefore, it wouldn't really have a positive effect and a positive outcome for the prison. For example, if an inmate with life without parole and doesn't do his job duties. What can really be the punishment that would inspire the inmate to get his work done? Most of the time many inmates don't give the officers…

In today’s prison systems in the United States, prisons are being flooded with an extremely large amount of new inmates resulting in prisons in the United States becoming more and more overpopulated. The problem of prison overpopulation is only getting worse and becoming a major issue for the United States prison systems. Federal prisons are already 41 percent over their rated capacity and there are still inmates pouring into the prisons every day. There are several problems with prison…

One of the most controversial topics in the world today is trying to figure out ways to decrease any prison from becoming overcrowded. Many prisons house offenders that receive sentences from their trial. There is a lot that goes into the prison being overcrowded. Judges weigh the offender’s options that he or she may face before getting their sentence. For instance, during the pretrial a judge may look at the offender’s record to see if he or she is a great citizen and they took a minor step…

and has produced significant injustices” (qtd in Horwitz). Changing America’s approach to crime, specifically drug crimes, and incarceration would allow the country to reduce spending, and overcrowding in prisons. Changing the way nonviolent drug crimes are charged and sentenced would also help reduce overcrowding, and make room for people who committed violent crimes. According to Molly Gill, “Lengthy mandatory minimum sentences are cruel, inhumane, and degrading because…