ipl-logo

Reducing Prison Overcrowding In The United States

1679 Words7 Pages

III. Literature Review Prison overcrowding has been a global issue for many years. We can all attest to the fact that incarceration is said to be the main deterrent for individuals who have committed a criminal offense. The sole purpose of this literature review is to identify prospective policies that may assist Ohio with the reduction of their overcrowded prison population. My aimed is to identify four best practices that other states like New York, New Jersey, California and Massachusetts have been using as alternatives to prison hence reducing prison overcrowding. The first best practice to consider to reduce Ohio’s prison population is the state of New York. In 1973, New York’s Governor, Nelson Rockefeller enacted the “Rockefeller Drug …show more content…

In 2009, California was ordered by a federal court to reduce their overcrowded prison population by 138 percent. The state had a massive incarceration rate during the “tough on crime” era (Alternative to Incarceration in California, 2015). In 1994, California had enacted a Three Strike Law. This law allows for offenders who have been convicted of a serious felony to be sentence to a prison term twice as long if they had a prior conviction. If they had two or more prior convictions then they would be mandated to a sentence of 25 years to life (California Courts, …show more content…

Office of Community Correction Centers (OCC) provides an alternative to probation through an intermediate intensive treatment program. This program is an enhancement to the traditional probation supervision. What this program does, it creates a more intensive correctional intervention. OCC has 18 network throughout the state that provides a thorough integrated services and sanctions such as substance abuse treatment, educational services, job development, life skills training and case management to participants. Participants had to report to treatment facilities several times for week for random drug testing, community services and programming. After completion of this intensive intermediate probation alternative, participant will then enter traditional probation supervision. (Massachusetts Court System, 2017). This has been helping the state save money, reducing the issue of prison overcrowding and have lowered the recidivism

Show More
Related

  • The Pros And Cons Of The United States Prison System

    1055 Words  | 5 Pages

    The first step is for a better State and Federal Representation in the Government. The United States prison population changed after President Richard Nixon declared war on drugs in the 1970’s. The United States prisons around the whole country are overcrowded due to the War on Drugs and the 3x law. Many prisoners have been arrested for drug

    Read More

  • Unwinding Mass Incarceration Summary

    400 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since, such correctional residential facilities are run by programs that can support their system this is a key element that Lobuglio and Piehl has stated in this article. As well as, any other key point, in this article, the finally statement that is held very accountable towards is that in order for this process to thrive it “will require a large expensive, and politically challenging investment…throughout the country.” Besides, it isn’t easy to unwind such development of mass

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Documentary The New Asylums

    602 Words  | 3 Pages

    The mental health care system in Ohio is one of the most effective in the country. Ohio spent a lot of time and years making improvements in their systems. Separating the mentally ill and the prison general population by putting in mental health units to . Every morning the mental health staff get together to discuss inmates that are in danger to themselves, and talk about keeping a closer eye on them and come up with a solution to help them. They took action to their disciplinary process after seeing that many of them were going into maximum security prisons.

    Read More

  • Prison Overpopulation: Annotated Bibliography

    300 Words  | 2 Pages

    This website covers the issue of prison overpopulation. This issue affects prisons all across the country. The first feature the website provides a list of each of the fifty states. Choosing a state will take you to a page that provides the number of incarcerated prisoners currently being held and the total cost to run the prison per day. The website also has a section that has articles explaining why prison overcrowding is a problem.

    Read More

  • California State Prison Case Study

    1107 Words  | 5 Pages

    As of September 2011, California incarcerated close to 144,000 inmates in its state prisons. This number fell in recent years owing to the pressure from SCOTUS and California policy changes. In 2006, California had a peak incarceration rate of 172,000 inmates (Rogan, 2012). Since 1970, California has seen 750% rise in incarceration levels, especially during the “war on drugs” campaign during the 1990s (Harvard Law Review, 2010, p. 753). With no end in sight to the rapidly growing number of inmates in California’s state prisons, the CDCR was challenged to manage the growing population.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Sentencing

    840 Words  | 4 Pages

    This model focuses on the individual needs of the offender and in doing so increases their chance of living sober once they reenter society. For example, indeterminate sentencing allows offenders who exhibit good behavior and participate in prison substance abuse programs to be paroled closer to the minimum sentencing term. This means the offender can be released from prison based on conditions set forth by the court. If the offender violates parole by committing another crime or failing to continue substance abuse treatment, they can be returned to prison. Furthermore, offering indeterminate sentencing for offenders who meet the criteria creates prison space thus helping with the ongoing problem of prison overcrowding (Seiter,

    Read More

  • Policy Analysis On A Contemporary Issue In Modern Penology-Overcrowding In Prisons

    1567 Words  | 7 Pages

    PHILI PPINE COLLEGE OF CRIMINOLOGY GRADUATE SCHOOL MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAJOR IN CRIMINOLOGY PREPARED BY : Franz Fernando A. Kalalo SUBJECT CODE : MSCJSC4 INSTRUCTOR : Shirlene S. Esplana, PhD TOPIC : Policy Analysis on a Contemporary Issue in Modern Penology - Overcrowding in Prisons Introduction One of the most imperative contemporary issues in modern penology is the problem of overcrowding in prisons. Overcrowding occurs when correctional facilities exceed their intended capacity, resulting in numerous challenges for both inmates and staff. This policy analysis will examine the causes and consequences of prison overcrowding, evaluate existing policies, and propose potential solutions to address this issue

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Prison Privatization

    1356 Words  | 6 Pages

    The US prison population makes up 25% of the world’s prison population while the rest of America only makes up 5% of the world population. The cost of keeping these 2 million people in the US behind bars is an astonishing $80 billion. With such a gargantuan price, politicians, economists, and concerned taxpayers are struggling to find ways to reduce costs. Two ways have been identified as the most promising: privatize the prison industry or put inmates to work. There have already been successful implementations of both around the country, yet inmate labor is likely to be stifled and greatly discouraged due to its association with slave labor.

    Read More

  • New Approach To Jails Essay

    1086 Words  | 5 Pages

    Introduction: The Need for a New Approach to Jails The cycle of incarceration and recidivism continues to plague our society, with former prisoners struggling to overcome the barriers they face upon reentry. It's time to rethink our approach to jails and prioritize rehabilitation and reintegration. In recent years, the need for reforming jails to prioritize rehabilitation and reintegration has become increasingly apparent.

    Read More

  • The Negative Effects Of Mass Incarceration

    1120 Words  | 5 Pages

    Although everyone can recognize mass incarceration is a problem, they are different ways people think it should be dealt with. The size of prisons in the United States can be shown though numbers. From 1970-2012, the total prison population grew from 174,000 to 1.5 million. Along with the large number of inmates, there is a large amount

    Read More

  • Prison Overcrowding: Arizona's Mandatory Sentencing System

    881 Words  | 4 Pages

    With all of the issues the government must worry about, prison overcrowding should not be one of them. The lazy and effortless attempts of the justice system that resulted in the outstanding number of people inside prisons is overbearing. There needs to be a change. Mandatory sentencing laws, lack of awareness and inhumane treatment of prisoners is unjust. For society to progress, new laws must be passed, recognition must happen, and action needs to take place.

    Read More

  • Mass Incarceration Literature Review

    1728 Words  | 7 Pages

    The Drug Treatment Alternative-to-Prison Program is another attempt to provide better treatment for people who are convicted. The study showed that drug offenders who underwent a treatment program outside of prison had a 26 percent less rate of re-arrest after two years than a control group that was sent to prison (Justice Policy Institute, 2010). Rehabilitative programs like the Second Chance Act and the Drug Treatment Alternative-to-Prison Program has shown to growth and positive

    Read More

  • Intensive Supervision Programs Essay

    578 Words  | 3 Pages

    Intensive Supervision Programs are ineffective at reducing prison overcrowding, reducing correctional spending, expanding the sanctions available for law violators, enhancing public safety, creating a less punitive environment than prison, and lastly promoting the rehabilitation of offenders. ISP’s began to sweep the nation around the 1980’s and 1990’s in order to assist with prison overcrowding and correctional spending. This program was also designed for offenders who deserve more than parole, but not necessarily prison. Many obstacle’s came with the development of Intensive Supervision Programs including how to determine if these programs are effective or not. There are many type of offenders, ranging in multiple ages and committing various crimes.

    Read More

  • Prison Reform Research Paper

    989 Words  | 4 Pages

    In order to do this they need to make new centers to help prisoners inside better themselves. In Alabama prisons may soon shut down 14 of its prisons for overcrowding, neglect, and violence in the state’s correction systems. In the prison St. Clair Holman in Alabama the prison system makes prisoners act different. There is no safety, security or supervision. “We have people being killed, sexually assaulted, raped, stabbed on daily basis at St. Clair, Holman, and multiple facilities; it’s a systemwide problem,” said Charlotte Morrison, a senior attorney at the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), which represents Alabama prisoner.”

    Read More

  • Prison Overcrowding Speech Outline

    994 Words  | 4 Pages

    Topic: Prison overcrowding General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: At the end of my speech, the audience will be able to identify and describe the key reasons and issues of prison overcrowding. Introduction Attention Getter Imagine being locked up in a confined space with little to no air conditioning, concrete walls, concrete floors, poor sanitation, rowdy peers, no soft comforts of a home, and a lack of the everyday basic needs.

    Read More

More about Reducing Prison Overcrowding In The United States

Open Document