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The Benefits Of Prison Overcrowding

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Overcrowding Prisons
In 1980, almost 200 years after prisons were first used as a criminal sanction, there were only 316,000 sentenced prisoners under state or federal jurisdiction. In only thirty years, from 1980 to 2010, the number of prisoners increased by almost 500 percent, to more than 1.6 million inmates. (Seiter, 2014, p. 130) Most of our prisons are filled with offenders that have not actually committed violent crimes. Many individuals are in jailed because they committed a crime that involved drugs or for getting a DUI. People with these types of offenses should be sentenced to a rehabilitation program. Prison overcrowding is at an all-time high, and instead of putting everyone in prison we should be looking for solutions to help …show more content…

It also compromises the provision and effectiveness of rehabilitation programs, educational and vocational training, and recreational activities. www.penalreform.org If we look at other countries besides the United States, there prison systems hold more than double their capacity. So, prison overcrowding is happening worldwide. Most prison systems, do not have the minimum space that is recommended by international standards. Prisoners are spending up to 23 hours of the day, if not all day, in overcrowded cells. In some prisons overcrowding can be so severe that prisoners sleep in shifts, on top of each other, share beds or tie themselves to window bars so that they can sleep while standing. Example of overcrowding …show more content…

Community-based corrections are less expensive than a long prison term, and are usually more effective or at least a effective as incarceration. The corrections department must use all aspect of rehabilitative service. Services like mental health, employment services, education, and social services. Getting individuals who are addicted to drugs or alcohol the help they need is better for all citizens of the United States. Instead of incarcerating all these individuals who we as tax payers have to support, I feel it’s better to get them the help they need and get them back in the work world. I am not suggesting that all offenders need this kind of treatment, just those that are not hard criminals. There are those individuals who put the public in danger because of their violent tendency. Some offenders will require extensive incarceration in secure

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