The Pros And Cons Of Sentencing Reform

People get incarcerated due to many reasons and sometimes they get harsh sentencing due to their crime. The crimes may either be intentional or accidental, but that is no excuse for the bureau of prisons. The prison sentences are sometimes doubled and tripled. These sentences are so harsh sometimes that the prisoners don’t get to see their family members anymore. Sentencing reform should be able to be in prisons not only statewide but globally because it will give prisoners a chance to fix their mistakes.

In today’s society drugs are seen is bad and un-ethical. However, it is just the perspective on how everyone views society. If we are told something is wrong, and see someone doing it, you are more likely to be the one to “point the finger.” Yes, drug legalization sounds horrible and of course it would be considered un-ethical but this is what we need to change. We need to change our perspective on certain matters and need to focus on the more important issues in our society.

if an ex-offender has no job, s/he has no way to pay supervision fees, which then gets the parolee sent back to prison for parole violation. If a parolee cannot satisfy a parole officer that s/he has a stable address, the parolee can (and generally WILL) be violated and sent back to prison. A parolee can be violated for simply being in the presence of another ex-offender. This limits some families from helping one family member, because the family already let another ex-offender come home. It also limits employment prospects; parolees could technically be violated for working together or for working for an employer who also happens to be an ex-offender. Most parole officers won’t violate parolees for that, but technically they could, so that

The gist of this lawsuit is to provide healthcare for those in prison with mental disabilities. Not providing the right care violates the Eighth Amendment, fourteenth Amendment, and the Rehabilitation Act. The court 's are trying to fix this problem, Schwarzenegger announced that overcrowding prisoner increased the risk of illness and caused and environmental pollution.The court 's remedy was the Prison Litigation Reform Act, which was assembled by the three-judge court to issue an inmate 's release order, That was not the only remedy the court used to try to fix the problem they also tried to change the prison health care system.

What are your thoughts about the prison system? Today 's prisons are so bad that prisons in the United States hold 5 percent of the US population. Many people get sent to jail cause of the 3 law strike because a lot of minorities are caught with drugs. Plus the government is wasting 75 billion dollars on these facilities instead of using the money in a better way like making programs for the prisoners that need help with mental health or other stuff.

These offenders will face difficulties re¬connecting with jobs, housing, and perhaps their families when they return, and will remain beset by substance abuse and health problems. Based on data from the national Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program, “nearly 80% of arrestees admitted to the Jail in 2012 were positive for an illegal drug. Of all the people admitted to the jail nearly half did not have a high school diploma or GED.” (Recidivism Reduction Demonstration, Web). Unfortunately most of these individuals will return to prison as a result of the social disadvantages that they are accustomed to.

Longer sentences can also lead to overcrowding, which prevents prisoners access to rehabilitative programs have have a greater chance that mental health issues will worsen for these prisoners. Many other states have create similar innovative programs to lower incarceration and crime rates. Legislation in Texas for example provided $241 million dollars to develop many different alternatives to prison, including additional substance abuse treatment beds, drug courts, and mental illness treatment programs. Another state is South Carolina, who put an end to its mandatory minimum sentences for drug possession and also expanded prison alternative and parole eligibility. Similar to this, the state of New Jersey lowered its prison population by upgrading its parole process and putting an increase on how flexible sentencing of low-level drug offenders is. As well as helping to reduce crime, these measures have also proven to give in major savings. To encourage the rest of the country to follow in these states footsteps, experts are pleading for the passing of the Reverse Mass Incarceration Act, which would give states incentives to reduce their prison rates and population. This act would provide $20 billion dollars

Those who find themselves sentenced to time in a penitentiary, jail, or prison are at risk of either being broken or strengthened by the time they spend behind bars. There is a great debate of whether or not the prison system in the United States is positive or negative. The following will briefly highlight the positives, negatives, and possible alternatives for our nation's prison system.

In the United States of America, there are many systems throughout the government. There is the Department of Health, Department of education, and many more to be listed. One system that often causes controversy is the Department of Correction, this department always raises the question; does our jail/correction system work? The correctional system has flaws and gives some result, however, there are more cases than not that prove the correctional system needs a great deal of improvement. Due to the living conditions and the activity inside of the United States prisons the prison system is looked at as dysfunctional. However, the United States has one of the best rehabilitation techniques and facilities in the world. Rehabilitation is the aspect of the United States correctional system that keeps it from being completely looked down on.

Many drug offenders are often forced into the drug business because of economic reasons, resulting from the increased difficulty of finding jobs after prison, due to the felony that is attached to their name. Employers are often discouraged from hiring a person that has committed a felony, because of the uncertainty in their behavior. A study done by the Urban Institute, found that only 45% of all Americans that had been to prison, had a job within a year of being released. It was even lower for drug offenders, as only 25% of all drug offenders in the United States were able to find a job once released (McVay). It’s hard enough finding a well paying job because of the current state of the economy in the United States. Drug offenders often spend most of their life in prison, and once they are released, they have no knowledge or skills pertaining to the real world.

Sentencing methods and rationales are continually highly contested in the Criminal Justice system. Monetary penalties are particularly pivotal in these debates. According to Walsh, research from all corners of the world continually demonstrates that the poorest in society are more likely to be subject to the Criminal Justice System. This evidence Walsh argues, ‘cannot be ignored’, when considering which sentencing options should be used. The fine is the most commonly used penal sanction in most Western Penal systems. Fines are a historic type of monetary penalty which have remained incredibly popular. Outside of the United States, fines make up about 70 % of all punishments in the lower courts. The fine can be seen as a modest penalty, and appropriate, in my opinion, only if the offence was minor. Bentham sees monetary penalties as ‘ideal’. This I argue is incorrect. Monetary penalties have so many disadvantages that they should not be used to a greater extent in the criminal justice system. Thus some have gone as far to argue that they should be completely abolished. However Burch has said that this would not be possible so reform should be favoured instead. I will argue that updating their current use is essential in order to make the current system of fines more effective and more restricted. I will continue to discuss why fines are not effective, from their rational, to their effect on the offender to the way that they are set in practice. I will conclude

I will be discussing the key facts and critical issues presented in various roles/goals within the United States (Schmalleger & Smykla, 2015). The

The role of the government is to keep everyone and everything in line. The government should have a sentencing reform because with the system we have now it 's just making things worse. Some people are being placed in jail because of their color when there are real criminals that are set free when they really did do something wrong like murdering someone. The government should have a sentencing reform because the system now is just making things worse.

Sentencing disparity within the American Judicial system is a problem that exists across the nation. According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, disparity means the markedly distinct in quality or character. Many times, disparity is used in conjunction with discrimination as if the two words mean the same, but they do not. Disparity will include a difference in treatment or outcome but is not based on an opinion, bias or prejudice. Within the United States there are several types of disparity that exist within sentencing and these inconsistencies can vary from state to state, judge to judge, and from individual from individual.

The correctional system consists of many different government agencies that are responsible for protecting the population from dangerous individuals who may bring self harm or bring harm to others. The correctional system is made to keep everyone safe from those who are considered a criminal or convict. Punishment and rehabilitation are two of the methods used for those who have been categorized as criminals. Punishment consists of parole, probation, imprisonment and death whereas rehabilitation consists of redirection for an individual that has been convicted of a crime. Rehabilitation is a method that could be a mental aid for someone who may possess a mental illness depending on the severance of the crime.