Overpopulation in the United States Prisons (Research Paper Sample)

Overpopulation in the United States Prisons
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Abstract
In the United States, overcrowding is a major issue of concern that has imposed pressure on the correctional facilities, hence creating the need for adequate measures from respective stakeholders. The number of inmates in the U.S. has doubled in the recent past while the resources put on correctional facilities have significantly reduced which have resulted to overcrowding (Farrington, & Nuttal, 1980, p 224). As demonstrated in various research studies, prison overcrowding affects the inmates negatively in many ways. Some of the effects discussed in this paper include; aggression, competition for limited resources, high rates of illness, increased recidivism and suicidal cases. Violence cases such as sexual assault among inmates arise when several inmates share housing units (Gilna, 2014). Reduction of this cell space per person is a persistent problem and cause of alarm. There are various methods that can be implemented to reduce overcrowding in prisons. They include; invest more in rehabilitation programs, focusing on adult education programs among inmates, the involvement of community and religious groups.
Introduction
Research and practice by various stakeholders from different jurisdictions show that there are better ways to reduce mass incarceration in the United States of America (Howard, 1996). States need to be tough on criminal offences but in a way that emphasize on rehabilitation, treatment and promotes personal responsibility. Strategies such as community supervision should be enhanced to hold the victims accountable and help them get back on their feet. The community programs also act as an alternative system of strengthening law and rehabilitating the victims. The United States is faced with a tremendous increase of inmates leading to overcrowding in the state and federal prisons. This condition has resulted in competition for the limited correctional facilities compromising the quality of rehabilitation and training services in the institutions. There is an increasing shortage of space for prisoners. For that reason, many correctional facilities are now working under hazardous conditions, such as operating above their maximum capacity (Mayeux, 2015). This progressive growth of the number of incarcerated offenders requires the judiciary reevaluate the overcrowding problems with more efficient rehabilitation programs and an overhaul of the execution process.
Cases of overcrowding in the United States prisons.
Drug offences are among the various causes of overcrowding of prisons in the United States of America. Statistics by the federal bureau of prisons show that there are over 50 % inmates in the federal prisons judged for drug offences (Miles, 2014). Over the decades, there is evidence of a subsequent increase in population from 16 % that was recorded in 1970 (United States, 1985). Despite an anticipated warning by this statistics, currently the rate of increase is anticipated to rise even higher in the next decades. There is a need to take more precaution to overcome these devastating results before the situation becomes worse. Currently, there are 215,000 prisoners in the federal prisons compared to the 25,000 that was recorded in 1980. This statistics translate to a 790 percent increase according to Congressional Research Service report released in 2012, (Miles, 2014).
The alarming prison population increase has led to a growing competition for the facilities hence diminishing the quality of service delivery. Most people have argued that the solution to this problem will be gathering more resources to build larger and more sophisticated prisons to detain the law offenders (Rosenfeld, & Kempf, 1991). This reason might be an immediate solution, but it is short-lived. Many questions are left unanswered considering the expected increment in the number of law offenders, in the next one generations of American population. Probably this statistical figures will be doubled or tripled. The prisoners are kept in the prison environments consuming the government resources without yielding to the society. These problems deserve a more reasonable and beneficial solution, For instance, where inmates gets a chance to raise their or American economy. For instance, the drug affected individuals should be taken to rehabilitation centers to be transformed from their old habits. Rehabilitation exercises are often expensive to the government but, it is logical to convert the money that is used to expand prisons to the development of rehabilitation centers. This centers will give back to the society by helping these individuals who might have quit their jobs, to go back and take care their families’ responsibilities.
Information received recently from the BOP Director Jr Charles Samuels indicate the intense implications of the overcrowding problem. He says that they are putting two to three bunks in a cell, of cause an action that is not acceptable for various known reasons. In the history of prisoners, pulling and mistreatment of new prisoners is experienced all the time and in other cases it has resulted in fights and caused deaths that can be avoided. The Bureau is converting open bays and television rooms to sleeping quarters. Charles says that In spite of all this efforts the increase is still alarming (Miles, 2014).
The Obama administration in the recent months has portrayed the harsh laws on drugs as unjust. He pledged to ask for the early release or reduced sentence for the non-violent drug offenders. The lawmakers have acted that requisition to by introducing identical bills stating a reduced sentence from the previous years by half. Now the new laws indicate that the low-level, non-violent drug offenders should be jailed for five to twenty years, (Miles, 2014). The president altered the sentences of eight federal prisoners in December last year. Six of them were serving a life sentence for nonviolent drug offences. The release seemed to be just in the sense that they had not committed a serious crime to deserve a life sentence. However, I wonder if any precautions were taken to avert their initial habits. It will be easier for such individuals to go back to their initials habits if they are nor rehabilitated. The world know understands the intensity of drug addiction and the issue should not be taken lightly. The drug problems are mental and psychological hence proper expert guidance of the victims is necessary before ejecting them to the society, (Miles, 2014).
America’s war on drugs dates back to the last one century with the aim of eradicating drug abuse. It was affected by enforcement of strict laws over the law offender in the United States and beyond its borders. However, despite these efforts, the war against drugs abuse is considered a failure. The drugs are now more affordable, readily available and more concentrated. United Nations statistics shows that there is an increased world consumption of opium, cocaine and marijuana (Miles, 2014). Between 1998 and 2002, their consumption stands at, 35 percent, 27 percent, and 9 percent respectively. The above highlight gives a limelight to changing the ways in which to fight the abuse of drugs. It’s now evident that using harsh laws is not enough in overcoming the problem however laws should not be dismissed. The suggested efficient methods should be more psychological and mental curing.
The effects of prison overcrowding.
Prisons are meant for confining fellow human beings who should be treated with dignity despite their character and offences that alienate them from society. Studies on the effects of overcrowding are done with research concentrated on social density in prisons. Another factor that is considered is spatial density. Social density refers to a situation where many individuals share a particular housing unit. While, spacial density refers to the amount of space that is available per housing unit, (number of square feet). Other researchers found out that, not only social and spacial density can lead to overcrowding. They stated other factors such as the physical environment and personal control (Smith, 1982, p. 51).
Crowding has an indirect relationship to overcrowding in the broad sense. It is possible for one to feel overcrowded in the presence of a few people. In such situations, the most significant element is frustration. It is caused due to failure to achieve some purposes in life because of the presence of other barriers (Howard, 1996). Taking, for instance, a victim serving an imprisonment penalty of 30 years. After serving his sentence, he is released to join the community. If this person was jailed at when at twenty years old, then he will be joining the rest of the community as an old man at 50. This person may have considered getting married and maybe pursuing his education further. But just because of a destruction probably from peers who engaged him in crime, he finds himself locked up in the cells. That is the law and I have no objection to the verdict but, there are other things that can be done to justify the early release of such victims. They should be allowed to continue with their education under secured environment. Ensure proper guidance from psychological experts until when these individuals are declared fit to be released from the prisons.
The prison environment has adverse effects on individual inmates. Considering that the people who are available in the prison environment are persons who are processed with bad behavioral characteristics that are not acceptable in the society. Gathering such a group of people is extremely dangerous hence lead into development of anti-social behaviour. Idleness and absence of personal control yield to boredom and ill thinking. Imprisonment should be modified to give a positive outcome (Howard, 1996). The pr...