Prison Overcrowding

Overcrowding in Prisons

One of the biggest issues facing the American correctional system today is that of overcrowding in prisons. The previous paper discussed why people partake in criminal behavior, but given that this behavior is not limited by geographical boundaries, there is no reason why the United States should have the largest prison population in the word (Steiner, 2015). Currently, the United States has approximately 2.3 million prison inmates (Guetzkow, & Schoon, 2015). This is a staggering amount when put into context. China has a population that is four times larger than the United States, yet they have half a million less prisoners than we do (Fitzgerald, & Vance, 2015). Prison reform is necessary to address this issue. This can be done by addressing the issue of mentally ill prisoners, prisoners on death row, and the use of alternative sanctions.

Mentally Ill Prisoners

While there are individuals that resort to crime intentionally, there are many that are criminals because their cognitive functions are impaired in some capacity. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than half of all prisoners suffer from mental health problems (Steiner, 2015). This leads me to believe that we are not using our resources correctly, by lumping in the hardened criminals with the criminally insane or cognitively impaired. According to experts, a number of incarcerations can be avoided if individuals are given the proper mental health treatment (Pitts, Griffin, & Johnson, 2014). Further studies show that many of these individuals do not receive proper treatment for mental conditions while behind bars (Fitzgerald, & Vance, 2015). Therefore, the two pronged solution to this problem would involve mental health treatment for prisoners or diverting these individuals away from the correctional system in the first place, by placing them in mental institutions instead of prison.

Death Row Prisoners

Whatever side of the capital punishment debate you stand on, what cannot be denied is that prisoners on death row cost the country billions of dollars (Frances, 2014). While I personally believe in the death penalty, I cannot believe how many resources are wasted on capital punishment trials, appeals, and the imprisonment of prisoners on death row. When I hear that it costs approximately $50,000 a year to house a prisoner on death row (Phillips, 2014), which is more than anyone in my family makes a year, it leads me to believe we need to do something about it. The best way to solve this problem is to reduce the number of criminals put up for the death penalty and relegate them to life in prison instead.

Alternative Sanctions

When someone commits a crime in our country, law dictates they need to be punished for it by going to prison or paying restitution in some fashion. Personally, if the crime did not involve murder or violence, rather than someone going to jail and living off my tax dollars, I would rather see them work off their debt to society. Alternative sanctions involve fines, carrying our unpaid work for the betterment of the community,