The Problem with Overcrowded Prisons

At the turn of the 21st century the chore with the joined bows penitentiary constitution could no longer be ignored. in that location is no subscribe to be incarcerated to render the suffering of both inmates and personnel managing the prison. Just imagining contract spaces and postured interaction with an increased number of barbarouss and or psychologic totallyy challenged slew bum be harmful to the supposed reformation aspire of tuck away time. unless bring down the number of inmates or making salientr facilities is non going away to be the simple firmness of purpose for this problem. There are many a(prenominal) a(prenominal) factors to consider and the predicament is building up each year. A solution has to be reached before the problem can break down into a full-b upsetn crisis that could result in follow breakdown of the system.This study takes a concluder olfactory sensation into the problem of overcrowded prisons. This includes finding push t hrough why overcrowding has go a riddle for many officials. The research would in addition tackle the effects of overcrowding. Moreover, the proponent would find step to the fore what are the challenges faced by those who tried to organise an acceptable solution.Overcrowding the JointIn a nation where slavery is prohibit and where everyone has the opportunity to dupe something out of life, it is a vexer why many st pallid go to prison. In the Information age where a person has admittance to oftentimes knowledge, it is a mystery why many are none the wiser since they commit deeds that would launch them behind bars.In the book about U.S. prisons, authors Clear, boodle, and Reisig found out that, In 2003, 22 maintains and the federal prison system reported operating at or to a higher place capacity. The federal system was estimated to be operating at 39 percent, and overall the state systems were operating at 14 percent above capacity (2005, p. 467).Michael Jacobson the former Com young womanioner of the cutting York City Department of Correction, the largest city jail system in the U.S. provides special figures that religious services to clearly enlarge the crisis. And he remarked, The United States now locks up a higher percentage of its population than any ground in the world. The more(prenominal) than 2 million people who are incarcerated today make up most eight times the number in 1975 (Jacobson, 2005, p. 8).Overcrowding is imputable to tougher laws that were ratified callable to the belief that habitual offenders must be punished longer. These laws also aimed to put these types of lamentables locked up for salutary-be suck upd that they whitethorn feel the full force of the law. Joycelyn M. Pollock in her book assessing the menstruation state of American prisons remarked why there go out be an change magnitude number of men and women who pass on be chthonic lock and key for the rest of their lives as yet as recently as 196 8, 23 states had statutes that authentic life imprisonment for habitual offenders who had previously been convicted of definite specified offenses these radical sentencing laws have the potential to infuriate already severely overcrowded prison conditions while simultaneously creating more problems for state and federal governments, criminal umpire agencies, and prison administrators (1997, p. 62).Problem with OvercrowdingWhat is the big smokestack with overcrowding? Others may counterbalance off dare speculate that it could add a nonher place to the punishing of criminals and thereof why make their rest more comfortable?It is therefore helpful to realize prison overcrowding from a nonher perspective. And that is to image the real purpose of imprisonment. Mark Colvin in his study of the infamous modernistic Mexico prison riot of 1980 asserted that squeezing more and more inmates like sardines into a tin can was the result of a change in philosophy.It is therefore easy to argue that riots can be judge in prisons where the needs of inmates are not met or when the prisoners feel that basic human rights are not respected due to the lack of resources. It is also not hard to imagine the stress levels experienced by shorthanded round. When riots ensue, the galoshty of the prisoners and at the same time the stave responsible in managing give tongue to facility go out be in extreme jeopardy.Freeman elaborates on this content when he wrote that, It is difficult to maintain a close watch on problem inmates when overcrowding exists. This problem is curiously acute when those problem inmates are prone to military group (1999).Colvin argued that policy makers should be reminded that the main purpose of prison is to rehabilitate offenders and not just function as a place to lock them up. Colvin realized that this piazza is did not happen overnight and he wrote, This current crisis emerged in the 1970s when the ideological commitment to rehabilitation declined sharply, along with our nations optimism about alleviating destitution and a host of other social ills (1992, p. 1).SolutionA good start would be to again revisit the passkey aim of prison systems. As discussed earlier policies must be altered to minimize the punitive imprisoned of incarceration and rather transform regulations so that it will focus more on helping prisoners deal with the root ingest of their crime.Overcrowding slues the efficacy of whatever reconstructive impact prison can offer. This was highlighted by Clear, Cole and Reisig when they asserted that, Prison overcrowding directly affects the ability of punitory officials to do their field of study, because it decreases the proportion of offenders in programs, increases the potential for violence, and greatly strains staff morale (2005, p. 469).With regards to dealing with the main cause of crime, the discussion will then shift to safety measures such as elevating poverty and providing for opportunit ies for marginalized members of society to have price of admission to education and other training to emend skills.Finally, a solution is right down under the noses of policymakers alone they are so preoccupied by other more sensational and debatable issues that they miss it. An example of a simple adjustment in the system can mean(a) hundreds of millions of dollars in savings each year and a significant reduction in the number of incarcerated delinquent. The solution calls for a sedate assessment of the role of news officers within the criminal justice system.To better understand the structure fastening role of free officers, Jacobson made a baptistery for the consequence of neglecting the needs of said officersVirtually no one in government can swing money like a tidings officer who has no budget to require and may work in a cramped and overcrowded office in a rundown building in a rundown part of town. He or she may have little or no access to programs or treatment for unloosenes and may earn much less than a correction or police force officer (2005, p. 132).Looking at the insight of Jacobson it takes little to understand the domino effect of neglecting this countrys parole officers. Fortunately for those suffering in an inefficient criminal justice system, there is an insider in the person of Jacobson who truly understand how the system works.It is a wonder that lonesome(prenominal) a few realized that when a parole officer gets overworked and when their morale are dangerously low they would not have the patience to help offenders laissez passer the more difficult path of an ex-convict. A parole officer is like a volunteer counseling who has to work from the heart, tolerant more than expert advice. And to liberty chit the extra mile to help those who do not deserve help. except according to Jacobson the system is not helping them and he wrote, parole officers have no ability to compel parole agencies to spend additional fund on less expensive parole services such as drug treatment, parentage training programs, or additional officers to lower caseloads (2005, p. 132).If all else fails then a suggestion is to improve root word and to add cutting-edge equipment to solve the problem of increasing number of prisoners which importantly affect the inmate to staff ratio. In other words technology will be used to make prisons more safe and more manageable. The positive impact as well as the draw covering fires were succinctly explained by who remarkedIn the USA, new generation design has even been used to push down staff-inmate contact Too much reliance on technology to eliminate danger and reinforce control can be perilous in the detail of equipment failure, staff can feel virtually helpless. engineering science should not be an end in itself, but an aid to officers personal control and supervision(Fairweather & McConville, 2000, p.32).Another arguable solution is the privatization of prisons. Pollock argued th at with privatization comes efficiency managers and controls that will help shape up the current penal system. There are others who object to privatization citing possible obstruction to due process since privatization means control not by the government but by certain people. But in the end Logan was right in maxim that, in no area have I found any potential problem with individual(a) prisons that is not at least matched by an alike or a closely corresponding problem among prisons that are run by the government (as cited in Pollock, 1997, p. 382).ChallengesThose who are knowledgeable about budget deficits and the need for more money to finance other programs confirming those who are wise enough to understand the ill effects of mass incarceration are blaring for reduction of the overcrowding in U.S. prison systems.Convincing a large part of the population will not going to be an easy task. The first challenge is changing the perception of the majority, which was heavily influe nced by the media and the exposure to controversial crimes. Yet even without high profile crimes many are aware of the problem of repeat offenders and even committing crimes while still being on endeavor or on bail or on parole. This was elaborated by Karti Sieberg who studied the said criminal dilemma, and she remarked, According to the report made by the Council on Crime in America, in 1990, among those accused of reddened crimes, 12% were awaiting trial for earlier offenses when they allegedly pull rape, murder, assault, or robbery (2001, p. 16).ConclusionThe solutions discuss above aims to reduce the number of people held behind bars. The proposed methods and policy changes that advocates of reducing overcrowding are increasingly leaning towards a more lenient system. Being lenient can mean different things to many people but in the limited discussion made earlier, those espousing for leniency wished not to be misunderstood.Criminals must serve time but there are many that do not need to spend more time in prison. It will be for their benefit and the society also. Moreover, a focus on preventive measures can significantly reduce this problem. But most importantly giving importance to the role of parole officers can efficaciously change the direction of overcrowded prisons.Jacobson was right when he said that, parole officers decisions have had the effect of fueling U.S. incarceration boom by sending many parolees back to prison (2005, p. 132). If policymakers can start here they could make a lot of headway.Reference ListClear, T., G. Cole, & Reisig, M. (2005). American Corrections. Belmont CA Thomson HigherEducation.Colvin, M. (1992). The punitive in Crisis From Accomodation to Riot in New Mexico. NewYork State University of New York Press.Fairweather, L. & McConville, S. (2000). Prison Architecture Policy, Design, and Experience.MA Elsevier.Freeman, R.M. (1999). Correctional brass instrument and Management Public Policy Challenges,Behavior and Struc ture. MA Butterworth-Heinemann.Jacobson, M. (2005). curtailment Prisons How to Reduce Crime and End Mass Incarceration.New York New York University Press.Pollock, J. (1997). Prisons Today and Tomorrow. Boston Jones and Bartlett Publishers.Sieberg, K. (2001). Criminal Dilemmas pinch and Preventing Crime. New YorkSpringer.