America s High Prison Population - 1511 Words

America’s High Prison Population Since the 1970s, America’s prison population rate has risen 700%. Despite the U.S. comprising only 5% of the world’s population, it is the largest jailer with 25% of the world’s prison population with one in 99 adults in prison and one in 31 under some type of correctional control (Mass Incarceration Problems, 2014, p. 1). According to 2013 data, 2.2 million are currently incarcerated in U.S. prisons or jails (Incarceration, 2013, para. 1), a figure that indicates a rising problem with prison overcrowding. While prison overcrowding increases the economic burdens on local and state governments, common factors leading to the high prison population is linked to the need for improved juvenile programs that deter criminal behavior and fund for rehabilitation for reentry into mainstream society. With effective programs to deter juvenile crime and to aid in offender reentry coupled with sentencing reforms, overcrowding in the nati on’s prisons would decline. Among nearly 100,000 youth under age 18 released from U.S. prisons each year, the majority â€Å"are not provided with the critical assistance necessary for successful transition back to their communities, schools, homes, and peer groups† (Youth Reentry, 2012, p. 1). Instead, these youths return to neighborhoods that tend to lack the support programs necessary to ensure a positive transition back into mainstream society. Disturbingly, these youths frequently return to neighborhoods with high crimeShow MoreRelatedEssay on Prison Growth In American From 1970-20081674 Words   |  7 Pagesthe prison industry in America since the 1970s? Since the 1970s there has been a steady increase in the prison population where statistics now show from the BJS that more than one in every 100 adults are now imprisoned. Statistics from the PEW state that one in 30 men between the ages of 20-34 are behind bars; however just because there is an increase in the numbers it does not mean its due to an increase in crime. To further emphasize just how significant the growth is, the population inRead MoreIllegal Drugs And The United States1629 Words   |  7 Pagesup majority of the population for drug abuse in prisons of the U.S.? It is a known fact in America that powder and crack cocaine are the same thing but are unequal in sentencing. Living in low income communities, that are majority of color have a greater chance of using crack cocaine oppose to whites using powder cocaine. The sentencing of the two is very extreme and blacks are the people suffering for serving a longer time period than whites for the same drug. During the 1960 s to present day, manyRead MoreUnited State Prisons : Need Of A Complete Overhaul Essay1696 Words   |  7 PagesUnited State prisons are in need of a complete overhaul. Bad things happen to good people and crime is unacceptable in a civilized society. The question I ask you is what do we do with the bad people that do bad things to good people. Do we as a society send them away to be rehabilitated and reintegrated back into society as a good person or do we send them away to be punished and hope that if they ever return to a society that they are good people? The Department of Justice breaks crime reductionsRead MoreIncarceration Within The Federal Bureau Of Prisons1195 Words   |  5 PagesFederal Bureau of Prisons has increased more than 700 percent since the 1970’s, between the different type of ethnicity. Billions of dollars have spent to house offenders and to maintain their everyday life from rehabilitation programs, academic education, vocational training, substance abuse programs and medical care. The cost of incarceration climbs according to the level of security based on violent and non-violent crimes. 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Obama said the nation is spending too much money on incarceration of individuals who received long sentences for relatively minor drug crimes, and so by granting amnesty to these 46 prisoners, he hopes to push the drive towards prison reform. This simple action gave four dozen prisoners a secondRead MoreIncarceration Of Americ The United States1487 Words   |  6 PagesIncarceration in America The United States has the largest prison population in the world. The U.S.’s path to our over population has been decades in the making. â€Å"The United States makes up about 4 percent of the world’s population, and it accounts for 22 percent of the world’s prison population.† (Lopez). Prison over population is a growing concern within our society creating and contributing factors include longer sentences, rising costs, prison gangs, rapes, racism and mental health issues.Read MoreHigh Rate Of Violence Throughout The World1400 Words   |  6 PagesThis report will discuss the high rate of violence in prison systems throughout the world. The report will identify three legal standards and/or operational procedures that are emerging around the globe that govern correctional professional practices within corrections systems and could be applied to the South American prison system. The United States will be a point of reference to compare and differentiate wi th other countries on legal standards and operational producers. The report will also evaluateRead MoreRace, Incarceration, And American Values Essay1141 Words   |  5 Pagesdisproportionate level of African Americans in the prison system. Glenn Loury, along with Pamela Karian, Tommie Shelby, and Loic Wacquant discuss how America has let fear and greed cause an inequitable landscape for citizens who have the misfortune of being born the wrong color and of the wrong social-economic class. The principals of equality and freedom on which America was founded has become nothing more than smoke and mirrors. Maybe the pride America displays to the World as a Global power incapableRead MorePrison Overcrowding Crisis1317 Words   |  6 Pagesdetained or before a trial. A prison is built to house individuals for a long period of time. A jail is also known as a detention facility. A prison is known as a correctional facility or penitentiaries. Regardless of their name, the functions stay th e same: to incarcerate and condemn criminals. America the land of the free has the highest incarceration rate. Furthermore, prisons are overcrowded due to the â€Å"war on drugs† and the â€Å"three-strike† law. Individuals are sent to prison for nonviolent crimes.