Problems with the Prison System
The U.S. has the largest prison population in the world. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, in 2009, more than two million people were in prison and nearly six million were on some form of probation or parole. The prison system is both costly and harmful to both the people within the system and society as a whole and many of the issues are inter-linked.
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Overcrowding
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On average, about 200 new jail cells are built each day to house the expanding population. A 2008 report by the U.S. Bureau of Justice reported that every state prison in the U.S. was running near or over maximum capacity, with rates between 97 and 108 percent. Prison overcrowding often results in decreased inmate supervision due to under staffing, less resources for inmates and inadequate living conditions. All of these factors can lead to a potentially explosive combination of boredom, isolation and violence.
Lack of Resources
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Many prisons lack adequate access to health care, mental health counseling, job training and education. This has a detrimental effect on prisoners' health and well being as well as their future success in society after they complete their sentences. The lack of resources also affects society because inmates are less likely to be rehabilitated and, therefore, are more likely to commit more crimes. Without access to treatment and other programs, inmates are much more likely to reoffend upon release and continue to cycle in and out of the prison system.
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Brutality
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Cases of brutality between prisoners and at the hands of corrections officers are all too common. Some consider solitary confinement and other harsh punishments used commonly within the prison system to manage inmates to be a form of torture. The Human Rights Watch has found that the rate of sexual abuse between prisoners is on the rise, which causes concern for the health and safety of inmates, particularly the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.
Cost
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Prisons cost taxpayers between $30 and 60 billion dollars each year, about $22,000 annually for each inmate. A prisoner sentenced to life will cost about $1.5 million. A common solution to prison overcrowding is to build more prisons, which requires even more taxpayer money. These costs cut into funding for other state programs. In the last 20 years, states have increased spending on prisons by 570 percent, compared with just over 30 percent on education.
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Comments
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Don't say how brutal it is, in fact, when someone is caught he has done many other crimes by the time the law is able to find them, especially if they have had to make a sting operation and use undercover people. This is what has happened to me, of course I am not the criminal but this person has so many drug connections and crimes that he hurts people and ruins lives while he is locked away. I am sure it is just a vacation for him, probably not paying a Drug Lord, or getting free meals. The problem is how do we in rewality get these people like this, I am not saying all, to confess or admit to the judicial system they have a serious problem? Unless things change outside the bars of prison, like they should to the person inside, they will walk out with a slap on the wrist right back into dealing, and picking up probably better than they were before. If some people are smart, they will appreciate what the system is doing for them, and helping them, if they are mad at being locked up and don't understand why, they will have a bad time, and if they are still trying to get away and cheat the system, and prepaire to keep on with their behavior when they are relaeases, this needs to be noticed by the people observing their behavior, and they should be treated as if they are not changing like the prison wants them to. And maybe add time to their scentence, or put them in secluded places until they admit and adhere to the prison systems business, and authority to work for the people who want our streets safe from them. If not, they need to fall to the harsher penalties.
