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235764916 CJA 394 Week 1 Criminal Justice Overview Paper SAMPLE page only
Select one of the following issues:
• Racial profiling
• Prison overcrowding
• The war on drugs
• Increased use of technology
• Cultural diversity
Write a 1,050- to 1,705-word paper addressing how your selected issue affects the criminal justice system as a whole.
• Describe some of the change(s) the criminal justice system as a whole has made in response to the issue you selected.
• Include your opinion on whether the changes are sufficient. Should more changes be made, and if so, what changes?
Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Prison Overcrowding
CJA/394

Prison Overcrowding
One of the greatest challenges currently facing the American criminal justice system is overcrowding. America has the largest prison population in the world with over two million inmates which have led to major challenges in housing the many inmates. The many challenges being faced by the correctional system include insufficient prison beds for inmates and lack of prison space as well as inadequate funding, and resources. The causes for the extreme overcrowding have been blamed on retributive sentencing polices, new legislation, the War on Drugs, and the criminalization of the juvenile offender.
The rise in the sentenced population in the United States shows that the number of persons sentenced to probation, parole, prison, and jail has risen to record levels, although there has been slowing prison growth since 2006. This leveling-off still results in record prison populations, but the rate at which offenders are sentenced to prison is declining slightly, primarily due to the state budget problems and also severe prison overcrowding in many locations (Albanese, 2013).
The increase in prison populations is a direct result of an increase in the likelihood of offenders’ being sent to prison; also, new incarcerations are occurring faster than releases from prison. The rate of admissions into state prisons (per one hundred prisoners) was 55 percent; the release rate was 31


References: Albanese, J. S. (2013). Criminal Justice (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Richardson, H. (2004). What Causes Overcrowding in Jails and Prisons? Retrieved October 28, 2011 from www.ct.gov/opm/lib/opm/.../whatiscausingprisonovercrowding.pdf Savage, D. (2011). U.S. Supreme Court Orders Massive Inmate Release to Relieve California 's Crowded Prisons. Retrieved October 28, 2011 from http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/24/local/la-me-court-prisons-20110524
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