Are Prison Appropriate for Non-Violent Offenders, or Should They Be Given Alternative Punishment?

Are prison appropriate for non-violent offenders, or should they be given alternative punishment? The United States of America has a higher incarceration rate than any other country in the world. The imprisonment rate in USA is even greater than China's, India's and Russia's incarceration rates combined. Today, we can say (within the margin of error) that out of 100 people in the United States, nearly two are in prison. This increase is mainly attributed to three common factors: mandatory sentencing, non-violent crime incarceration and three strike policies. Non-violent crimes are prosecuted in state or federal courts and can carry long prison sentences, massive fines, and a social cost that is not easily offset for the incarcerated person, who might eventually become nothing more than a social pariah if effective measures will not be considered Across various cultures, the arguments for imprisoning non-violent criminals as opposed to conferring them alternative punishments has been for centuries an intensely discussed subject and a fervently mediated topic in political, judicial and social endeavors. Society has often "waxed and waned" leniently on the issue of whether to punish non-violent felons by incarcerating them in jail or by providing alternative means of castigation, thus offering specific treatment (such as, *The FREED Program -see End Note-) with the hope for the rehabilitation and restoration of the aforementioned group of lawbreakers. The purpose of this essay is to provide strong and factual evidence of these alternative punishment methods, in general, and the FREED Program in particular, as being less costly, more effective and a lot more adequate as a deterrent of crime for non-violent offenders. To attain a clearer understanding of some technical terms like non-violent crime, imprisonment and alternative punishment, it is imperative to first define these words as terms of reference in order to eliminate any confusion. According to the