Prison overcrowding has become a major problem in the United States. As per‚ Issues and Controversies‚ “The United States has only 5 percent of the world’s population‚ but holds 25 percent of the world’s prisoners”. (“Mandatory Minimum”) Housing the growing prison population is putting a strain on the federal government’s budget‚ costing roughly $80 billion a year. (“Mandatory Minimum”) Crime rates are down‚ but prison populations are a growing concern. In light of these facts‚ lawmakers need to
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There are many flaws within the United States prison system‚ as there are with everything. Not only are the prisons decrepit and deteriorating but there are far worse issues behind those barred gates. Overcrowding in detention centers and gang violence threaten to unhinge the fragile system and the threat is increasing with each passing day. However‚ not all of the problems are prisoner related as the issue of guard violence is being brought to light. Failure to address these problems could have
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Prison overcrowding is a major problem in our criminal justice system and it continues to be a hotly debated topic as to how we should address the problem. One of the main reasons our prison systems have a problem with overcrowding is drugs. More specifically‚ the "war on drugs" started by President Reagan in 1982 brought a dramatic increase to the number of people put behind bars for drug offences. Mandatory minimum sentencing and truth in sentencing are two policies which have sent drug offenders
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Issues faced with Prison Overcrowding Prison overcrowding is when the demand for space in prisons in a jurisdiction exceeds the capacity for prisoners in the place‚ for those who aren’t familiar or just simply didn’t know what prison overcrowding is. “Prison overcrowding is caused by a variety of issues‚ such as not enough room in prisons‚ fluctuating crime rates‚ changes to laws and improvements to law enforcement tactics (Prison Overcrowding is a Growing Concern in the U. S.)” Researchers have
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How Prison Overcrowding Affects State Budgets By: Clarissa Taylor JUST 6510/ JPS Planning & Budgeting April 18‚ 2015 This paper will discuss how state and federal budgets are affected by the overcrowding of prisons. I chose this topic mainly because I use to work for the Alabama Department of Corrections from 2002 to 2005 as a Correctional Officer I. During the time I was employed for the department‚ I witness a lot of overcrowding in Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women. Things had gotten
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2015). If a judge sentences imprisonment‚ this poses a pressing topic. Overcrowding is a prominent issue within the correctional system. Overcrowding does not only affect those convicted and imprisoned‚ it also affects the safety of correctional officers and other staff members. Poor conditions and various health concerns come with the rising overcrowding population. A less expensive alternative and a way to help the overcrowding is to sentence the offender to probation or put them within community
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Recommendations A potential resolution to the issue of jail overcrowding is the end of mandatory sentencing for minor offenses. Despite the fact that the alternative requires a great deal of influence to convince Congress to eliminate this law; the termination of mandatory sentencing will majorly affect prison overcrowding. Indeed‚ even those these wrongdoers have carried out an unlawful activity‚ imprisonment may not generally be the best choice. Alternative programs that encourage the wrongdoers
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Overcrowding in America ’s Prisons: Can Repeat Offenders Be Rehabilitated Thesis Statement and Hypothesis: Prisons in America are overcrowded‚ understaffed and I believe put very little emphasis on rehabilitation. Introduction: The American prison system was set up to rehabilitate prisoners so they can meld back into society as productive citizens. Instead‚ factors as high crime rate and of course‚ mandatory sentences have caused an increased over-crowding of our jails. This has also caused
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Over the years prison overcrowding has been a major issue. Little has been done to resolve this but failed. Luckily there have been people who came up with solutions to this problem. One idea that has been that has been brought up was to replace mandatory sentencing laws with more flexible and individualized guidelines. state governments had enacted a mandatory sentencing statutes. These Mandatory sentencing laws like these limit judicial jurisdiction by preventing sentencing judges from considering
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In the United States‚ prison overcrowding and budget cuts within the criminal justice system have lead to an increase in the need and the development of private prisons and jails. "A private prison is a place in which individuals are physically confined by a third party that is contracted by a local‚ state‚ or federal government agency. Private prison companies typically enter into contractual agreements with local‚ state‚ or federal governments that commit prisoners and then pay a per diem or
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