The Problem of Prison Overcrowding
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Introduction
The problem of prison overcrowding has attracted heated debates from all corners in the United States. In terms of U.S. justice system, overcrowding means more than 12,000 cases of a cell designed for a single inmate holding two. Presently, there are numerous such cases because prisons lack sufficient space to hold all prisoners as they complete their sentences. In 2003, the overall prison population neared the 2.2 million mark in the United States, according to BJS (Bureau of Justice Statistics). The latest report showed over 2 million people incarcerated on a single day, a rise of 57,000 more prisoners than federal, local, and state officials convicted on that date the previous earlier. Rates of incarceration rose continually, according to the report. Overall, close to 1 percent of United States citizens was either incarcerated in a prison or held in jail.
Overcrowding in Prisons
There is a myriad of contributory factors to this unprecedented trend of prison overcrowding. While the suspension of early release programs has a significant contribution, the problem is rooted in years of harsh practices of sentencing, a tough stance on legislation of crime, as well as the tough war on hard drugs. Apart from causing record statistics of people to be locked up, these policies have also drained both the state and federal governments of vital resources. For instance, U.S. taxpayers spent over 1 billion dollars on prisons in 2009, each inmate spending an average of 25,000 dollars. Nonetheless, only a minimal impact on the rate of crime was noted. It would have provided a little comfort if that money led to increased safety, but this was not the case.
Prison building pace does not keep up with that of the expanding prison population (Allen & Hough, 2008). In Los Angeles, for instance, the state government has constructed only two new prisons in 10 years. Other prisons have been reported to hold over 1,900 inmates, despite having been designed to hold 1000. In one instance, the Supreme Court intervened in a situation where a prison designed for 8,500 inmates held over 12,000. The prisons’ software is extremely defective; the budget for prison management tends to be quite meager. In Texas, over 90 percent of the budget goes on to payment of warders’ salaries and food, and little is left to maintain the cells in sanitary conditions or build more cells. In many other states, officers lack professional training and fail to regard the work as a rewarding career staff prisons.
Close to 80 percent of all inmates is held for non-violent crimes. 60 percent of these inmates are destined to serve sentences of up to 6 months. Studies have shown that it is wise to give low-level non-violent offenders supervised release, instead of incarcerating them. Otherwise, they will commit more serious, new crimes upon release from prison (Joint Committee, Revision of the Penal Code, 2004).
A couple of other explanations for prison overcrowding abound. The United States practices a torpid system of justice, where there are many prisoners on remand, but have not been convicted. Prison reformers say over 60 percent of inmates wait for years before they appear in court, let alone sentenced. In some cases, relatives of criminals have paid for the ‘privilege’ of appearing before a court. Some U.S. prisons are so chaotic that prisoners are denied release even when the sentences they were serving are over. Other inmates have been imprisoned for capital offences, yet they are victims of mistaken identity. Such victims may languish in jail for years before the arrest of the real culprit, contributing to prison overcrowding.
Another reason for the overcrowding is the draconian attitudes to crime held by the public and law enforcers. In some states, there has been public support for the ‘iron fist’, principally with youth gang members whose crimes may be very small. Nowadays, even temporary cells for holding remand inmates, which lack the budget for basic needs like food, are overcrowded. Judges routinely imprison those accused of drug-related offences; the numbers of these offenders are exploding. In 2009, 1 out of 10 inmates were in prison due to drug-related offences; now the statistics indicate a third. Most of the inmates studies capture is locked up for few years due to drugs or property crimes (Levitt, 2006).
Overcrowding in prisons has had an adverse impact for both the inmates and prison authorities. Most of the cells possess unscreened toilets. These do not provide even the most fundamental of human dignity. Prisoners are in constant travel, from prison to prison, in a desperate search for empty beds. It was found that close to half of the prisoners served sentences in far-flung places, over 50 miles from their homes. In 2009, this cost the U.S. taxpayer a lot of money in costs of transportation. Moreover, significant delays abound in the justice system because all arrivals for appearances in court were done late. Family relationships were jeopardized, and chances of re-integration into the community dampened. Prison authorities apparently ignored successful re-integration and family relationships as critical factors for reducing repeat offences.
In general, the enormous population in prisons undermines any work the prison service may be attempting to do in good faith. Any prison experience should be constructive for the prisoners as imprisonment is meant to be correctional, not punitive. Due to surging numbers of inmates, there was little activity in terms of education and employment in the prisons. Consequently, the prisoners were not engaged fully while serving their sentences. For instance, the number of inmates allowed out of the cells for association 6 times every week dropped in 2009 (School of Law, New York University, 2004).
Overall, an overcrowded prison causes psychological damage to the prisoners. Research has shown social factors contribute to overcrowding problems more than spatial factors. When there are more inmates than the correctional facility can accommodate, some develop anti-social behavior such as sodomy and violence. Other prisoners may be affected uniquely. They may become increasingly depressed, get panic attacks and even lose the potential to form any healthy relationships upon release. Some Non-Governmental Organizations have termed prisons “schools of crime.” This is because remand prisoners have been reported to languish for many years, mixing and mingling closely with hardened members of gangs.
Recently, several important steps have been taken to curb prison overcrowding. Nevertheless, the aim has been cost reduction and protection of the public rather than the inmates' welfare. For example, as part of the 2009 Act of Crime Reduction, the federal government is working with the states to divert low-level non-violent offenders to alternative correctional measures, such as community-based programs. These alternatives are both inexpensive and rehabilitate this kind of offenders more effectively than the prison system. Nevertheless, in terms of cost control, only so much can be done. If the governments are serious about cutting cost, then policy makers, politicians, as well as the public have to see the criminal justice system is reformed from arrest to early release. Otherwise, even more taxpayer’s money will be spent on an extremely costly prison system (Howard, 2006).
Conclusion
The population in U.S. prisons has been increasing steadily since 2000, posing a critical concern for the states. Overcrowding is associated with several problems, both spatial and social, but the social ones are of more concern. The major reason for overcrowding is lack of alternative modes of correction, and development of such will work to reduce the crowding. In an attempt to ease the overcrowding, serious offenders have been released early, making their re-entry into the community hard. Unless major policies on the prison system reforms are made, the problem of overcrowding will continue to bite and may worsen.