Criminal Justice

Conduct research about prison overcrowding using reliable, quality resources.

Write an essay reflecting your personal views and opinions while addressing the following questions.

What issues have contributed to the doubling of the incarceration rate? Which strategies for dealing with crowded prisons seems most viable to you? Why?
Imagine that you are incarcerated in a double-celled prison that is overcapacity. What are some of the factors that will influence the way you serve your time?
How would you respond to the argument that the American prison is becoming a place where the urban poor receive better housing, health care, education, and job training than they do on the outside?

ANSWER

Prison Overcrowding

Issues That Have Contributed to The Doubling of the Incarceration Rate

Incarceration rates have increased since states have been sending a much larger share of offenders and holding them longer. Longer prison sentences have an increased likelihood of imprisonment, thus contributing to more incarceration rates. Considerably, poor black men are incarcerated and released only to find themselves back into the criminal justice system. This is because long prison sentences have led to a lack of social support and resources that facilitate their survival in the real world (Lugo and Wooldredge, 2017). Neighborhood environmental contexts have influenced the level of crime and incarceration rates. High rates of poverty, crime, and increased social disorganization have risked the youth falling into imprisonment.

Prisoner rehabilitation through education programs is at the heart of building energy into constructive occupations and assisting for their re-entry into society. Considerably, failure of rehabilitation has resulted in increased reoffending, which increases the prison capacity. Therefore, rehabilitation is effective in reducing prison overcrowding. Awarding productive individuals or those with good behaviors is an essential incentive to create better environments and reduce prison capacity (UNODC, 2013). Reducing and standardizing sentence lengths can reduce overcrowded prisons by routinely lowering sentences into a more manageable environment.

Factors That Influence Serving in an Overcapacity Prison

Overcapacity in prisons is one of the key contributors to poor prison conditions. The prison environment has incredibly defined how one serves their time due to well-being and health while living in these conditions. Some of the factors that have influenced the way one serves their time in overcapacity prisons are the demographics of the population, the nature of the crime that lead to my conviction, education, age, access to information, attitude towards people and the outside community. The amount of time and space will influence how I spend my time in an overcrowded prison. Demographics have a significant influence since they will help in establishing and identifying myself in prison. The nature of the crime will influence my life in prison since some crimes are treated differently than others. The level of education and attitude of individuals towards other inmates will influence life in prison due to reduced discrimination and good interaction with other inmates.

The high rates of violence, life skills, exposure to others engaged in criminal activities, racial disparity, lack of privacy, and personal needs will also influence how I behave in prison. For instance, a double-celled prison that is overcapacity will not have the minimum space requirements that affect privacy level. The intricate mix of behavioral and structural determinants has contributed to health conditions that influence the quality of life that one lives. For instance, overcapacity cells lead to rising crime and mental health issues, which influence prisons’ living conditions. Ideally, overcrowding negatively impacts inmate behaviors such as violence against one another and disciplinary infractions (Baggio et al., 2020). This is because there is a strong link amid the restriction on personal space and the existence of disciplinary desecrations.

American Prisons as Better Opportunities for Urban Poor.

I concur with the argument that inmates have received better opportunities such as education, job training, healthcare, and housing than they would have on the outside. Considerably, the correctional system has ensured that prisoners are fed daily, housed, and offered sanitary conditions (Absori and Surbakti, 2020). Medical treatment has been offered to them when required. Education and vocational training during incarceration have been encouraged, thus ensuring that all prisoners are better individuals in terms of skill and knowledge. While in prison, some of the inmates have been offered job opportunities to gain their daily wage. The correctional system has been lenient such that the prisoners have more benefits and options than the outside, which makes life inside better than outside for the urban poor.

References

Absori, A., & Surbakti, N. (2020). Incorporating the Psychological Approach in Nurturing the Inmates: Solution for Better Correctional System. Jurnal Media Hukum, 27(1), 23-32.

Baggio, S., Peigné, N., Heller, P., Gétaz, L., Liebrenz, M., & Wolff, H. (2020). Do overcrowding and turnover cause violence in prison?. Frontiers in psychiatry, 10, 1015.

Lugo, M. A., & Wooldredge, J. (2017). Overcrowding in Prisons. The Encyclopedia of Corrections, 1-8.

UNODC. (2013). Handbook on strategies to reduce overcrowding in prisons.