Reducing Prison Population in the U.S - Essay Example

Reducing Prison Population in the U.S Overcrowding in U.S prisons has become a major concern and the country is assessing possible ways of combating this problem. To accomplish this, the authorities and other involved parties are attempting to deal with this issue by analyzing laws which are harsh than they should be. Some of the challenges arising from overpopulation in prisons include being costly and most individuals are finding harsh penalties as an ineffective way of rehabilitating individuals therefore criticizing the laws. Among the concerns is that non-violent drug-related offenses should be dealt with in a different manner as compared to the present requirements of the law. The laws that govern the sentences made towards the felons who commit drug related offenses include Three Strikes law and the Rockefeller Drug Laws. The Rockefeller laws were passed during a time that the government had declared war against drugs. Under this law, possession or sale of heroin, cannabis, and cocaine would call for a minimum of 15 years imprisonment (Barton-Bellessa et al. 50-51). Following the adoption of the Rockefeller laws, the prison population has been on the rise leading to constraints on available resources. The other law that has been criticized for being unnecessarily strict is the Three Strikes Law, which is directed towards individuals with previous counts of felony. Under this law, an individual convicted of a new felony having gone through a previous conviction of a serious crime is to be sentenced twice the term for the new crime (Judicial Council of California). Moreover, if a person was convicted of a crime having been through two prior sentences, this law requires that such an individual be imprisoned for at least 25 years or life imprisonment. Both laws have been criticized in the past and continue to receive criticism since they are unfairly harsh. Bearing in mind that prison space is finite, enacting such laws calls for additional resources, which come from the Amcferican taxpayers making their standards of living even harder. Therefore, I believe that this space should be filled with the most appropriate individuals and find alternative corrections for other criminals such as those who are drug related. For instance, drug related felons should be handled in community settings especially those that were involved in crimes while under the influence of drugs. Due to these laws, street addicts are being held in the prisons with insufficient resources for dealing with the mental health problems they might be going through as a result of the addiction (Gray). To me, from a logical perspective of view, it would not be of importance to imprison a mentally disturbed individual while there is a better option. If the American government takes this into serious consideration, it would reduce the prison population since individuals would be tested to determine whether they were in the right state of mind while committing a crime. Moreover, this would make more sense both from the perspectives of economic and logical aspects to provide an initial diversion from prison systems to community based health providers for the street addict. From my point of view, prison space should only be reserved for violent predators who committed the crimes in the right state of mind and repeat offenders without application of the three strikes law. This space should not be reserved for an individual who was arrested with cannabis worth a few dollars. However, if the individual must be jailed, 15 years is unreasonably long for such a crime. In fact, these laws have not improved the issue of drug sale and abuse in the U.S. This is because drugs still flock the American streets and new drugs such as methamphetamine have been introduced. With respect to non-violent street addicts, treatment and rehabilitation should be the first option in the line of defense for such individuals (McLemore 10-11). The unfair punitive effect brought by the Rockefeller Law in addition to the rigidity of the Three Strikes Law are not effective with regard to deterring, lessening or curing drug addiction. Rather, the place held by the low-level street drug offenders caught in the justice system appear to be replaced by more sellers. Overpopulation in prisons also deprives the state of the ability to promote and provide public protection. This is because the state is wasting limited and valuable resources on individuals who should be catered for in different communal settings. Therefore, these laws are locking up people because of their addiction and are not concerned about the recovery that such individuals need, which come from rehabilitation. This not only burdens the taxpayer but also increases the burden on prison employees due to crowding. Considering the Three Strikes Law, it is very unfair to sentence an individual for double the required time just because they had been involved in previous crimes. This only increases prison populations and does not provide a permanent solution (Drucker 4-5). This is because this law does not provide conditions such as it should not be applied if the individual was under the influence of drugs while committing any of the previous crimes. While this law could have been effective in getting rid of the dangerous felons, it could also have convicted an individual unfairly especially if the present crime is not as serious as the previous ones. This implies that an individual could go to prison for a very long time for committing less serious crimes. For these and additional reasons, the Rockefeller Laws should not only be reexamined but also re-evaluated. Statistical data shows that the two roles are ineffective especially with regard to deterrence of drugs. Presently, a hit of cocaine is sold for as little as 75 cents in the streets while a bag of Heroin costs approximately $5. This shows that since the introduction of the Rockefeller laws prices have gone down instead of going up which should be the normal case when supply goes down. Therefore, this indicates that the problem related to drugs is getting worse since the peddlers are lowering their prices so that they can stay in business. This then indicates that imprisonment does not work with regard to non-violent drug-related crimes but contributes heavily towards overcrowding the prisons. Consequently, the government should not rely on the prisons facilities to rehabilitate or curb drug problems. Instead, it should focus on rehabilitating the drug offenders using communal facilities such as psychiatric hospitals. Works Cited Barton-Bellessa, Shannon M, and Robert D. Hanser. Community-based Corrections: A Text/reader. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE, 2012. Print. Drucker, Ernest. “Population Impact of Mass Incarceration under New York’s Rockefeller Drug Laws: An Analysis of Years of Life Lost”. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine 79.3 (2002): 1-10. Print. Gray, Madison. New York’s Rockefeller Drug Laws. 2 Apr 2009. Web, 30 Nov 2013. http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1888864,00.html Judicial Council of California. California’s Three Strikes Sentencing Law. 2013. Web. 30 Nov 2013. http://www.courts.ca.gov/20142.htm McLemore, Megan. Barred from Treatment: Punishment of Drug Users in New York State Prisons. New York, NY: Human Rights Watch, 2009. Print. Annotated Bibliography McLemore, Megan. Barred from Treatment: Punishment of Drug Users in New York State Prisons. New York, NY: Human Rights Watch, 2009. Print. Author writes about drug addiction and the traumatic experiences that the addicted individuals go through while in prison. Additionally, the ineffectiveness of the Rockefeller Laws is also discussed in perspective using testimonies from addicts. The addicts are asking for therapy and any other form of treatment that can help them overcome the effects of drug abuse such as paranoia and sleeping disorders. The author shows the seriousness of punishments imposed on drug peddlers. Additionally, the author maintains that the punishment for prisoners who use drugs is inhuman, cruel and violates human rights. Barton-Bellessa, Shannon M, and Robert D. Hanser. Community-based Corrections: A Text/reader. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE, 2012. Print. The authors provide several critics on current policies in use in U.S. In particular, the author shows the ineffectiveness of most policies including the Rockefeller Laws. Reasons are also provided to show that the prisons do not fulfill the goals they were made for. Moreover, the authors also argue that the cost of incarceration is not worth the benefits. This book maintains that the prisons should be reserved to individuals who pose risk to the society and not to individuals requiring help. Read More