Prison Overcrowding in the USA - Essay Example

Prison Overcrowding in the US While there has been improvement in prison conditions in many ways, the current correctional system is still in a struggle to cope with many problems experienced in the past. Jail and prison overcrowding has continued to haunt United States correctional facilities. This paper serves to explore the issue of prison overcrowding in the US and explain on its extent, causes, effects and the way forward in handling the issue. The pressures of an increasing inmate population, in addition to the demand for cheaper correction cost, have precipitated in an increasing shortage of inmates’ living space. This has led into inmates being forced into open dormitories and double-bunking in a single cell. Many critics have termed such overcrowding as dehumanizing and degrading for inmates. It is also contradictory to the present correctional reforms that emphasize on maximizing the opportunities that are available to inmates (Farrington 222). The Extent of the Problem The United States reports the highest number of incarceration rate in the world. At the end of the year 2009, the incarceration rate was 743 adults per 100,000 people. U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics quotes that 2,266,800 people were incarcerated in the US state, federal and county jails by the end of 2010. This is approximately 0.7% of the US adult resident population. In addition, there were 4,933,667 adults by the end of 2009, who were on parole or probation. Therefore, the total number of adults under correctional supervision totals to 7,225,800. This is approximately 3% of the total population of US adults (U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics). The number of juvenile detentions was 86, 927 in 2007. Despite this increased numbers, the crime rates have been shown to be on the decrease. 70% of prisoners in the US are non-white. The states with the highest ratio of incarceration include Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi. Approximately 90% of the inmates comprise males. The total number of foreign prisoners is estimated at 6% (U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics). Causes of Overcrowding There are several causes of this pertinent issue. There has been an increase on the number of offenders that are sent to prison. This can be attributed to high rates of recidivism, which have been on the rise. There has been an increased rate of offenders that return to prison for unsuccessfully completing or violating community supervision. The increased number of offenders can also be attributed to new criminal offences that have been added to the penal code. Certain types of offenses have harsher penalties resulting in increased terms in the correction facility. There is also an increased role of victim advocacy and victim in the court, in addition to parole process (West and Sabol 3). Another factor that has led to overcrowding is convicted inmates serving a huge portion of their sentences in side prison. This has been precipitated by the shift from indeterminate towards determinate sentencing. This has led to the increase in the average minimum sentence. Elimination of the “good time” has also resulted in inmates serving a great portion of their sentences inside prison. The establishment of time-served standards for eligibility of parole has also precipitated to increased sentence duration. An additional factor that has directly resulted in overcrowding is the aggressive approach to crimes by the criminal justice system and legislature (tough on crime approach) (Aday 12). This has permitted the criminal justice system to take a less controversial and more conservative approach to punishment. Therefore, it has narrowed its use of discretion leading to increased rates of incarceration. The general assembly has additionally supported the institution of increased punitive response to crime. The tough on crime approach has made other diversionary, intermediate sanctions and alternatives look less appealing. This approach does not reserve expensive and limited prison beds for the violent, serious and repeat offenders. Another precipitant of overcrowding is the lack of beds in prison. This is especially so when it comes to high security beds. The DOC is currently operation at a maximal capacity. The dormitory facilities also present management and security concerns to the department. Another limitation is that high security inmates cannot be moved into lower security prisons. The population of accused offenders has been on the rise. However, the bed space has not been increased proportionally. Lack of accurate projection of offenders and poor planning is also a significant cause of the problem. There lacks accurate projection of the total offender population. Therefore, the DOC and the general assembly are not able to adequately and accurately plan for newer facilities. The current methods of projection employed lead to a cycle of overcrowding. The DOC is unable to wriggle its way out of the overcrowding crisis (Rosenfeld 489). The final cause discussed is the war on drugs. This has been a major determinant of the increasing number of inmates. It is estimated that 70-75% of the people behind bars are prisoners of the drug wars. Incarceration, drug use and arrest rates indicate that people of color bear the blunt of this war (Aday 14). Effects of Overcrowding In Prisons Crowding in an area can be measured using spatial and social density. Spatial density is a measure of the amount of space available for an individual in a housing unit. Social density is a measure of the number of persons sharing a housing unit. Of the two measurements, social density contributes most to the adverse effects of crowding (US Bureau of Justice Statistics). However, these measurements of density are not the only indicators of the effects of crowding in a prison. Factors such as personal control, physical environment and availability of resources are other factors that contribute to the effects of crowding in the prisons. According to Farrington, effects of crowding are not only indicated by the number of people living in an area. They are mainly as a result of frustrations in the achievement of a purpose due to the presence of other people. In the prison setting, there are limited resources that are supposed to be shared by the inmates. These include vocational training, employment, library and other rehabilitative programs. Crowding in the prisons means that these resources have to be stretched beyond their capacity. This means that the inmates have limited opportunities to participate in these programs. This results in constant frustration of the inmates when they are denied the resources. It also creates unnecessary competition and hence violence over the limited resources. It also contributes to boredom and idleness (Flynn 51). Crowding has an adverse effect on the inmate’s behavior. This is because the prison setting is characterized by various stressors. These stressors include fear, inability to turn off undesired stimulations and interaction, for example, noise or maintain a personal identity. The inmate’s adjustment process so as to cope with the stressors varies. Some become withdrawn, depressed while others end up being violent and aggressive (Flynn 52). In situations where the resources are scarce, inmates are likely to become violent and aggressive. This has an adverse effect on their social interaction and relation behavior. In contrast, social withdrawal manifests as adoption of guarded and defensive attitudes with leads to a decrease in the quality of their social interaction. According to Rosenfeld, this behavior is manifested as an inability to form sound relationships even after they exit the prison setting. Currently, the US correctional system is unable to meet the increasing demand for space in the prisons. The crowding situation in US has forced the system to misclassify offenders which is based on availability of space. In some situations, an offender classified as medium security is placed in a maximum security prison while the maximum security offender is placed in a medium security set up. This occurs despite the fact that the law has stipulated the standard offender’s classification process (Flynn 53). As the programs in the prisons are not appropriate for the offender, the correction process is very slow which translates to delayed exists from the prisons. Furthermore, placing of inmates based on availability of space means that the inmates are manipulated to adapt to the requirement of the correction facility rather than the programs and environment being adjusted to meet the needs of the offenders (Farrington 229). According to Farrington, misclassification and crowding in the prisons creates a vicious cycle in the correction system. In the beginning, crowding results in misclassification of offenders thus they are placed in inappropriate programs and facilities. Secondly, in an attempt to adjust to the environment, the inmate develops socially unacceptable behavior. These results to slow rehabilitation process and the inmate cannot be released on parole. At this point, the cycle repeats itself. Crowding is described as an interactive process that can cause, result from and also exacerbate the impact of other conditions. The prison environment has been shown to have the highest prevalence of stress related disorders. Solutions to Overcrowding The empirical data on the number of offenders in prisons has prompted the US correction system to come up with solutions to address the issue. These solutions are mainly focused on improving the designs of the prison facilities as well as reducing the number of incarcerated offenders. Improvement of the designs involves expansion of the capacity of the prisons in the US. It also includes expansion of resources and programs currently put in place in the prisons. These include introduction of recreational facilities, comfortable furniture as well as the introduction of new programs in the correctional facility. Traditionally the use of surveillance camera was emphasized in monitoring the inmates. The correctional system should encourage inmate responsibility and social or internal spheres control. This will foster an environment that encourages the inmates to have personal control and identity (Farrington 225). Today, the US correctional facility has implemented the use of other correctional methods as a substitute for incarceration. These include the use of community supervision or intermediate fines which vary from fines to release on parole. It is also paramount to educate the community on the importance of obeying the law. In the US, the crowding in the prisons has been attributed to the rise in crimes and subsequent arrest for the crimes. The majority of the offenders incarcerated in the prisons are due to drug abuse, reckless driving and other minor offenses. Conclusion Overcrowding is an important issue haunting the correctional facilities within the US. Various factors have served to aggravate this issue. Crowding effects are not necessary due to the number of persons in the area. They also depend on availability of resources to meet the needs of individuals. It is thus paramount for the US correction system to come up with measures that enhance the resources available in the prisons. This will effectively tackle the problems associated with overcrowding. Works Cited Aday, Ronald. Aging Prisoners: Crisis in American Corrections. NJ: Prentice Hall, 2007. Print. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Correctional Population in the United States, 2011. Web. Farrington, Nuttal. “Prison size, overcrowding, prison violence and recidivism”. Journal of Criminal Justice, 8 (1980): 221-231. Print. Flynn, Lee. “House Arrest: Florida’s Alternative Eases Crowding and Tight Budgets.” Corrections Today, 50 (2006): 50-53. Print. Rosenfeld, Kempf. “The scope and purposes of corrections: Exploring alternative responses to crowding”. Crime and Delinquency, 37 (1991): 481-505. Print. West, Heather and Sabol, William. "Prisoners in 2009". Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1-4. Print. Read More