Prison Term Policy Recommendation - Essay Example

Within the next five years, it is estimated that convicted inmates will increase the prison population by two-hundred thousand. Such an unprecedented increase in a population that depends fully on government support will cost twenty-seven billion dollars on the national scale (Ohlemacher). Indeed, the nation has already a massive flux of prisoners. In the last thirty years, according to Professor Craig Haney, incarceration rates have been increased significantly in the United States (Haney 2).

Such figures will only put a drain on the state's fiscal budget. Therefore, it is necessary to be highly certain of the effectiveness of a long prison term. Since nothing is absolute, and the government should not be considered a treasury for experimental endeavors, this writer remains skeptical of the situation.A perfect example of criminal activity and the penal code is that of Richard Allen Davis. According to People Weekly, Davis started his criminal career burglarizing people which further led to more violent acts such as attempted rape and murder.

He has been in prison many times. He had spent at least fourteen years in prison, but he can now never harm anyone due to California's three strike's law which gives life sentences to convicts with three accounts of criminal activity (Fields-Meyer). There are two conclusions I can reach from the Davis case. The first is the fact that any amount of prison terms is in no way a guarantee that a convict will exit with rehabilitated behavior. In fact, in a review of Davis, one can almost speculate that prison makes an individual even more aggressive and effective as a criminal.

My second conclusion is that no matter how ineffective prison term is, society, in general, is safe from such an individual for the time they are in prison. Thus, no one in the free society will suffer from Davis for as long as he lives. In conjunction with simple armed robbery, it is necessary to take in all aspects it contains. It is a crime not restricted to stealing the material wealth of some sort, but an offense that includes violence. The mere fact that it is armed is a signal that the offender intended to threaten death if he/she is unable to apprehend what they desire.

The Republican reports an incident of a burglarized woman, "She said prior to the robbery she was not hesitant to go into a city, especially for a cultural event. Now she feels fear not only in Springfield but other cities." (Spencer) This illustrates the graphics effects a simple robbery can have on people. It is not simply a loss of wealth, but a violent and psychological offense. At the same time, however, an act of retribution against violence may not cure the problem. According to studies performed by Professor Stuart Henry, nearly seventy-five percent of inmates have committed separate crimes before their incarceration.

That means three out of four prisoners were arrested at least once before. This data would suggest that prison sentences have a seventy-five percent chance of failing in rehabilitating inmates. Furthermore, it is estimated that the illiteracy rate in prison is more than double over the general population. This indicates that convicts released from prison are uneducated and may be forced into criminal activity in order to survive.