Discuss a contemporary problem in penolog - Essay Example

Discuss a contemporary problem in penology: Overcrowding Penal systems are marked by considerable power although they have modest achievements. Even though penal systems seem to have existed in one form or another at least since the biblical times, they vary in terms of internal regimes and aims; however, one thing remains paramount in the system: containing and restraining offenders (Pollock, 2005). The study evaluates the historical problem of overcrowding in the penal systems. Maximum-security jail systems in the first half of 20th century were informally referred to as Big Houses.

Prisoners in Big House lived Spartan lives since cells were overcrowded and possessions were reduced to bare necessities (Pollock, 2005). According to Pollock (2005), the Big House was depicted as a world inhabited by individuals who appeared deceased than alive. This maximum-security prison emerged in 1920s as well as 1930s. This system developed as an uncomfortable transition following the collapse of “factory” prison, which dominated the last part of 1800s. The Big House prison being a walled institution often contained several thousand inmates who were idle from decreased industrial work (Johnson, n.d). From plantation prisons, which were agrarian comparable to industrial prisons, emerged the Big House to offer discipline to inmates unable to work in the road works and in the fields.

Plantation prisons had gross population of black prisoners since they were newly emancipated and were prone to being arrested for the flimsiest pretext to work in hard labour in prisons usually called chain gangs. The shackled prisoners were used to construct several public works like railroads and roads (Pollock, 2005). The Big House gave way to correctional Institution, which was the new prison system that first emerged in 1940s as well as 1950s. These prisons were typically large cell blocks with shops and a yard as well as industrial workstations.

About 2,500 prisoners from rural and urban areas spend their time in every institution (Pollock, 2005). During the 1960s and 1970s, treatment programs were established in the correctional institution with the aim of establishing security, order, and discipline. As the number of offenders increased in the last 30 years, so was the prison population. The number of inmates from urban and rural areas greatly increased with many of them engaging in violent offenses. The shift from crime control that emphasized on the significance of incarceration in the previous establishments meant an increase of inmates in the correctional institutions (Cole, Smith & DeJong, 2014).

Overcrowding is real in many penal institutions because of the increased number of offenders. To deal with overcrowding in penal institutions, privatization of penal institutions appears to be an attractive option. Apart from cost argument, indications suggest that the main reason why privatization is a very attractive option for correction institutions is that it provides a quick way of opening institutional beds compared to the usual government processes. Overcrowding is a concern in both adult and juvenile corrections.

Overcrowding conditions are difficult to fix within a short time. Usually lawsuits as well as consent decrees necessitate correctional systems deal swiftly with the overcrowding conditions, something that almost entirely relies on legislature. A policy to change the legislature to support privatization of penal institutions is essential. This way, a contract with private correctional organization would be appropriate for the correction system since private agencies can provide more correctional beds compared to government agencies (McShane & Williams, 2007).

References Cole, G. F., Smith, C. E., & DeJong, C. (2014). Criminal justice in America. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.Johnson, E. H. (n.d) The Professional Convicts Tale. SIU Press.McShane, M. D., & Williams, F. P. (2007). Youth violence and delinquency: Monsters and myths. Westport, Conn: Praeger.Pollock, J. M. (2005). Prisons today and tomorrow. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett.