Prison_Overcrowding

Prison Overcrowding Prison Overcrowding Prison overcrowding is one of the largest problems facing the American criminal justice system today. According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice, more than two million men and women are now behind bars in the United States (Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2003). The exploding prison population has been propelled by public policy changes that have increased the use of prison sentences as well as the length of time served, e.g. through mandatory minimum sentencing, "three strikes" laws, reductions in the availability of parole or early release, and the “War on Drugs” campaign. The overcrowding of prisons has many negative effects on prisoners. Because the experts do not agree on how to solve the problem of overcrowding there is no right answer, just possible solutions. Some components of the justice system believe that building more prisons, privatization, or design is the solution to the problem, while their opponents, argues that alternative methods could be used to solve the problem of prison overcrowding. These alternative methods include the problem-solving courts such as drug courts. Over the past few years’ crime has been declining so why then are our prisons courts, overcrowding, prison, prisons, system, justice, states, drug, 2002, 1984, problem-solving, paulus, panel, mccain, inmates, discussion, cox, court, problem, one, crowding, behavior, been, work, three, space, sentences, punishment, parole, offenders, meet, just, individual, failure, effects