Overcrowding

This paper explores the causes of why not enough inmates are getting the rehabilitation needed to succeed outside prison walls. It may be a lot cheaper to provide them with programs than to house them for minor offences. Lastly, this paper will look at the cost effects of housing these prisoners and what kind of programs are offered while prisoners are serving their time. Without the proper rehabilitation, the result will be that our jails will stay overcrowded and cause a financial burden on all of America. PRISON OVERCROWDING 3 Prison Overcrowding is a Financial Burden Something needs to be done about prison overcrowding and the lack of rehabilitation programs. Without proper rehabilitation, prisoners become repeat offenders. This means we have to build new faculties just to keep up with the overcrowding. The current cost to our nation to incarcerate inmates is $30 billion per year, which is expected to quadruple in the next decade (Crawford, 2003). The result is that prison overcrowding is a serious financial burden for Americans. Rehabilitation First, prison overcrowding is a financial burden because prisoners are not getting enough rehabilitation to transition back to society. The responsibility of the Bureau of Prisons is to safely confine its prisoner population. However, another mission of the Bureau is to rehabilitate: to provide inmates with skills that will aid them in their ability to readjust after being released (Pavis, 2002). Most inmates come to jail with little or no education at all. Once released these prisoners are right back where they started from. Talbot (2008) states, “Many will be drug abusers who received no treatment for their addiction while on the inside, sex offenders who got no counseling, and illiterate high school dropout who took no classes and acquired no job skills.” The more prisoners that are rehabilitated, the quicker they can start to contribute to society once they are released. Housing Prisoners Secondly, prison overcrowding is a financial burden because taxpayers have to pay. Tax payers buy food, clothing and housing for these inmates. Nationally, the housing of inmates cost more than $30 billion annually (Crawford, 2003). It costs $1 million to build a single prison bed and keep an inmate 30 years (“To Achieve Law and Order,” 1995). There is clearly too much PRISON OVERCROWDING 4 money being spent on locking them up when we could use the money for alternative treatments so they can return to productive lives. Females Inmates Lastly, prison overcrowding is a financial burden because when you lock up females, their children often grow up without a nurturing bond with their mothers. There are fewer prison facilities for women prisons than for men, so mothers are moved further away, making it less likely for the child to visit their mothers. Crawford (2003) stated, “This low rate of contact between mothers and child tends to break down family relationships, which causes psychological and emotional damage both to the child and to the incarcerated mother.” When a mother is jailed there is usually not a father around to take care of the children, so children are left with family members or put into the juvenile foster system. To make matters worse, a mother separated from her child is more likely to get reincarnated, and the children are more likely to commit crimes (Crawford, 2003). We should employ alternatives to incarceration for more female offenders, as they tend to be nonviolent and not a threat to society. Fixing the Problem In conclusion, America should look into getting more rehabilitation for these prisoners, so that they won’t continue to be such a terrible financial burden on America. We need to give them the tools they need to be able to function in the real world. If we do nothing to address the problems offenders bring in with them, then nothing will change to improve prison overcrowding in this country (Kaiser, 2004). We must stop America from becoming even more of a “Prison Nation” than it already is. PRISON OVERCROWDING 5 References Crawford, J. (2003). Alternative sentencing necessary for females inmates with children. Corrections Today, 65(3), 3-8. Retrieved from Associates Program Source Plus database. Kaiser, R. (2004). Correctional programming: A value-added service. Corrections Today, 66(2), 8-13. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Database. Pavis, R. (2002). Preparing Federal prison inmates for employment after release: An innovation in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Journal of Correctional Education, 53(4), 146-149. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database. Talbot, M. (2003). Catch and release. Atlantic Monthly, 291(1), 97-100. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database. To achieve law and order, people must be changed. (1995). Corrections Today, 57(2), 62. Retrieved from Associates Program Source Plus database.