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= Prison overcrowding = From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigationJump to search Prison overcrowding is a social phenomenon occurring when the demand for space in prisons in a jurisdiction exceeds the capacity for prisoners in the place. Prison overcrowding can occur when the rate at which people are incarcerated exceeds the rate at which other prisoners are released or die, thereby freeing up prison space. There is currently ongoing debate whether courts are sentencing criminal offenders to serve prison time and not utilizing other programs like rehabilitation centers effectively.

Contents

 * 1United States
 * Overcrowding Worldwide
 * 2Causes
 * 3Risks
 * 4Solutions
 * 5See also
 * 6References

United States[edit]
At the end of 2010, United States state and federal correctional facilities housed over 1.6 million inmates. At least seven states are currently at 25% over capacity with the highest being Alabama at 196% and closely followed by Illinois at 144% above maximum capacity. Nineteen states in total are operating above maximum capacity. In 2007, California declared a "state of emergency" with regard to overcrowded prisons.

Effects in the United States
Prison overcrowding has also played a part in american labor. Rising prison populations meant a larger pool to draw from and cheaper costs for convict labor. As a result business had to lower prices or alter their practices in order to compete, causing strain on the private economy as a result of an increased inmate population. This can directly be seen in the case of circuit-board manufacturers in Texas in the mid-1990’s: the company realized that it would be more cost effective if they were to manufacture using convict labor rather than traditional employees and the traditional employees lost their job as a result.

Overcrowding Worldwide
Prison overcrowding is also an issue across the globe.


 * Rates are on the decline in France although the issue still exists. In 1990 for every 100 beds there were 124 inmates, and in 2012 for every 100 beds there were 113 inmates. France also notes an increased rate of suicide among inmates.
 * In 2005 the East African Standard reported on one Kenyan prison; originally constructed with a capacity of 350 this prison had 1,450 inmates.
 * The country of South Africa has an imprisonment rate of 348 prisoners per 100,00 citizens, more than double the world average of 140 and the highest of any country in Africa. The average rate for other countries in southern Africa is 267.

Causes[edit]
Studies have shown that the majority of prison sentences are handed to two types of offenders: drug offenders and recidivists.

Determinate sentenscing procedures have taken away control from prison administration from controlling admission and discharge.

Contributing factors in the United States can be linked to the criminalization of urban spaces as the result of an increasing number of laws during and after the civil rights era and an effort to fight the war on drugs. Particularly the 1973 Rockefeller Drug Laws passed in New York which favored a punitive outlook on drug offenses rather than a rehabilitative one, and as a result by the year 2000 66% of inmates in the New York prison system were from New York City. These laws acted as a template for other cities where similar laws were enacted, and in 2000 there were 1,375,600 drug related arrests compared to 322,300 in 1970.

Risks[edit]
Operating prisons over maximum capacity is expensive, and inconvenient and dangerous for both prisoners and employees. Possible problems caused by prison overcrowding include:


 * Worsening of prison conditions such as sanitation and failure of basic services such as health care
 * Spread of diseases within prisons
 * Stress among inmates and staff
 * Increased risk of violence and prison riots
 * Public health is also effected when ill prisoners reenter the general population

Solutions[edit]
Some of the solutions to prison overcrowding focus on increasing prison capacity. This includes the construction of new prisons, and the conversion of space within existing facilities that has been used for other purposes into prison space.

Other solutions that have been employed involve keeping offenders, particularly those who commit non-violent or less violent offenses, out of prison. Alternate forms of sentencing are used, including probation, community service, restitution, diversion programs, and house arrest. Additionally, inmates may become eligible for early release from parole and other credits. Criminal drug addicts can be provided with the appropriate health care needs that they need if they aren't in an overcrowded prison and the courts can make use of rehabilitation centers appropriately.

Technology for tracking criminals outside of prison with smart bracelets continues to evolve and improve. One technology involves using GPS to create a geo-fence to monitor criminals to keep them within a designated area at certain times. This enables criminals to go to work, school, and return home in a controlled manner.

The final solution is to shorten prison sentences. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (2014), if prison sentences are revamped to be shorter and more accurate to the crime, prison population will decrease tenfold. This decrease will help eliminate overcrowding. It will also allow for more rehabilitation opportunities. The average tax payer will be paying less with this option, as well. With inmates spending shorter amounts of time in prison, they are costing the taxpayers less money. Also, since the study was done proving that more inmates are willing to attend rehabilitation clinics when they are in comfortable situations, it will also call for less repeat offenders. These repeat offenders generally hold longer sentences due to past convictions; however, with less repeat offenders, less taxpayer money will go into caring for inmates.

In the United States 1 in nearly 80 American adults are incarcerated. There is a lack of rehabilitation and reentry programs; most prisoners have to be on a waiting list for these programs. Drug treatment studies for in-prison populations find that when programs are well-designed, carefully implemented, and utilize effective practices they reduce relapse, reduce criminality, reduce recidivism, reduce inmate misconduct, increase the level of the offender's stake in societal norms, increase levels of education and employment upon return to the community, improve health and mental health symptoms and conditions, and improve relationships.

See also[edit]

 * List of countries by incarceration rate
 * Mandatory sentencing
 * Prisons in California § Prison growth and overcrowding

** Sources used:

Thompson, H. A. (2010-12-01). "Why Mass Incarceration Matters: Rethinking Crisis, Decline, and Transformation in Postwar American History". Journal of American History. 97 (3): 703–734.

Coyle, Andrew (2008). "Prison Privatisation African Context". Review of African Political Economy. 35 (118): 660–665.

*** Still need to think about links to/from other articles