Overcrowded Prisons

Prisons throughout the U.S have been overcrowded with inmates who cause a problem for the system itself and the general population. This causes a problem for the reason that it is expensive when prisons are overcrowded and minor crimes like possession of small amounts of marijuana by offenders gets them sent to jail instead of going to rehab. That means the system has to provide alternative jail cells for inmates to stay while murders, rapists and child molesters, who violent criminals, get early release. It also leads to dangerous conditions for guards because criminals outnumber them, which leads to chaos. That is why for those who serve life without parole, capital punishment should be applied to them, which keeps the streets safe and those criminals away from the general population. If capital punishment is expensive, then they should hang them. That way its cost efficient and we don’t have hassle with expensive, long trials.

Prisons become overcrowded due to the failure in rehabilitation programs. Programs to help out minor offenders for crimes like small drug offenses should be established. Those who commit minor offenses do not need to go to jail. They should be able to get help through enforced rehab programs that keep them from becoming hard core criminals. However, there are not enough programs available out there. That is why the criminal justice system is enforcing with harshness the crimes that small drug offenders do and sending them straight to prison. In today’s society, there are still issues with overcrowded jails. However, those involved in the criminal justice system are trying to figure out a way to resolve the issue.

The rise in the population of inmates has been a problem in some countries. For example, in “Canada 28 prisons are considered to be overcrowded.” (Msn) In their prison system the amount of money spent is quite large. In the United States the problem is even worse. The money goes to feed the inmates and maintain prison cells. The more inmates flow rapidly in and out of the system means heavier reinforcement and getting more guards hired, which means more money is being spent.

Because the prisons are overpopulated, they have to cram two inmates into a cell that is meant for one and inmates have been put into gymnasiums, rooms for watching TV, and even healthcare centers, which violates the Eighth Amendment in the U.S Constitution. All of this has a price. In order to run prisons and not construct new ones we must change the way we run the justice system. It is easier to bring back the old western ways and start hanging criminals who are in prison for life without parole.

In California, in the year 2005, the system was designed to hold just about 80,000 prisoners and, even so, there have been more than 142,000 prisons. However, other states have continuously been transferring 9,000 inmates into several of our county jails. Transferring them to county jails causes a serious problem for communities. California’s prisons will have to release inmates early in order to make room for more that are coming in. According to an ABC News report that was aired in early October 2011, people think that prisons shouldn’t allow transfers because it will lead to releasing inmates who can go on a rampage and start harming people again. How much money California spent on the prison system itself laste year?

How much is spent on united states in prison, legal cost (ju8ges, lawrers) Person that get convicted for life some plus years should be told that since they are in for life they are going to be hung (must have died and we should have saved $$ Not even in Texas is strong enough to convict a few more executions which is the worst state to be convicted because they are harsh

To conclude everything, overcrowded prison is a serious matter to the system and people. Even though some people think that because of overcrowded prisons, there are health problem that affects inmates and when they get released early they spread harmful viruses to others.