When did prison overcrowing become a problem and what is the nature of this problem?

Answer 1

We started prosecuting people and imprisoning them for crimes that would have in the past probably gotten probation or fines. Minor drug offenses, simple assaults (like when a couple of dudes get into a fist fight). I think it goes back to about the time when Republicans started pushing their "get tough on crime" agenda.. Not saying that's a BAD thing, just stating what I believe to be a fact...

Then there's the 3 strikes and you're out laws in a lot of states, where if you commit 3 crimes, you get locked up for life. And mandatory minimum sentencing.

Finally, we haven't been keeping pace with the exploding growth of our inmate population by building enough prisons to house them.

Answer 2

Prisons aren't too overcrowded county and city jails are more so. This is because of the numerous people breaking the law, nearly 50 % of the housed inmates (right now) are already convicted of one or more crimes in the past. I think personally that the punishment and rehabilitation process should be more strict on sentenced people. Then they would do all they could not to go down the same roads that got them into trouble the FIRST time.

Answer 3

WOW, I guess it's easy to recognize the pot heads!

Seriously, the war on drugs may not have been the best idea even if it was well-intentioned. The problem is that these prisons are warehouses rather than places where people get punished. The proper way to handle the situation is to make the prisons support themselves like the Sheriff of Maricopa County did.

Answer 4

Most of it is result of failed American drug policy that sends minor drug offenders to prison for absurd amounts of time.

One example of this are "Mandatory Minimum" sentences which leave judges no discresion in sentencing a person who has committed a moderate drug-related crime. The judge MUST give this person the sentence perscribed by the law and cannot weigh aggravating/mitigating circumstances.

What is the result of this? People who don't belong in prison and instead could go for rehabilitation and treatment and find their place in society get screwed over and become worse criminals when they eventually get out of prison.

How do we fix this? First, abolish mandatory minimums. Second, reduce the severity of drug laws. Someone who smokes pot on occassion is NOT a serious criminal. They're not hurting anyone else (but themselves, and even this is subject to debate).

Answer 5

I have been in prison for 20 months in Oklahoma for forgery. If you are waiting in a county jail to go to prison, the state pays money to the county jail to hold a person that is considered DOC property and waiting for bed space in prison. When I was sentenced they took me to a six man cell that had 16 women in there. I had to sleep on the concrete floor for a while, waiting on a mattress. Then when you get to prison you are taken care of with the Fed., money that is issued for each person. Then in turn, time to fill the slot in county jail that you gave up when you were shipped to prison. It is a trickle down effect. Max prison then to Min security than to the community level and then to the halfway house or work release. And you have the Max prisons where the murders are and they are just there for life and they seperate them from general population. So if the system gets bogged down and no one is moving and at a stand still. People start being released, and of coarse if your time is up or close to it, you get out. It's a viscous cycle the prison system. The majority of people (women) in prison are there for meth, selling and manufacturing, then people with to many DWI's and the rest is mostly white collar crimes. And a few child abuse cases. And they are shunned by most inmates. A child crime is the worst thing to be in for, because you are pointed out and picked on. I stayed to myself and choose only a couple of women to hang out with that weren't trouble makers. We were packed in there like sardines and that is prison in a nut shell.

Answer 6

Well, while I do have personal opinions on this I will simply stay to the facts. Too many people being arrested for charges like marijuana. And too many men being arrested for not paying child support. The jail system is here for a reason. What that reason is I'm not sure of, they say it's to reform but that rarely ever happens. I guess it's for punishment. Either way i definitely think that murderers, rapists, pedophiles, thieves, crack and heroin dealers, etc. major criminals should be locked up and most should never be allowed to return to society. But people arrested for possessing a dime bag of weed, or not paying $83 a week in child support do they need to be clogging up our jail cells? Someone arrested for stealing bread and peanut butter or diapers for their children, should they be in jail? I guess that was kind of opinionated but ... so that;s what i think on the subject. Just another example of things the people in positions of authority in this country can not do right.

Answer 7

the problem is probably somewhere in the fact that states get paid $30,000 per year per inmate by the feds. What that means is that every empty bed means lost money for the prison.

Answer 8

The Us has more people in prison than any other country. Most of it is rediculous drug charges.

Answer 9

Stiffer penalites and longer mandatory prison terms for drug offenses, and the elimination of parole for many offenses.

Answer 10

it really exploded with the "war on drugs" in the mid to late 60s. The nature of it is, its easy to stand up in the state leg and act "tough on crime,' but harder to go back to your district and tell them its going to cost them xxx million bucks to lock up all these miscreants youve been writing laws to lock up.