The Prison Population

Paper Summary:

The prison system in the United States is not able to meet the growing demand for mandatory minimum sentences. In order to alleviate overcrowding in prisons, the private industry has been called upon to build and operate new prisons. Consequently, the population in private prisons is growing at four times the rate of the general prisoner population. The government is now renovating closed military bases and turning them into prisons, yet overcrowding still exists. The paper examines four reasons why this dynamic is occurring and is likely to continue if present conditions remain the same. The four reasons discussed are the climate of fear in the US population; the misdirection of funds from education to prison building; the "three-strikes" law; and the entry of private enterprises into the picture.

From the Paper:

"If trends continue, more personal income will be spent on corrections than on higher education, while the burden on families to finance higher education will increase. In addition, teachers' salaries are taking a back seat to increased payroll for prison staffing. As states continue to lay off teachers to pay for corrections officers, citizens are becoming less educated and, consequently, less employable. This individual is precisely the most at-risk for criminal activity, and is most likely to find himself a member of the prison population."

More papers on The Prison Population:

• Essay # 137938 : "Prison Overcrowding"
• Term Paper # 104718 : "The Graying Inmate: An Accelerating Crisis"
• Term Paper # 138514 : "Elderly Inmates in the U.S. Corrections System"

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