Paper Summary:

This paper looks into the issue of prison overcrowding, non-violent criminals and their sentences and the cost of housing prisoners in the United States. In this article, the writer argues that something needs to be done in order to preserve America's prison system in the most efficient way possible. The writer focuses on how the prison population has dramatically increased over the last twenty-five years. According to the writer, non-violent offenders receive extreme sentences that focus more on the punishment aspect of prison instead of focusing on the rehabilitation of an offender in an effort to prevent recidivism. The costs of maintaining the prison system are also explored. The writer concludes that prison overcrowding is a result of a failed prison system that desperately needs reform.

From the Paper:

" Another result of prison overcrowding in the United States is violence within our prison system against other inmates and prison staff grows along with the inmate population. The more inmates that a prison has to house, the more likely it is that an assault with occur within its walls. With federal and state budgets mounting, many prison systems have had to cut staff to dangerously low levels resulting in an unsafe environment for staff and inmates alike. Many prisons have had to cut vital security and personnel to accommodate their budget. The only thing that the prison has not cut back on is the number of inmates that it has to house and receive each year. Some prisons are even forced to house many more prisoners than it is designed to hold, creating a powder keg inside. The prison's gym is now turned into a dormitory, where prisoners sleep in cots stacked on top of each other within a couple of arms length away from their neighbor with nothing to separate them. Drugs and illegal contraband flourish in this type of environment without the proper security and manpower. Although prison is not supposed to be like Disneyland, a prisoner should not have to fear for his life on an everyday basis when in custody of a correctional institution."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Forster, Matt. "Counterpoint: The Need to Reform the Parole System." Points of View: Parole System; 2007, p3-3, 1p. Web. 17 Nov 2009
• "ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS DIRECTOR RANDLE ANNOUNCES PRISON REFORMS. " US Fed News Service, Including US State News 19 Sep. 2009,General Interest Module, ProQuest. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.
• "Illinois Department of Corrections - 2003 Statistical Presentation - Part I." State of Illinois | Department of Corrections. 7 Oct. 2005. 16 Nov. 2009
• "Incarceration in the United States." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 8 Jul 2009, 15:03 UTC. 16 Nov 2009
• Lawrence, A.. "CRIME COSTS. " State Legislatures 1 Mar. 2009: Research Library Core, ProQuest. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.

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