Overcrowded Prisons

Paper Summary:

The paper focuses on the plight of prisoners who are being held in over-populated jails. The paper further shows how overcrowded prisons cost the nation not only financially, but socially as well. The paper believes that the government needs to see past the iron bars, and instead look to the future of helping ex-convicts establish stability in society. The paper includes an annotated bibliography.

From the Paper:

"America's criminal justice system operates on the theory that imprisonment, as punishment is best for all crimes: violent crimes, such as murder, financial crimes such as embezzlement, or drug usage related crimes of an addict. Peter Katel, author of the article "Prison Reform" notes, "America has more people in prisons and jails -- 2.2 million -- than any other country in the world. And over the next five years, the number of prison inmates is projected to grow three times faster than the national population" (289). With many incarceration institutions filled to capacity, this figure instigates a serious question--where will the government detain these criminals?"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Feldman, Daniel L. "20 Years of Prison Expansion: A Failing National Strategy." Public Administration Review 53.6 (Nov/Dec 1993): 561-566. Education Research Complete. EBSCOhost. E.H. Butler Lib., Buffalo State Coll. 1 April 2008 <http://search.ebscohost.com>.
• Flynn, Edith E. "Jails." Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice. Ed. Joshua Dressler. Vol. 2. 2nd ed (2002): 851-861. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. E.H. Butler Lib., Buffalo State Coll. 2 April 2008 <http://go.galegroup.com>.
• Gaes, Gerald G. "The Effects of Overcrowding in Prison." Chicago Journals 6.95 (1985): 1 pg. 2 April 2008 <http://www.journals.uchicago.edu>.
• Harrison, Paige M., and Allen J. Beck Ph.D. "Prisoners in 2005." Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin (Nov 2006): 13 pgs. 2 April 2008 <http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov>.
• Katel, Peter. "Prison Reform." CQ Researcher 17.13 (April 2007): 289-312. CQ Researcher. EBSCOhost. E.H. Butler Lib., Buffalo State Coll. 1 April 2008< http://library.cqpress.com/>.

More papers on Overcrowded Prisons:

• Essay # 23088 : "Overcrowded Prisons"
• Research Paper # 100082 : "Recidivism Rates in Californian Prisons"
• Argumentative Essay # 111595 : "Society's Prisons"

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