Prison Overcrowding

Paper Summary:

This paper argues that the United States has a severe prison overcrowding problem. Efforts must be made to change the nature of the prison population by seeking alternative methods of punishment where appropriate, such as diversion of drug offenders into treatment programs. Education programs must be provided to increase the prisoner's chances of successfully reentering society. The paper argues that new avenues of incarceration, such as privatization, should be used where appropriate and new technologies should be employed to reduce the population and associated costs of incarceration.

Paper Outline:
I. Introduction
- Prisoners' Rights
- Allegations of Abuse
II. Prison Overcrowding
- Exploding Jail Populations
- Soaring Costs
- Pressure on Correctional Facilities
- Effects of Overcrowding
- Prison Litigation
- New Prison Construction
- Mandatory sentencing
III.Reducing Prison Population
- Incarceration of Drug Users
- Incarceration of Mentally Impaired
IV. Literacy of Prisoners
- Educational Programs in Prison
- Difficulties of Programs
- Privatization of Prisons
- GPS Monitoring
V. Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Because of the growth of American prisons, it is not surprising that they have come to be viewed as magnets for economic development. Illinois Governor George Ryan explained that a new maximum-security prison was being built in a downstate community because it would be an important shot in the arm for a poor community badly in need of economic investment. The sixteen-hundred-bed prison is expected to generate 800 jobs and an annual payroll of $40 million. Not education or transportation but correctional services, at $1.3 billion a year, continue to be the largest item in the Illinois state budget."

More papers on Prison Overcrowding:

• Analytical Essay # 140901 : "Prison Overcrowding"
• Term Paper # 149473 : "Prison Overcrowding and the Criminal Justice System"
• Persuasive Essay # 148278 : "Impact of Prison Overcrowding"
• Essay # 108345 : "Prison Overcrowding"

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