Buy essay on Prison Reform

The US prison system has problems in both spheres: financial and human. The world’s highest documented incarceration rate belongs to the United States. The U.S. incarceration rate on December 31, 2008 was 754 inmates per 100,000 U.S. people.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS): “In 2008, over 7.3 million people were on probation, in jail or prison, or on parole at year-end – 3.2% of all U.S. adult residents or 1 in every 31 adults” (Siegel, p. 580).
During 2008, 2.304.115 people were incarcerated in USA jails and prisons. Also there were 92,854 held in juvenile facilities as of the 2006 Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, conducted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Great numbers of prisoners give the U. S.
During the last few decades, the philosophy of dominant criminal justice practiced sequestration and retribution instead of rehabilitation. That is why opportunities for education, job training and drug treatment are not popular in prisons any more. Some strikes and laws have led to measureless punishments for millions of nonviolent criminals, especially in the misleading “war on drugs” (Bosworth, p. 352).
The overview of the US prison system is not complete without considering the prison-industrial complex, a set of private corporations, which has a direct interest in increasing amount of prisoners. Those who are interested in increasing the prisons are politicians who are exploiting tough-on-crime rhetoric that plays well during the election time. The thing is that the punitive incarceration policies are a not effective in reducing crime, especially drug use.
It is good that a lot of states are starting to understand the failure of the prison system and introduce such rehabilitative programs as job training and drug treatment. These programs are giving positive results in the form of reduced recidivism rates and costs of taxpayer. Unfortunately these alternative solutions are in constant threat because of the prevailing, federal ideology.
There are several reasons why the US needs to have prison reform.
1. The conditions in prisons are inhumane. There are many jails, in which prisoners are victims of physical abuse and excessive disciplinary action. Overcrowding and double-bunking could be seen everywhere. At the same time, a lot of offenders who were sentenced to the maximum term of punishment are isolated in tiny cells, which often lead to mental illness. Offenders usually have inadequate access to physical and mental healthcare.
2. Most prisons can be called “crime factories.” They encourage criminal tendencies instead of curbing them. Aggressive and violent behavior is standard in jails and is even rewarded. This fact shows that time spent in such conditions usually creates violent criminals from nonviolent offenders.
3. The rates of recidivism are exceedingly high nowadays. According to the report of Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than two-thirds of released prisoners are arrested again during the next three years. Such numbers show the ineffectiveness of jail as a reformer and deterrent. It also leads to a related criticism of prison. Now people are often re-arrested on technical parole violations, for example missing an appointment with a parole officer. It is the reason why a lot of prisoners go back to the jail again.
4. Prisons are cost a lot for the country, they are expensive. The information of CBS News, insure that taxpayers pay as minimum $40 billion a year for prisons. Food and care for prisoners usually cost about $20,000 per year, and building of one cell costs about $100,000. The increasing demand to construct more jails has often taken money from the few existing treatment and education programs. These lead to the endless circle in which more jails are needed due to the lack of these programs, more offenders continue to come back.
5. The most growth in jail population has been for nonviolent offenders, especially those who were convicted on drug charges. Due to mandatory sentencing laws, more than a half of prisoners are incarcerated on drug charges, despite the fact that treatment programs are much more effective at preventing future drug crimes (Archibold, 2010).
6. The combination of such effects as: disenfranchisement laws, inmate population trends and economic situation immortalize a racial inequality in society. Inmates are disproportionately from minority communities. Based on current rates of incarceration an estimated 32 % of black men will stay in jail the whole their lifetime, compared with 17 % of Hispanic man and 5.9% of white men. After releasing, many inmates feel the lack job skills and face employer suspicion. Most states don’t allow convicted criminals to vote from prison; and in twelve states, inmates are disenfranchised for their whole lives. Such factors influence the widespread unemployment in minority communities as well as meager electoral representation.
7. Because of rigid laws, people can stay in jail for life for nonviolent crimes. For example in California, because of very strict laws, it is widely common for people to receive life sentences for such crimes as drug possession and welfare fraud.
8. The number of prisoners who were diagnosed with AIDS or HIV or some other chronic diseases is increasing. AIDS is now a leading reason of death in prisons of New York.
9. Big amount of prisoners will be released into society, but they are not prepared by jails to participate productively. The parole culture has changed during the past generation. Just now there is less individualized consideration of how well prepared prisoner is to leave jail. Fewer parole officers are available to help the return of inmates to the community, so the less help is provided to facilitate the preparation of prisoners. These trends are extremely dangerous in combination of the mental illness and violent tendencies that result from jail conditions (Tuhus-Dubrow, 2003).
Released prisoners meet insurmountable difficulties in the society. Many find themselves without market skills, without family, friends, place to live, job, money; all these factors make a perfect prescription for further illegal activities.
Present prison system has too many negative effects. A lot of people agree that the criminal justice has done nothing to make people feel safer, to compensate crime victims, or to prepare prisoners to reenter the society. The prison system doesn’t work; it also costs a fortune and violates the most basic human and civil rights of millions of Americans. A new prison reform is needed.

Work Cited:

Archibold, Randal C. “California, in Financial Crisis, Opens Prison Doors”. The New York Times. 2010.
Bosworth, Mary. “The U.S. Federal Prison System”. 2002. p. 352.
Siegel, Larry J. “Introduction to Criminal Justice”. 2009. p. 580.
Tuhus-Dubrow, Rebecca. “Prison Reform Talking Points”. The Nation. 2003.