Texas continues to face a challenge in making progress toward advancing its criminal justice system to the modern standards. Despite the state’s efforts to decrease expenditures on its prison system, there are almost 150,000 offenders currently being kept in jail (Gottschalk, 2021). There are numerous ways to fix the issue, yet they require a significant restructure of the financial flow intended to keep people locked behind bars. The approach to dealing with non-violent offenders must be reimagined to fit into the modern reality. In fact, there were many proposals for measures that would decrease high incarceration rates, yet most of them were met with severe opposition (Gottschalk, 2021). The current state of criminal justice legislatures indicates that the authorities have chosen a path toward more private prisons and stricter punishments, yet this method is financially and socially unsustainable.
Therefore, Texas should invest in alternative sentences and start helping offenders reintegrate into society, as this approach appears to be more suitable for the situation. Harsh penalties for drug-related crimes are one of the primary sources of high numbers of prisoners (Gottschalk, 2021). Therefore, investing in rehabilitation programs and centers must become a priority over building new prison cells. Moreover, low-level crimes, such as drug possession, especially in cases where an offender did not have a long history of violent or disruptive behavior, can lead to leaner punishments. Unlike prisons, rehabilitation courses efficiently deal with recidivism and do not cause as many mental health issues (The Editorial Board, 2019). In conclusion, there is a viable plan to reduce the incarceration rate, yet the need to invest in alternative methods of reducing criminal behavior may be a hindrance stemming from the current course of action.
References
The Editorial Board. (2019). Reduce drug sentences to lower Texas’ prison population. Houston Chronicle. Web.
Gottschalk, M. (2021). Tougher than the rest: No criminal justice reform “miracle” in Texas. Prison Legal News. Web.