Introduction
Overcrowding in prison is where the number of convicts in a nation exceeds the capability of its jails. When charged, criminals get a penalty that consists of a set duration of time before being discharged. Other reasons for discharge might include a legislative release, old age, or a medical condition (Ayar, 2017). The frequency of freed convicts equals the rate of new convictions under ordinary circumstances. The number of prisoners being released is occasionally significantly smaller than the number of other individuals being found at fault. Usually, an overcrowded jail demographic and poorer health are the result. Overcrowding in prisons results in poor sanitation and a lack of proper health care. There are additional problems related to the overload of prisons, including enhanced unlawful violence and insecurity experienced by offenders and penitentiary staff. Administrations should devote more of the tax-paying citizen’s public money to retain the jail populations due to overcrowding, which is a problem for the country’s economy. The primary subject of this research paper is to analyze the extent of overcrowding in prisons and solutions to the problem.
The Extent of the Problem of Overcrowding in Prisons
Many people believe that rising crime counts are the reason for jail overpopulation. However, studies have revealed that these ways of understanding need to be more accurate since overpopulation results from several shortcomings in the civil judicial systems (Ahmad, 2021). These mistakes might indicate that the lawbreaker justice procedures need to be more receptive rather than proactive. The issue of prison overcrowding has been the topic of several investigations. People have realized that the situation impacts all nations, rich and poor, equally, making it an international concern. Administrators fail to reach a balance between the revenue and the burden of jail overcrowding because they are so preoccupied with protecting residents. According to research, most jail terms in the US are associated with minor drug-related offenses (Ahmad, 2021). The US is considered a worldwide powerhouse regarding its technical, social, economic, and creative might.
The issue of overcrowding in prisons has severely affected several countries, including the U. S. Due to the significance of the situation; California declared a state of disaster in 2007. In 2015, the jail capacity in more than nine of the fifty-two states exceeded the legal limit by over 15%, with Louisiana having a jail capacity over 190% above ability (Ahmad, 2021). These facts suggest that problems like intolerance and the present global crisis should not just be seen as local problems but also as global ones. It is essential to properly understand, evaluate, and comprehend the problem before developing a natural solution like building additional prisons.
Solutions to the Problem of Overcrowding in Prisons
One of several answers to the issue of jail overpopulation is to construct new facilities. The authorities could address the issue, albeit in a limited fashion if it were to increase the number of jail cells and available facilities. Having additional jails requires the authorities to buy more property to construct more bars and turn vacant areas into jails. A different proposal is to think about reconstructing the prisons as towering structures. Authorities may be capable of maximizing the amount of land accessible by doing this while also reducing congestion inside the jails. The problem might materialize if insufficient finances are available for development or if it is not a primary concern. In these situations, democratic society must be alert and press administrations to build more prisons to protect inmates’ privileges and give them a comfortable environment while they are arrested. In the US, a sizable fraction of inmates are charged with offenses connected to narcotics misuse.
However, most violations are frequently not tied to aggression; therefore, incarcerating offenders is not always advisable. In 2013, more than 150,000 prisoners were imprisoned in US state institutions, an increase of 15,000 since the 1970s (Kolbe et al., 2022). Moreover, half of them were drug-related and terrorism convicts. That suggests that there could be a 25% drop in the overall prison capacity if the number of inmates convicted of drug offenses was cut in half (Kolbe et al., 2022). To discourage outstaying, nonviolent drug offenders should be sentenced to shorter jail terms.
Before the court’s establishment, many drug offenders got light sentences or were housed in institutions under rehabilitative conditions. They have to volunteer in the neighborhood and provide frequent reports to law protection institutions. If the rules were altered, law practitioners would be advised to sentence many drug convicts to serve their terms outside of jails, which would relieve the congestion in those facilities. Changing the law is another way to address the overcrowding in prisons problem. This rule states that all correctional officers must serve at least 75% of their jail terms to be released from incarceration (Ricciardelli et al., 2020). The law states that prisoners should not be released until they have done at least 75% of their terms.
The implication is that since prisoners stay in detention for extended periods, incarceration rates continue to rise. However, suppose the law could be altered to require that lawbreakers serve at least 45% of their sentence period before being freed (Brandon & Dingwall, 2022). In that case, more prisoners—especially those who perpetrated minor infractions—might be released faster and more space in the facilities could be made available for incoming offenders. According to studies, over 44,000 prisoners in American prisons are not nationals of the country (Brandon & Dingwall, 2022). The same is true for several developed and developing countries. This suggests that housing prisoners who are not US citizens puts high costs on the US. Finally, non-citizen detainees occupy the space intended for US criminals. The US administration might significantly lessen housing capacity in its jails if it tightened and simplified the accelerated program for transporting convicts. This would go a considerable way toward decreasing prison overpopulation.
The state can also lessen jail overcrowding by providing alternative punishment procedures for some specific populations, such as kids and mothers of young children. Without apparent cause, these organizations take up a sizable portion of correctional space. For instance, the authorities may enact laws mandating that such groups be sentenced collectively at home, thereby making room in the jails. Having the legal structure more effective is another way to solve the issue. To be effective means there should be no interruptions in handling cases and their resolution. Some criminals remain in custody for a protracted period before their accusations are considered and decided. The issue of jail congestion is exacerbated by defendants who remain in control for a prolonged period until their charges are assessed and fixed. The count of perpetrators in prison camps would markedly decrease if the judicial processes were made extra effective since no perpetrators would be kept behind bars without needing their jurisdiction to hear and decide, except for severe crimes like homicide or violent robberies that require more duration to probe.
Using alternative dispute mediation methods, such as discussion, religion, or even similar techniques, is another feasible approach for easing overcrowding in jails across the globe. By utilizing such options, it may be possible to decrease the rate of criminal convictions, which would significantly reduce the population of prisons. These options are superior to legal traditions because they relieve jail overcrowding and strengthen social bonds. In contrast to when they employ these options when individuals go to trial, and several end up in jail, the likelihood of hostility is higher. Additionally, Judges should be permitted to impose the lowest possible sentences on other categories of criminals, such as white-collar job criminals. Only violent criminals are eligible for the minimum sentence under the existing statute. Many convicts would qualify for the last sentence if the bracket were enlarged to cover all sorts of criminals, relieving overcrowding in US government jails.
Conclusion
In conclusion, similar to terrorist attacks and the current financial recession, jail overcrowding is an international issue that concerns all countries, regardless of their economic status. The problem is frequently brought on by the legal system’s lack of pro-activity. Consequently, they only act when an issue arises, and most of the time, their actions focus on controlling the problem rather than completely eradicating it. Jail overcrowding has detrimental consequences on prisoners’ and correctional staff’s health and escalates violence and inadequate sanitation. Among the numerous solutions to the issue of jail overpopulation is to construct more jails. The United States is one of the nations in the world most impacted by the problem of jail overpopulation. Its leadership has made several attempts to solve the crisis, although frequently unsuccessful. However, if it focused on expanding drug rehabilitation and rehabilitation services and increasing the proportion of prisoners serving terms on parole, it might dramatically reduce jail congestion.
References
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Ayar, T. (2017). Determining reasons why old people come to old age asylum. New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences, 4(2), 301–309. Web.
Brandon, A., & Dingwall, G. (2022). Appendix: Prisons housing men aged 21 and over by country. Minority Ethnic Prisoners and the COVID-19 Lockdown, 98–102. Web.
Kolbe, T., Dhuey, E., & Doutre, S. M. (2022). More money is not enough: (re)considering policy proposals to increase federal funding for special education. American Journal of Education, Web.
Ricciardelli, R., Idzikowski, M., & Pratt, K. (2020). Lives saved: Correctional officers’ experiences in the prevention of prisoner death by suicide. Incarceration, 1(2), 263266632095785. Web.