California University Links Prison Overcrowding And...

CALIFORNIA STUDY LINKS PRISON OVERCROWDING AND RECIDIVISM America has the highest rate of incarceration per capita of any other industrialized nation. That is an amazing fact. Don’t believe it? Then do some research. ASTOUNDING INCARCERATION RATES The World Prison Brief, a database hosted by the International Centre for Prison Studies, provides an online table* that list the world’s prison population broken down by nation. With a total population of over 320 million, the U.S. ranks at 698 prisoners per 100,000 people. That beats just about every nation in the world, including China and Russia combined. One nation, however, beats the U.S.—the Republic of Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 Islands lying off the coast of East Africa in the Indian Ocean. Not known as an industrial powerhouse or technology giant, Seychelles still manages to rank at 799 prisoners per 100,000 citizens. That is quite an accomplishment for a nation lacking state-of-the-art technology, especially with a total population of less than 100,000. NUMBER 2 BUT TRYING HARDER By U.S. standards, that’s merely a small city, such as South Bend or Evansville (though both of those cities boast a larger population). But imagine a small city like South Bend having an arrest rate of that magnitude. That would require some serious effort by law enforcement and the rest of the criminal justice system. Busy, busy, busy! It would also probably garner unflattering headlines and generate accusations ofShow MoreRelatedOvercrowded Jails and Prisons1821 Words   |  7 Pages Why are prison and jail so overcrowded? Could it be we need to establish a better program for rehabilitating the inmates? For many years now rehabilitation has been an issue within the Criminal Justice System. The debate of should these criminals be punished or should they be rehabilitated. What is the reason for our jails and prisons for becoming so full? Is it because we simply like to house criminals to keep them off the streets or do we truly not know how to rehabilitate them back in to societyRead MorePrison Reform Topic Paper : Prisons6604 Words   |  27 PagesPrison Reform Topic Paper Submitted By: Toni Nielson - CSU, Fullerton Unique Educational Opportunities Prisons are closed institutions. They are established and funded by governments to hold people against their will, but why punish (Zyl Smit, 2010)? What is the purpose of prison? This fundamental question stirs up a significant amount of debate. The government, citizens, educators, and even prisoners are divided about the right answers. There is disagreement in the US about the purpose ofRead MoreCritical Issues in the American Criminal Justice System - Sentencing Decisions and the Death Penalty4477 Words   |  18 PagesAllen Lowery CJ 6624 – Court Administration December 1, 2010 Abstract This paper discusses three critical issues in the criminal justice system. It touches on the general issues of punishment philosophies, sentence decision making, and prison overcrowding and focused more specifically on the negative effects of each. Highlighted in this informational paper is the interrelated nature of the issues; each issue affects and is affected by the others. Data and information has been gathered from theRead MoreLaw Enforcement in the 21st Century15936 Words   |  64 Pages 5 agency. Given the complexity of both the intelligence and law enforcement communities and their many overlapping jurisdictions, it was inevitable that key information would slip through the cracks between agencies. The inability to analyze and link critical information across (or even within an agency) is referred to as linkage blindness and will be a major theme throughout this book. In part, the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, and its reauthorization in 2005 were