The Overcrowding, Gangs and Substance Abuse in Prisons

918 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: the impact of gangs upon prison subculture

The overcrowding issues in prisons, the gangs in prisons and the illegal drugs and substances. In this assignment, I will be discussing respectively in order on these three issues and what can be done to correct it. In additions, I will be discussing about what I would do to rectify these issues if I were in charge, I will be using my own ideas along with the researches from credible sources to support my ideas.

First, I would like to discuss about the overcrowding issues in prisons. Prison is not a good and enjoyable place to be in a first place however, more people are going to prison. This issue is not only threatening our correctional system, it is also threatening our economy as well. Our criminal justice system has been dealing with this issue in number of ways including, privatization of prison and increasing the uses of paroles and probations. One of the things that I would try to do is to prevent repeat offenders from coming back to prisons. According to (Wikoff, Linhorst & Morani, 2012.), “As of 1994, more than two-third of state prisoners were rearrested for one or more serious crimes within three years of release. Almost half of those released returned to prison during that time frame for parole violations or new convictions.” (p. 289). The reason I chose to tackle on the recidivisms is because I don’t believe in a lesser sentence and punishment. I believe that the punishment should fit the crime in order for the justice to be prevailed. If I were in charge, I would try to tackle and rectify this problem by promoting the jobs for them once they are out of the prison. I would create the incentive programs for the companies who are willing to hire the convicted whether by monetary incentives or tax exemptions.

Seco...

... middle of paper ...

...problems that would continue and may become worsen in the future if we continue with the same methods and techniques that we have been using. Many people think that they can do better if they have such a power to reform and implement the laws and policies, in reality however, these issues are very complex in natures.

Works Cited

Drugs inside prison walls- Washington Times. (2010, January 27).

Retrieved April 18, 2014, from

http://www.washintontimes.com/news/2010/jan/27/drugs-inside-prison-walls/?page=all

Fleisher, M. S., & Decker, S. H. (2001). An Overview of the Challenge of Prison Gangs. Corrections Management Quarterly, 5(1), 1.

Wikoff, N., Linhorst, D. M., & Morani, N. (2012). Recidivism among Participants of a Reentry Program for Prisoners Released without Supervision. Social Work Research, 36(4), 289-299. doi:10.1093/swr/svs021

Show More
Related

  • Ex-Offender Reentry Process

    600 Words  | 2 Pages

    Policymakers on the national, state, and local levels are always finding ways to improve the nature of the reentry process. The reentry process starts in correctional facilities and helps inmates prepare themselves for release and proceeds with their transition back into society as law-abiding citizens. In comparison to the average American, ex-offenders tend to be less educated, less likely to gain employment, suffer from substance abuse, or have been diagnosed with a mental illness. All of these aspects discussed are shown to be risk factors for recidivism, which is the tendency that causes criminals to re-offend. Generally, the offender reintegration process needs to be improved by properly monitoring the outcomes for reentry programs in order to return prisoners back to society safely.

    Read More

  • Nuestra Familia

    1781 Words  | 4 Pages

    A gang is an organized group with a recognized leader whose activities are either criminal or, at the very least, threatening to the community. (Walker, 2011) Throughout history there have been some infamous gangs that have gotten media attention and others that have gone under the radar. One of the more underground gang structures are prison gangs. The Nuestra Familia may not be in the news as much anymore compared to other gangs, but they are nothing to be taken lightly. Prison gangs have been around since the late 20th century and only seem to be getting stronger if nothing is going to be done to prevent them. Gangs in prison have members in and out of prison. One of the more popular gangs that has been gaining steam recently is the mainly Hispanic gang La Nuestra Familia. The purpose of this paper is to write about the history of the NF, the structure in which it operates, and some good preventative tactics that could prevent prison gangs from becoming stronger.

    Read More

  • Gangs in Prison

    1456 Words  | 3 Pages

    Prison gangs are originally formed by inmates as a way of protecting themselves from the other inmates. These gangs have turned out to be violent and thus posing a threat to security. This paper will have a look at the different gangs in prisons, their history, beliefs and missions, and the differences and similarities in these gangs.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Mass Incarceration

    1770 Words  | 4 Pages

    They, by in large, will not provide the systematic changes needed to end mass incarceration. To end the prison industrial complex, we must create a national solution. Although some may say that under the constitution, the criminal justice system is a state problem and affair, thus preventing the creation of a national solution, the formation of a national solution would cause the creation of stronger state

    Read More

  • Prison Overcrowding in California

    2479 Words  | 5 Pages

    The proliferation of prison overcrowding has been a rising concern for the U.S. The growing prison population poses considerable health and safety risks to prison staffs and employees, as well as to inmates themselves. The risks will continue to increase if no immediate actions are taken. Whereas fighting proliferation is fundamentally the duty of the U.S. government, prison overcrowding has exposed that the U.S. government will need to take measures to combat the flaws in the prison and criminal justice system. Restructuring the government to combat the danger of prison overcrowding, specifically in California, thus requires reforms that reestablishes the penal codes, increases the state’s budget, and develops opportunities for paroles to prevent their return to prison. The following context will examine and discuss the different approaches to reduce the population of state prisons in California in order to avoid prison overcrowding.

    Read More

  • Prison Gangs: Gangs and Security Threat Group Awareness

    2816 Words  | 6 Pages

    Ralph, P.H.(1997). From Self Preservation to Organized Crime: The Evolution of Inmate Gangs. In J.W. Marquart, & J.R. Sorensen (Eds.). Correctional Contexts: Contemporary and Classical Readings (pp. 182-186). Los Angeles: Roxbury

    Read More

  • Effects Of Overpopulation In Prisons

    1719 Words  | 4 Pages

    The overpopulation in the prison system in America has been an on going problem in the United States for the past two decades. Not only does it effect the American people who are also the tax payers to fund all of the convicts in prisons and jails, but it also effects the prisoners themselves. Family members of the prisoners also come into effect. Overpopulation in prison cause a horrible chain reaction that causes nothing but suffering and problems for a whole bunch people. Yet through all the problems that lye with the overpopulation in prisons, there are some solutions to fix this ongoing huge problem in America.

    Read More

  • The Overcrowding of Prisons

    1779 Words  | 4 Pages

    Howard, John. “The Effects of Prison Overcrowding.” P.A.T.R.I.C.K. Crusade. N.a., May 2002. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Mass Incarceration

    1168 Words  | 3 Pages

    Today, half of state prisoners are serving time for nonviolent crimes. Over half of federal prisoners are serving time for drug crimes. Mass incarceration seems to be extremely expensive and a waste of money. It is believed to be a massive failure. Increased punishments and jailing have been declining in effectiveness for more than thirty years. Violent crime rates fell by more than fifty percent between 1991 and 2013, while property crime declined by forty-six percent, according to FBI statistics. Yet between 1990 and 2009, the prison population in the U.S. more than doubled, jumping from 771,243 to over 1.6 million (Nadia Prupis, 2015). While jailing may have at first had a positive result on the crime rate, it has reached a point of being less and less worth all the effort. Income growth and an aging population each had a greater effect on the decline in national crime rates than jailing. Mass incarceration and tough-on-crime policies have had huge social and money-related consequences--from its eighty billion dollars per-year price tag to its many societal costs, including an increased risk of recidivism due to barbarous conditions in prison and a lack of after-release reintegration opportunities. The government needs to rethink their strategy and their policies that are bad

    Read More

  • Overpopulation In Prison Essay

    2036 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the United States of America’s criminal justice system, both violent and non-violent offenders are imprisoned. This imprisonment has led to overpopulation of our prisons, both federal and state-owned. Overpopulation and overcrowding can cause stress on the average, everyday tax-paying citizen as it becomes very expensive to house the over one-hundred and fifty thousand sentenced prisoners each year (US Bureau of Justice Statistics). That number adds up, because even with the over six hundred thousand offenders released each year, there are even more that remain in the prison system (US Bureau of Justice Statistics). The total number of prisoners in the U.S. state and federal correctional facilities, which includes prisons, rehabilitation centers, and juvenile detention centers, is 1,574,700 (US Bureau of Justice Statistics). This cycle of overpopulation needs a long-term fix, not some cookie-cutter solution that will only alleviate the problem temporarily. Due to the

    Read More

  • Substance Abuse and Prisons

    953 Words  | 2 Pages

    Substance abuse is a national problem. Prisons are overcrowded with these types of offenders. People will do anything to get these drugs ranging from petty theft to murder. People with substance abuse problems know no boundaries. All they think about is how they are going to get that drug for that day. Substance abusers do not care who they hurt or why they hurt them. A lot of people that are addicted hurt the people they love the most like children and parents. People in the prison system that has been convicted of violent crimes most of them say that they were under the influence of some type of drug or alcohol.

    Read More

  • Current Issues in the Correctional System

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    The “Tough on Crime” and “War on Drugs” policies of the 1970s – 1980s have caused an over populated prison system where incarceration is policy and assistance for prevention was placed on the back burner. As of 2005, a little fewer than 2,000 prisoners are being released every day. These individuals have not gone through treatment or been properly assisted in reentering society. This has caused individuals to reenter the prison system after only a year of being release and this problem will not go away, but will get worst if current thinking does not change. This change must be bigger than putting in place some under funded programs that do not provide support. As the current cost of incarceration is around $30,000 a year per inmate, change to the system/procedure must prevent recidivism and the current problem of over-crowed prisons.

    Read More

  • Prison Rehabilitation

    1186 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shelden, R. G. (1999). The Prison Industrial Complex. Retrieved November 16, 2013, from www.populist.com: http://www.populist.com/99.11.prison.html

    Read More

  • Issues in Corrections

    851 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fleisher, M. S., & Decker, S. H. (2001). An Overview of the Challenge of Prison Gangs. Corrections Management Quarterly, 5(1), 1.

    Read More

  • Is Criminal Behaviour Inherited or Learned?

    1438 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hallswort, S. And Young, T. (2004) Getting Real About Gang. Criminal Justice Matters [online]. 55. (1), pp 12-13 [Accessed 10 December 2013]

    Read More

More about The Overcrowding, Gangs and Substance Abuse in Prisons

Open Document