Jail Overcrowding Research Paper

Jailing criminals is one way we protect the public and stop chaos in everyday life. Although jail and prisons are used quite often they more so just hid the problem then solve it and are not the most efficient way to prevent crime. There are actually many alternatives that could be used that would solve the problems America faces now. Many alternatives to jails include fines, house arrest, community service, probation and restitution. Many of these are actually very efficient and have secondary effects that benefit everyone. According to B.B.C. news the U.S. has a jail occupancy level of 107.6%, that statistic is ridiculous. I personally believe that the best solution to overcrowding is house arrest. Not only would this lower prison and jail populations it would actually help lower crime rates. I have read in several different sources that a family that has a parent in jail will most likely lead to children growing up to be criminals themselves. By using house arrest to keep the family together and using a system of probationary checks the criminal can serve their sentence and will also lower chances of the children

Overcrowding can lead to lack of medical attention due to lack of staffing and also an increased amount of injuries from lack of guards. Hygiene may also be a problem from lack of supplies and room for showers. If house arrest were used more often the criminal’s home could be used as a cell instead. Jail may be a form of punishment but there are risks of riots and assault from being in there. Overcrowding does not only effect the prisoners, it also effects the staff. Guard to prisoner ration is a very important matter. Too few guards will cause a lack of order, the same goes for medical staff. If there are too few doctors and nurses to treat common injuries and sicknesses diseases and minor injuries could turn far worse than they