Prison is not a Free Vacation

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Recommended: Reforms needed in our prison system

If any other system failed in as a large of a proportion as the incarceration system, they would have been shut down by now. Why then is it allowed to be in a state of perpetual failure? The incarceration system is in need of a reformation. In the state of Texas alone, it costs approximately 21, 390 dollars per inmate, and with the prisons’ high recidivism rate it is costing the United States billions of dollars to lock away these individuals (What Incarceration Costs Taxpayers). While forcing prisoners to work low skilled jobs may cause initial setbacks, it will be beneficial in the end because it will save taxpayers’ money, aid in their rehabilitation, and make the country safer.
The opposing side contends that if society gives the low-skilled jobs to prisoners, they will be taking away possible job opportunities from the good people in the community. While this scenario may have some merit, in the long run, society as a whole will benefit financially from the prisoners working. By working, they will be reimbursing the taxpayers investment in them, as their labor will contribute to the overall community workforce. Studies have also shown that by allowing the prisoners to adjust to life outside of the penitentiary, there is a significant decrease in the number of inmates who will likely be incarnated once again, saving the general public money that would have been spent to keep returning inmates in prison for a second or third time around (Gilligan, 2012). More than four out of ten people are re-incarcerated, so additional money is being spent on the same person (Johnson, 2011). There is a greater chance of avoiding this outcome if the prisoner were trained to function in the real world, rather than being completely isolated in...

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...atoday.com/news/nation/2011-04-12-Prison-recidivism-rates-hold-steady.htm
Nichols, R. (2011, May). Working prisoners save taxpayers’ money. Retrieved from http://www.governing.com/topics/public-workforce/working-prisoners-saves-taxpayers-money.html
Ploeg, G. (2012, December 18). Norway Is Doing Something Right. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/12/18/prison-could-be-productive/norways-prisons-are-doing-something-right?module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=undefined&action=keypress®ion=FixedLeft&pgtype=blogs
Prison Populations and State Incarceration Rate Data. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.governing.com/gov-data/state-prison-population-incarceration-rates.html
What Incarceration Costs Taxpayers. (2012, January). Retrieved from http://www.vera.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/the-price-of-prisons-40-fact-sheets-updated-072012.pdf

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