Pros And Cons Of Incarceration

In today's world, it seems like all too often we have woken up to another mass shooting, terrorist attack, or hate crime. However, the injustice does not end with the perpetrator. These acts of violence and hate are terrifying and receive a lot of media attention, yet there are many injustices that continue to permeate our society that are not often discussed. One of these is our incarceration system. The system is flawed and oversaturated with nonviolent drug offenders. Out of the approximately 2.2 million people in our nation’s prisons and jails, about one in four are locked up for a nonviolent drug offense (Criminal Justice Facts). According to the Department of Corrections, the largest single category of offense among prisoners is “drug

In 2008, federal, state, and local governments spent about $75 billion on corrections, with the large majority being spent on incarceration (Schmitt). A reduction by one-half in the incarceration rate of nonviolent offenders would lower correctional expenditures by nearly $17 billion per year (Schmitt). The large majority of these savings would benefit the financially squeezed state and local governments. Moreover, state governments contribute about 60 percent, local governments account for around 30 percent, and the federal government contributes the remaining 10 percent towards the national corrections expenses (Schmitt). These overwhelming costs beg the question: Are public funds best spent incarcerating nonviolent drug offenders, or would they be better spent on public safety priorities by incarcerating fewer nonviolent criminals and spending more on education and policing? (Kearney). Because our society is fixated on incarceration, the root of the problem is often ignored. Contrary, the root of the problem must be addressed through focusing on prevention and treatment methods; therefore, the financial burden on our society would diminish. Currently, the societal costs of incarcerating nonviolent drug offenders exceed the benefits. The per capita expenditures on corrections more than tripled between 1980 and 2010, going from an average of $77

This program can last up to two years and it serves as an alternative to a prison sentence. An evaluation of DTAP by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University discovered the program achieved significant results in reducing recidivism and drug use, increased the likelihood of finding employment, and decreased spending. While the cost of placing a participant in DTAP, including the cost of residential treatment, vocational training, and support services was $32,974—half the average cost of $64,338 for two years of imprisonment (McVay). Therapeutic community programs, such as DTAP, offer $8.87 of societal benefits for every dollar spent (McVay). Upon evaluating this program, the remarkable evidence clearly distinguishes treatment as the more beneficial "punishment" because it promotes community and decreases the financial burden.
Furthermore, the tremendous incarceration costs to our society do not stop at finances; the costs also include long-lasting negative effects on individuals, families, and communities. The impact of incarceration on crime rates is surprisingly small and must be considered against both its high financial and high social costs to prisoners, their families, and their communities (Schmitt).