The American Prison System

America is often described as the land of the free, yet to the thousands of inmates that sit in prison this is a luxury they may never experience again. While common sense says that prisons are a necessary part of the world, America’s prison system has been neglected for far too long. Many prisons are on the brink collapsing and the living conditions of the inmate’s borderline on inhumane. In addition America has one of the largest prison systems in the world, and it shows as many prisons are bursting at the seams. As the government struggles to pay the deficient, often the prison system is the last thing on anyone’s mind as money is so tight. Still there must be something that can be done to improve the safety of not only the inmates, but

Items such as Kevlar vests, stun guns, rubber bullets, and sophisticated surveillance can all help to save lives. America holds the ranks for the world’s biggest jailer, and has the largest number of people incarcerated in the world (Myser). This is very interesting to think about since America invests as little as possible into their prison system. With the technology America has currently, if the funds were available it would be possible to build super prisons that would not only hold more inmates efficiently, but keep both the inmates and the correction officers safer. Not only is technology important, but so is staffing. Prisons are often understaffed and workers can find themselves in dangerous situations because of it. In fact a study done by the union representing correctional officers found that “Understaffing and overcrowding at federal prisons is causing a significant increase in inmate assaults on federal correctional workers” (Kauffman) Prisoners often outnumber the officers 5 to 1, and they know this making for a dangerous

The death penalty has been around since the beginning of time and historians trace it back to the 1600’s (“Death Penalty Information”). It is considered the ultimate form of justice, an eye for an eye. While it might seem only logical that a murderer does not deserve to live any longer, the severe cost makes it a total waste. However, changing the public’s mind on an issue like this has proven to be difficult. To a family member who has lost someone to a murder, the only true form of justice they can look forward to is the execution. Telling the family the murderer will spend the rest of his life in jail with free health care and meals simply does not have the same ring to it. Nonetheless many other countries across the world have chosen to stop capital punishment, and are now enjoying the extra cash flow. In the year 2015 there are still 32 states that administer the death penalty, and only 18 states that have abolished it (“Death Penalty Information”). Capital punishment is controversial for many reasons, but the cost it puts on the tax payers is something everyone should be concerned with. So why is capital punishment so expensive? It is because once capital punishment is an option everything becomes more expensive. Since the Constitution requires a long and involved process for capital cases it makes the