Prison has held a place in our society for centuries. Throughout history, prisoners have been incapacitated in a vicious environment and that still rings true today. A person’s experience in prison can greatly vary. It may be a place of solace for those that are homeless because they have three meals and a bed to sleep in every night. However, it can be a nightmare for others who feel as though prison will ruin their future. It is an environment where a person is stripped of their free will. Due to overcrowding in prisons, inmate’s psychological strain, and prison officer cruelty through gladiator games and drug smuggling, proves that prison continues to be a brutalizing and debilitating experience for adult males in the United Kingdom. According to Smith (2011), prison conditions are a very significant instrument in the rehabilitation procedure of criminals. Certain prison conditions such as un-sanitary areas, poor hygiene by inmates, and sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV make doing time in a prison very difficult and dangerous. Some people believe these conditions will help deter prisoners from reoffending, while others believe it is inhumane. One factor that adds to the brutality of the situation is overcrowding and how it has an effect on not only the staff, but the prisoners as well. Overcrowding is a major issue in the United Kingdom and Whales. According to One in Four Prisoners in Overcrowded Cells (2013), the Howard League for Penal Reform claims that an extremely large number of prisoners are affected by overcrowding. They stated that around 19,140 prisoners were forced to share a one-person cell with another inmate. Between April 2012 and March of 2013, the Ministry of Justice has shown that around 8... ... middle of paper ... ...ey are offered. Another major problem is the stress that comes along with being in a prison for a certain amount of time. This especially affects people who were put in jail at a young age. They tend to fall into a routine that the prison provides for them. They can become depressed, alienated from other people, and are even under constant suspicion that someone is going to take advantage of them. This can lead to problems down the road for people who are released from prison and need to make a life for themselves. Finally, prison guards are known for being a dangerous entity in prisons. From gladiator games, to drug deals, prison guards are people that have a lot of power and sometimes use it to take advantage of inmates. This is why spending time in prisons are seen as a debilitating and often times brutalizing experience.
Over the past couple of decades the UK’s prison population has exploded, causing an overcrowding crisis. Statistics show that intake has doubled since 1993 and the UK now has the largest population of prison inmates in Western Europe at 85,108. The Certified Normal Accommodation (CAN) for UK prisons is 75,440, so ‘the prison estate is currently holding just under 10,000 more people than it was designed to’ as reported by the Prison Reform Trust. Their research shows that ‘the 30 most overcrowded prisons in England and Wales are twice as likely to be rated as failing by the prison service’. Overcrowding is having a negative impact on the effectiveness and safety of the prisons which has been amplified by ‘cuts of more than 20% to the prison budget’ and ‘reformers argue that the best way to improve the system is to reduce both the number of people sent to prison and the amount of time they spend there’. According to The Howard League for Penal Reform, imposing community sentences on offenders rather than prison sentences, immediately diverts them away from ‘rivers of crime’, where ‘prisons are sinking under a tide of violence and rampant drug abuse’ and they argue that by simply putting people in prison they can be swept ‘deeper and
The 1970s in the United States was a time of incredible change, doubt, as well as reform. The many issues happening throughout the country helped to lead to the discomfort in many prisoners that eventually lead to their e...
There are too many people incarcerated in the United States of America. The U.S. imprisons 724 people per 100,000. In absolute numbers United States has more of its citizens behind bars then do China or Russia combined. (Gallagher 2008). There are about thousand U.S. citizens that become incarcerated in the prison system in any given week. Many of the prisons are so crowded that they have converted the gymnasium into a massive housing unit. These massive housing units hold hundreds of prisoners inside small gymnasiums. The bunk beds are stacked four or five high with every available space reserved for the bunk beds. Even though the prisons are over double capacity they have not added one extra toilet or shower at any of the facilities. Because of this many of the prisoners report tha...
...Prison Overcrowding: California." ALEC: American Legislative Exchange Council. American Legislative Exchange Council. Retrieved October 13, 2013 from Organization of CDCR
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.
The U.S is only 5% of the world’s population and houses a quarter of its prison inmates; well over 2 million people. In the past decade the war on drugs has filled many state and federal prisons with a numerous amount of inmates. Building new prisons is not the answer to tackling the prison overcrowding dilemma. The U.S doesn’t have the money due to economic strains, and it will not solve this issue head on as needed. “California may be forced to release up to 33,000 prisoners by 2013” (Shapiro & Wizner, 2011, p.1.). Some women and men do not belong in prison, and should be given other opportunities to sought help. Prison overcrowding is a growing concern in the U.S today. There are many different alternatives to end prison overcrowding versus releasing them into the community. For example by launching a parole support group or treatment or rehabilitation programs for inmates as well as ex-offenders, house arrest or probation are other routes to explore.
For decades, prison has been signified as an unspeakably horrifying place for those who have done harm to our society. Nevertheless, in today 's society, shows like Wentworth, orange is the new black and prison break illustrate prison in an entertaining way. A way that is so detached from reality. However, in the article "Norway 's Ideal Prison," by Piers Hernu, he clearly reveals and gives us a vivid picture of what prison life is like in Bastoy, the home of Norway only prison. On the other hand, "The Prisoners Dilemma," by Stephan Chapman argues how in Islamic countries criminals are being cruelly handled and how flawed the American penal system is and needs to be adjusted. Even though there are many similarities in both articles on what
Throughout history into today, there have been many problems with our prison system. Prisons are overcrowded, underfunded, rape rates are off the charts, and we as Americans have no idea how to fix it. We need to have shorter sentences and try to rehabilitate prisoners back to where they can function in society. Many prisoners barely have a high school education and do not receive further education in jail. Guards need to pay more attention to the well being of the inmates and start to notice signs of abuse and address them. These are just a few of the many problems in our prison systems that need to be addressed.
Another problem with prisons are the terrible conditions and poor medical supervision that is provided. Diseases can be spread easily in highly populated prisons so it is highly recommended that prison facilities are clean and hold prisoners to their made capacity. These conditions can even affect prisoners long-term. Some prisoners have shown to have psychological problems because of the conditions they experienced in prisons. Prisons are created to reform prisoners, not harm them. Health care in prisons has been a problem for many years. It got so serious at one point, that in 1972, a Health Advisory Committee was set up to commend the matters affecting the health of prisoners. This committee gave prisons standards to follow, but prisons
Something not very common in prisons is that some prisoners could, through reflecting on their own actions and correcting their own faults, fixing themselves emotionally they would leave prison better humans. Prison can be a place where criminals reflect on their actions and see who they are through other prisoners, and using this a sort of ‘therapy’ where they would better themselves. Yet even though this isn’...
In final analysis, this research project looks to provide a new way of understanding the current prison situation and its various manifestations. A comprehensive report of how things might be for those closely involved in the punishment and rehabilitation process might enable policy-makers and the public alike to change their ideas and help them perceive what it might mean to be in the position of officers or prisoners. The higher objective of this project will be to bring, through new knowledge, the necessary reforms that could leave both the taxpayer and those in the prison system more satisfied.
The first purpose of the prison is that of Public protection via incapacitation of offenders; this is considered to be the only purpo...
Prison overcrowding is one crucial issue that has affected very many countries, including the United States of America. It basically occurs when the available prison space is limited in relation to the demand for more prison space. This occurs due to the increase in the people who are convicted compared to the capacity of the prisons available in a given jurisdiction. Research shows that one in every one hundred American adults are detained. This number grows overtime and it reaches a point that the space cannot contain it no more. This increased in the late 80s and early 90s when the local authorities and state governments passed legislation to stand tough against crime. For instance the California’s ‘three strikes’ law calling for the incarceration
Most people have no idea what it feels like to be in prison, statistically only one out of every five people will know what its like to be in prison. Approximately 1.4 million people out of the U.S.’s 280 million people are in prison. (Thomas, 2) The only reason people know about prisons is because of the media. The news, movies, and books all contribute to people's stereotypes about prisons. Prisoners receive three meals a day, workout facilities, a library, as well as other things. People are also given the idea, through the mass media, that prisoners are free to walk around certain parts of the prison. All of these ideas are cast upon prisons so that people will not be afraid of them. Society has been given the idea that prisons are not very bad on the inside. What is prison life really like?
The United States at present has the highest incarceration rate that costs taxpayers millions of dollars and continually has our county jails operating over their rated capacities.(Hess 2008). A significant number of the jails in the United States are overcrowded, and this has been a management issue which has been in existence for years. Jail overcrowding has become one of the major financial and controversial problem in the United States. The jail population is increasing rapidly, which has caused a lot of tension on the management team to be able to perform their duties efficiently and has raised a lot question by The increase population of inmates in many county jails has raised a lot