Causes Of Prisons Overcrowding In The American Criminal Justice System

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The American criminal justice systems hold more than 2.3 million people in all kinds of prisons, jails, juvenile detentions, etc... (Wagner and Rabuy). There are people in this country that do not need to be thrown in prison for some minor crime they committed. Prisons are filling up way to fast; they get so full that they how to find other secure places to put them. A current situation in the U. S. today is the prisons are overcrowded caused by harsh and biased policing, and currents laws; the effects of these problems are high recidivism rates, and minor offenders turn into hardened criminals. There are many causes of prisons overcrowding, one is the harsh and biased policing. According to the Sentence Project, black men are six times more likely to be put in prison than white men and Hispanics are 2.4 times as likely (“Prison”). There are There are many people put in jail for minor crimes such as driving with a suspended license. The minimum amount of time is ninety days and the maximum amount is a year. Police are arresting people and putting them in jail for minor crimes like this one (Reinhart). These people take up space and cost money to house and feed. Another cause of prions overcrowding is the current laws in the system. …show more content…

According to an article written by Allison Schrager, “Each year in prison increases the odds that a prisoner would re-offend by 5.6%.” People who are in prison for committing minor crimes end up committing more serious crimes upon release. This means more time in prison (Schrager). When people are in prison it further reduces their ability to obtain a job, own a house, or even vote (Schrager). One source Schrager explains every year a person spends in prison it lowers their rate to obtain a job by 24% (Schrager). These factors make crime look like a better alternative even if they have a greater chance of police arresting them

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