Causes and Solutions to Prison Overcrowding

Causes and Solutions to Prison Overcrowding Introduction The purpose of this paper is to look at the overcrowded prisons that are plaguing the U.S. The prison system that we have is constantly evolving, but seems to circulate through the same prison philosophies. An overcrowded prison does not lend itself to a productive environment for inmates. Many would not care about the environment that the inmates encounter as they feel the inmate has brought this upon himself through his deviant behavior, however not all inmates will stay in prison forever. We will examine some possible solution to curb the overcrowding that is prevalent in prisons today. Solutions to Prison Overcrowding Prison overcrowding has been a problem that has plagued the U.S. prison system since its inception. The solution to this problem for many has been to build more prisons to house the additional prisoners that have been sentenced there. Those who advocate building additional prisons fail to look at what is behind the overcrowding in the first place. Rese arch has found that crime rates are decreasing. It has also shown that prison populations are increasing. Much like the Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams with the infamous quote, â€Å"If you build it, they will come† that by building more prisons, we will only seek to put more prisoners into them. To fully understand our current overcrowding issue, we must look at the history of the U.S. prison systems and the philosophies that drove them. Then we must look at the sentencing practices that have increased the number of inmates that are incarcerated. This will include the truth-in sentencing laws, the impact of the war on drugs and the enforcement and the increasing of the length of prison terms for certain offenses. We will also take a look at the cost of building a prison and the daily costs of housing an inmate. Then we will look at solutions for reducing prison populations which include rehabilitation and the release of aged offenders and inmates with minor offenses. The U.S. derived many of its ideas about the prison system from England. In the Middle Ages, prisons were used for housing criminals as well as debtors. Juvenile delinquents also began to be housed in prisons. As prisons developed and emerged, the purpose of them changed as well. Drawing from the ideas presented in Essays on Crimes and Punishment by Cesare Beccaria in 1764 a move towards less physical punishment for crimes was made. Beccaria was also responsible for the idea that a punishment should be severe enough to deter crime, but not too extreme. In 1557, England began the use of workhouses. Initially, they were to remove the homeless and vagrants from the streets during the day. During this time, many believed that most criminals were lazy and committed crimes as a result of that. This allowed inmates to work, however they did not learn any useful skills and were not kept in the workhouses overnight. In 1790, the Quakers from Pennsylvania reformed the Walnut Street jail into a p rison. The Quakers drew from their religious background and sought to use the prison as a place for an inmate to perform a penance and to make amends for their actions against society. Also, known as the Pennsylvania System, the prison layout allowed for solitary cells. The inmate was placed in the cell, so that they could think about their actions and gain remorse. Work was completed in the cells as well, so the interaction with others was limited to an hour of exercise a day. Although the prison sought to reform the inmates through solitary work, some prisoners could not handle the solitary times and reform did not occur. There was also a high cost involved in maintaining this type of prison.

Special Education part II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Special Education part II - Essay Example Nonetheless, other health impairments is the sub category of AD/HD (Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity disorder) and DSM-IV defined the AD/HD as a â€Å"persistent pattern of inattention’ or ‘hyperactivity-impulsivity’ that is more often displayed and severe than is usually observed in individuals at a comparable level of deployment.† (Anonymous, 2008) So in simple words, Other Health Impairment is a class of disability that includes in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and it refers to the causes such as condition, disease, injury or disorder which substantially affects vitality, alertness or strength. When any of these causes make an impact on the educational life of a person, it gets into the other health impairment disability. 6.2. Causes of Health impairment Allergies e.g. Hepatitis Heredity e.g. Hemophilia Accidents e.g. seizure disorders Multiple factors e.g. Epilepsy Unknown 6.3. Definition: AD/HD is a common behavioral disorder wh ich effects on 8-10% of school age children as per the estimations. It is also reported the boys are three times more probable to be diagnosed with AD/HD compared to the girls. There are 3 defined types of AD/HD impairment types which are Hyperactive-Impulsive, Inattentive and Combined. Characteristics of Hyperactive-Impulsive students are as following: Hyperactive-Impulsive- Individuals who have symptoms of this type usually express hyperactivity differently. Hyperactive individuals (especially children) may run around in circles until they drop down with dizziness. Individuals having this category of disorder will find themselves in situations where they won’t be able to wait in lines, traffics and etc. Also, the common problem which is faced in these individuals is that they act without thinking and are hyperactive. Also, they find themselves having a hard time with focusing on even very easy tasks. Thus, it’s really difficult to handle these individuals and critica l situations and that’s why certain guidelines are made which should be followed to control them and get them to the path of betterment. 6.4. One day in life (Fictional Story) The school gate is so near now. It’s the gate of my school which other kids cross to learn new things in life whether they are about the academic life or the social life, schools are made to teach kids. For me, though it is a totally different place. When I walk through that door, my miseries start and don’t end before the time I leave the school for home. I am a kid with other health impairment. When somebody says something to me, I cannot hear it and reply right away. My mind responds in the normal way, but my hearing has deficiencies. When I hear something I quickly try to respond but I cannot speak in a normal speed. I talk slowly, and I can’t help me. I am not like other kids (as this is what people say, otherwise I think I am totally like them with normal height, physique and everything) so they make fun of me. They call me by different names which I can’t even tell as by even telling those words will hurt me just as much as they hurt me when I am being called all of that. Why I didn’t go to a special school? Because my parents thought I was normal, so did I think till I didn’t join my school and spend time there being a target for everybody’

PRELIMINARY BIBLIOGRAPHY AND OUTLINE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PRELIMINARY BIBLIOGRAPHY AND OUTLINE - Essay Example Granting of permission to the individuals to live with the individual of his/her choice without any discrimination of gender, age, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status etc projected immorality and debauchery in society. Only few thinkers belonging to the Devlin’s school of thought advocated the imposition and observing of moral laws; while a large majority of so-called enlightened theorists supported the idea of freedom to a horrible scale. The entire social establishment, because of the very possibility of the unwed mothers’ involvement in prostitution and other deviant behaviors on the one hand, and their children’s possible becoming the victim of torture, assaults, sexual abuse and starvation etc. The young girls also become victim of the abuse at the hands of stepfathers, uncles, teachers, neighbors and strangers. It is therefore, the law enforcing agencies must announce strict punishments and penalties on the individuals responsible for deflowering the girls. The moral values should also be introduced in the light of the sacred teachings manifestly elucidated in the Holy Scripture. Since the Scriptures belonging to all religions lay stress upon morality and ethical values, introducing of moral laws would be imperatively beneficial for the entire society. Berger, P., & Kellner, H. Marriage and the Construction of Reality: An Exercise in the Micro-sociology of Knowledge. In G. Handel, & G. G. Whitchurch (Eds), the Psychosocial Interior of the Family (4th ed., pp. 19-36). New York: Aldine De Gruyter. Web Web 26 May 2012 Cardock, C. & Gardner, J.R. Psychological intervention for parishes following accusations of child sexual abuse In S.J. Rossetti (Ed.). Slayer of the soul: Child sexual abuse and the Catholic Church Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications. 1990 Print Costello, E. Jane, Keeler, Gordon P., and Angold, Adrian Poverty, Race/Ethnicity, and Psychiatric Disorder: A Study of Rural Children American Journal of