The Flawed Prison System of America - 1039 Words

The Unites States of America’s prison system is a flawed mess. To open the eyes of our government we must first take a stand against unlawful government decisions, and show support for the greater good of society. What are our own tax-dollars paying for, what are the flaws in the justice/prison system, why is overcrowding in prisons causing tension, and what are ways our society and government can rebuild the system that has been destroyed over the years? Most criminals in prisons are not a danger to our society because they commit crimes just to use jail as a shelter, causing the overcrowding of prisons and wasting away of what we really should be paying for. Our government deceives our perspective, causing taxpayers to just give their†¦show more content†¦To put it in another way, it is to reduce the flow of new prisoners into the system, reserving that for the more serious offenders. Therefore, if we reduce the overcrowding rate, what are we going to do with all th e criminals not headed to jail or prison? Well, that brings us to step four: realizing the benefits of the alternatives to incarceration. Because building prisons puts a terrible strain on most state’s budgets, taxpayers have been more willing to consider programs that might cost less- as long as they also control and punish crimes appropriately. Alternatives saves the taxpayers money along with strengthening families and communities by keeping them together and allowing criminals to contribute to the community like paying taxes and getting a job.(Alternatives, 2) 77% of adults believe alternatives are the best way to deal with non-violent and non-serious offenders. Alternative promote good behavior by advertising the possibility of â€Å"good-time credits† which allow prisoners to reduce their sentence with good behavior. (Overcrowding, 1) These types of benefits will surely make an impact on our society for the better. Furthermore, these benefits will only become effective if the alternatives stay consistent and strict. Naming and accepting the alternative possibilities is step five to changing our justiceShow MoreRelatedA Credible Approach For Criminal Convictions981 Words   |  4 PagesEven though America’s prisons are illustrated as a credible approach for individuals and institutions to bring justice, it has done a poor job to properly convict people for criminal acts and instances of violence, and to provide victim’s with satisfaction for due justice. Karakatsanis further evaluates upon the process of convictions in America. For instance, he examines the techniques that help support a court verdict, when he writes, â€Å"For many decades, American courts have allowed criminal convictionsRead MoreThe Incarceration Of The United States1519 Words   |  7 Pagesin recent decades, violent crimes in the United States of America have been on a steady decline, however, the number of people in the United States under some fo rm of correctional control is reaching towering heights and reaching record proportions. In the last thirty years, the incarceration rates in the United States has skyrocketed; the numbers roughly quadrupled from around five hundred thousand to more than 2 million people. (NAACP)In a speech on criminal justice at Columbia University, HillaryRead MoreThe Modern Prison System And The American Government System1530 Words   |  7 Pagesin. This is no different in the correction industry, one of the least funded areas in the American government system. 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This paper will be base for explaining how the PIC works and what really goes on behind all the barbed wire and armed guards. â€Å"The term ‘Prison Industrial Complex’ was firstRead MoreThe Stanford Prison Experiment Article Addresses The Psychology Of Power Essay1453 Words   |  6 PagesThe Stanford Prison Experiment article addresses the psychology of power by studying a model of the prisoner and guard relationship as represented by the American penal system. The authors, through a unique experiment involving volunteers who would play the roles of guards and prisoners in a somewhat realistic prison setting, hoped to provide empirical scientific evidence and information proving that th e American penal system is not only dysfunctional and inherently flawed, but causes real and lastingRead MoreThe American Criminal Justice System1398 Words   |  6 PagesCriminal Justice system is arguably one of the most fair systems in the world. However, like anything it has its flaws. 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