U.S. Prison Costs Essay example - 1610 Words

U.S. Prison Costs After reading the essay, â€Å"A Homemade Education,† an autobiography of Malcolm X, I became quite curious about how many dollars America spends toward the prison system and how it affects our society. The autobiography itself covers how Malcolm X gained a homemade education simply by reading books while serving time in prison. He claimed, â€Å"I don’t think anybody ever got more out of going to prison than I did†¦prison enabled me to study far more intensively†¦sometimes as much as fifteen hours a day† (35). There may be privileges of being sent to prison as one can sit and read books, but the cost of keeping prisons running outweighs the benefits. According to the article Pew Center, the United States has 5 percent of the†¦show more content†¦The second major key cost driver is payment for the officers who patrol cellblocks; especially to those who work overtime. Overtime costs in California â€Å"topped half a billion dollars in 2006 , with 15 percent of the corrections workforce earning at least $25,000 in overtime that year† (Pew Center). Based on the same article there were six employees who earned more than the $212,179 annual salary set aside for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. To help the state from struggling to keep its 33 prisons staffed, Gov. Arnold proposed releasing more than 22,100 inmates before their terms are up. His proposal would save the state $1.1 billion. The graying of the nation’s inmates is also an issue which continues to swell the cost of health care within the prison. According to the Pew Center, â€Å"†¦between 1992 and 2001, the number of state and federal inmates aged 50 or older rose from 41,586 to 113,358.† Older inmates are gradually making up a larger proportion of the overall count. While one may say that aging decreases criminal activity, such as those that result from communicable diseases mentioned from the previous paragraph, there are many more factors that should be considered. One problem is that older inmates are often preyed upon by younger, stronger inmates; therefore, older inmates may require special housing. Hearing and visualShow MoreRelatedEssay on Criminal Rehabilitation in the United States Justice System1640 Words   |  7 PagesNationally, every 7 minutes, another person enters prison. And every 14 minutes, someone returns to the streets, beaten down and, more often than not, having suffered a great amount of violence during his or her incarceration. Professionals will tell you that incarceration really does very little to stop crime, but we go on spending billions of dollars in order to lock up more and more people. We have become the country with the highest incarceration rate in the industrialized world. (National CriminalRead MoreEffects Of Prison Overcrowding907 Words   |  4 Pagesmore time during the day. (Prison overcrowding is a growing concern in the U.S.) With a huge population of prisoners to manage, it is also difficult for that many prisoners to shower properly (McLoughlin). Another problem is that there is less time to eat per prisoner. The cafeteria must feed a huge population and must limit the time that each prisoner has to eat in order to move more people through the line efficiently. (Prison overcrowding is a growing concern in the U.S.) Additionally, there isRead MoreThe Incarceration Of Drug Offenders894 Words   |  4 PagesIncarceration of Drug Offenders Another major subset in the overall prison population in the U.S. is the growing rise in incarceration rates of drug offenders. Professor Blumstein notes that when considering the growth of incarceration rates by specific type of crime, such as murder, robbery, assault, burglary, drugs, and sex offenses during the two decades from 1980 to 2001, the single most important result was that the prison rate for drug offenders increased by a factor of 10; moreover, theseRead MoreIncarceration Of Americ The United States1487 Words   |  6 PagesIncarceration in America The United States has the largest prison population in the world. The U.S.’s path to our over population has been decades in the making. â€Å"The United States makes up about 4 percent of the world’s population, and it accounts for 22 percent of the world’s prison population.† (Lopez). Prison over population is a growing concern within our society creating and contributing factors include longer sentences, rising costs, prison gangs, rapes, racism and mental health issues. As theRead MoreSolving The Problem Of An Aging Prison Population1250 Words   |  5 Pages Solving the Problem of an Aging Prison Population Joshua N. Handy American Military University Abstract The American correctional system is facing many emerging issues. One of these issues is the exponential increase in aging offenders. In the past few decades, the number of geriatric offenders incarcerated has multiplied at an increasing rate. This essay addresses the issue of aging offenders in the correctional system; the problems that these offenders create and the underlying issuesRead MoreIllegal Immigration Should Not Be Illegal1722 Words   |  7 Pagesthey have been showing up illegally. There has been the same amount of opportunities as there are obstacles to overcome. Immigration at the U.S. and Mexican border has been a hot topic for decades now. Illegal immigration has not completely shown positive or negative effects on the economy, but more of a combination of the two. Illegal immigrants come to the U.S. to seek for better jobs, they tend to accept any job they are offered. For example, â€Å"[...] illegals can be paid a lower overall hourly wageRead MorePros And Cons Of Private Prisons1625 Words   |  7 Pageshas had a long and controversial history when it comes to the U.S prison system. Holding only approximately 5% of the global population; U.S prisoners account for almost 25% of the worlds prisoners, having even more than China; a nation with almost a billion more citizens than the U.S (PrisonStudies.org) Even when considering these alarming statistics, discussing the method of caring for, feeding, and rehabilitating prisoners in the U.S is often avoided as many United States citizens are uninformedRead MoreA Position Of Influence On The American Prison System948 Words   |  4 Pagescountry. Though this large prison population exists, the crime rate is similar to other, similarly developed, countries. This problem can be, if not solved, s ignificantly alleviated by implementing, as much as possible, the types of policy present in the German prison system, and others like it. This project would recommend solutions to those in a position of influence in the American prison system, a way to efficiently implement German, and other similar countries, prison policy and principles inRead MoreIs Drug Treatment a Viable Alternative to Prison Time? Essay1113 Words   |  5 PagesPrisons and county jails are extremely over populated, so over populated that in some jails inmates are sleeping on the floors. According to Senator Jeanne Shaheen (From Senator Jeanne Shaheen: Prison Overcrowding, 2011), the federal prisons are currently 35 percent over their capacity. The overcrowding is costing the criminal justice system and taxpayers more money to transfer inmates to other facilities and in lawsuits brought by inmates against the prisons. With the prisons and county jailsRead MoreAmerica Has The Highest Rate Of Incarceration9 40 Words   |  4 Pages Don’t believe it? Then do some research. The World Prison Brief, a database hosted by the International Centre for Prison Studies, provides an online table* that list the world’s prison population broken down by nation. With a total population of over 320 million, the U.S. ranks at 698 prisoners per 100,000 people. That beats just about every nation in the world, including China and Russia combined. One nation, however, beats the U.S.—the Republic of Seychelles, an  archipelago  of 115 Islands