Prison overcrowding has been a problem in the United States for multiple decades. More and more prisons have been exceeding the number of inmates they can hold to keep criminals off the streets. The article “Prisons in these 17 states are over capacity” written by Reid Wilson, talks about how this has come to be. Even though it can seem like there is no turning back, there are different strategies institutions and correctional facilities can do to help with these problems.
Rising of Number of Prisons that are Overcrowded
It has become more common for prisons throughout different states to be overcrowded. The ratio of citizen to inmate has gone through the roof in recent years. It is “to the point that nearly one in every 200 people is behind bars.” This has resulted in many problems in correctional facilities. For example “Illinois was housing 48653 prisoners” when its facilities are made to hold only 32075.
Effects of Overcrowded Prisons
The effects of overcrowded prisons are mostly negative if not only negative. Overcrowded prisons lead to more violence in prisons. When you compact violent prisoners together in small spaces they tend to turn irritable causing violence. Also, the prisoners that were once used to having their own cell or space, out of nowhere get a new or just another prisoner thrown into their cell with them. Depending on the living style of the new roommate, this can cause arguments about beds, hygiene, and being conscious about how different things may affect their roommate. Overcrowding can also have an effect on the control officers can keep throughout a prison. Overcrowding can lead to more chaos and with too much chaos; a limited number of officials can’t keep everything under control.
Adjustments to Lower Prison Populations
There are many possible ways to help reduce prison violence that is a result of overcrowding. One big way to help slow and limit overcrowding is the use of our probation system. For the people that commit lower level crimes that do not necessarily have to be incarcerated; this is an alternative. There are thousands of people that are put into prison that could have simply went through the probation system instead. Another way to help against prison overcrowding would be the use of our parole system. Parole allows prisoners to get back into society and get a job while still being monitored. If a judge believes an inmate is safe enough to release him back into society earlier than what the prisoner’s sentence was, he can through this system. The prisoners still get monitored daily to keep them responsible for their actions. These are only a couple of ways to help fight prison overcrowding.
Prison overcrowding continues to become a bigger problem every day. States have been motivated to change the overcrowding issues due to federal courts threatening to intervene. Specifically in Alabama the article states “the possibility of federal court intervention has spurred Alabama to begin reviewing its corrections procedures.” There would be a lot less issues if we could somehow manage to lessen overcrowded prisons.
Hello Bryce,
Your blog was intriguing to me since I have numerous relatives that have worked in the prison system. But one thing I was not aware of or even heard from them was that prisons were over crowed. I figured some prison squeezed in a few prisoners that they can fit, but not by such a large capacity. Especially in Illinois where they’re near 16,000 over the capacity. Hopefully prisons can begin to eliminate this issue especially during a pandemic. If a certain prison was to flare up with COVID cases, the certain prison would have a tough task on their hands. Well, best of luck on your future research and work around the prison system.
Hey Bryce,
I found this to be a very interesting read due to the fact I did not know this was an issue. I do agree with the statement on putting dangerous people together in close quarters, it is only going to cause negative effects. I am glad you wrote about this topic Bryce. It seems to be an issue that needs more attention. I will definitely be looking into this topic a little bit further so if you have any additional information or articles you think I should read, please reach out!
– Elijah Haber
My first reaction after reading this was to find out how large of a problem overcrowding was in US prisons. I learned a lot about the effects of overcrowded prisons and how it’s not beneficial to society. I too think this is a huge problem and needs to be addressed quickly, and I hope with the right awareness and sources like this article the word can get out.
Hi Bryce! I thought your blog post is about a very interesting and important topic, which is why I decided to read it! I have heard horrible things about how crowded prisons are. Also, I grew up as a daughter of a police officer, which is why this article caught my eye. I never realized that overcrowding of prisons leads to more violence, but that doe make perfect sense. More crowded prisons = more chaotic prisons. Thank you so much for enlightening me about this very important social topic! I look forward to learning more about law enforcement from you!
The overpopulation of the prison system has interested me for some time, I think it is coming to a point of no return. I found that the prison system in Illinois is housing more than 12,000 people over its intended capacity. My dad has worked in PA as a CO for years; he has told me about how uncontrollable it can be at times. I hope that the US can get this issue under control. I hope to see more of your work in the future.