The Overdue Reform within the American Prison System
With over 2 million citizens behind bars and the highest incarceration rate, it is questionable if the United States is still able to pride itself on the nickname “the land of the free”? While although the United States population accounts for less than five percent of the world’s population, it accounts for a staggering 25% of the global prison population. The country’s mass incarceration rate, which is the highest in the world, has left correctional facilities bursting at the seams with little resources and funding. These monumental numbers present the financial burden on the country, as well as confirms the need for reform within the country’s current failed criminal justice system. America is in a crisis; however, as the media focuses on current and more interesting political issues, many forget about the large percentage of the nation that is locked up behind bars. Corruption within the American prison system has been a demanding issue for decades, and the long overdue reform will require cooperation from both political parties.
Per 100,000 United States citizens of any age, approximately 716 are estimated to be imprisoned in their lifetime. Harsh sentences with drug offense are a large component of the high rate of incarceration. In the 1980s, the Reagan administration authorized the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 which sparked the “War on Drugs”. Since then, the number of people put behind bars increased by over 350%. The war on drugs is often blamed for the overpopulation of jails and prisons due to mandatory minimum sentences. A mandatory minimum sentence is a minimum number of years a person must serve when convicted of a drug crime. In the case of drug possession, it typically depends on the amount of drugs. The purpose of this act was to harshen punishment on high level drug offenders; however, most drug cases that resulted in a mandatory minimum sentence involved low level offenders. Another component of mass incarceration attributes to the misplacement
Mass incarceration has caused issues within and outside prisons and jails. Correctional facilities are often understaffed, over-crowded, and lacking resources. Additionally, due to the high rate of recidivism within the US, prisons often see the same people rearrested and back in containment within 5 years of release.
The Long Overdue Reform within the American Prison System
With over 2 million citizens behind bars and the highest incarceration rate, it is questionable if the United States is still able to pride itself on the nickname “the land of the free”? While although the United States population accounts for less than five percent of the world’s population, it accounts for a staggering 25% of the global prison population. The country’s mass incarceration rate, which is the highest in the world, has left prisons bursting at the seams and little resources and funding. These monumental numbers present the financial burden on the country, as well as confirms the need for the current failed criminal justice system. America is in a crisis; however, as the media focuses on current and more interesting political issues, many forget about the large percentage of the nation that is locked up behind bars. Corruption within the American prison system has been a demanding issue for decades, and the long overdue reform will require cooperation from both political parties.
Per 100,000 United States citizens of any age, approximately 716 are estimated to be imprisoned in their lifetime. Harsh sentences with drug offense are a large component of the high rate of incarceration. In the 1980s, the Reagan administration authorized the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 which sparked the “War on Drugs”. Since then, the number of people put behind bars increased by over 350%. The war on drugs is often blamed for the overpopulation of jails and prisons due to mandatory minimum sentences. A mandatory minimum sentence is a minimum number of years a person must serve when convicted of a particular crime. In the case of drug possession, it typically depends on the amount of drugs. The purpose of this act was to harshen punishment on high level drug offenders; however, most drug cases that resulted in a mandatory minimum sentence involved low level offenders.
The American prison system is unlike any other. In the previous four posts, I have highlighted substantial factors that contribute to this broken system. With this being the last post, I have decided to summarize all the aforementioned issues and discuss various solutions to these problems.
Overpopulation
American incarceration rates are of the highest in the world. Per 100,000 Americans, 724 of them are currently in prison. In 2012, the Bureau of Justice released a staggering statistic showing that although the United States only attributes to 5% of the world population, it counts for a quarter of the total prison population. This high prison population can be interpreted as good or bad. The good, criminals are off the streets and serving the time they deserve for committing a crime. The bad, prisons are currently bursting at the seams trying to find room for this ever growing flow of incarcerated people. There are only 7,000 justice system facilities in the United States. These facilities include state prisons, federal prisons, juvenile correctional facilities, and local jails. While 7,000 may seem like a lot, it is nearly impossible to hold 2.3 million people. A specific reason for jail overpopulation is the large population of people who have not yet been convicted, but do not have enough money to be released on bail. In 2018, 540,000 people were being held in jail without a conviction. Overpopulation results a great deal of issues within prisons. Prison overcrowding results in poor and sometimes dangerous prison conditions and understaffing and high office turnover rates.
The Huffington Post reported 10 ways to minimize overcrowding including sending fewer people to prison for drug crimes and shortening the sentences for drug offenders. Other suggestions include reducing prisoner’s sentences for good behavior and sending foreign inmates back to their home countries.
(AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
Drug Sentences
Almost half of the total population of inmates are currently being held in prison on drug charges. In the 1980s, the war on drugs resulted in harsher sentencing laws and a large influx of prisoners. The Reagan administration signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 to harshen punishment on high level drug offenders; however, most drug cases that resulted in a mandatory minimum sentence involved low level offenders.
Many people find the war on drugs and mandatory minimum sentences to be unfair and targeted at certain demographics. In an article, the Drug Policy Alliance recommended law enforcement take steps to prevent drug abuse instead of punishing by decriminalizing drug possession and aiding more people to receive drug treatment. Another widely popular suggestion is rolling back mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders.
Recidivism
Compared to other countries who have recidivism rates ranging between 20 and 30 percent, the United States towers at 76 percent. This high
recidivism rate is attributed to many obstacles prisoners face that prevent them from adjusting back into society. It is extremely difficult to obtain a sustainable job with a criminal record, so this results in prisoners going back to their illegal ways and ultimately, getting arrested again. The criminal recidivism statistics signal that there is an evident flaw in our prison system that seems to prevent prisoners from readjusting into society after being released. In recent years, there has been a debate on whether prisons are focusing on punishing prisoners as opposed to rehabilitating them. According to a study on USA Today, “9 in 10 Americans agree it is important to try to rehabilitate those who have committed crimes and are in the correctional system.” Many people refer to other countries, such as Norway, with a low recidivism percentage as a benchmark to what America should do.
Mental Illness
The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that more than half of all inmates suffer from mental health issues. Unfortunately, the majority of people who suffer from mental illness often end up arrested and sent to jail, instead of a psychiatric hospital. In 44 states where prisons hold more mentally ill people than mental hospitals. In prison, individuals do not receive the proper medication and treatment needed. Prisoners with mental illnesses are typically arrested for non-violent crimes and receive minor sentences; however, due to their inability to follow behavioral rules, many mentally inmates end up getting longer sentences. The number of inmates who suffer from mental illness is a pressing issue, but due to the lack of prison funding, it is difficult to provide the proper care. It costs $15 billion per year of tax dollars to house and provide care to inmates who have mental illnesses. Imprisoning individuals who have mental illness puts a burden on the individual, prison system, and federal and state budgets.
Works Cited
Chettiar, Inimai M. “Locking More People Up Is Counterproductive.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 11 Feb. 2015, www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/02/the-many-causes-of-americas-decline-in-crime/385364/.
“Federal Bureau of Prisons.” BOP Statistics: Inmate Offenses, 2018, www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_offenses.jsp.
Knafo, Saki. “10 Ways To Reduce Prison Overcrowding And Save Taxpayers Millions.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 8 Nov. 2013, www.huffpost.com/entry/prison-overcrowding_n_4235691.
“Recidivism in the United States – An Overview.” Atlas Corps, 2017, atlascorps.org/recidivism-united-states-overview/.
Sawyer, Wendy, and Peter Wagner. “Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019.” Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019 | Prison Policy Initiative, 2019, www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2019.html.
“The Drug War, Mass Incarceration and Race (English/Spanish).” Drug Policy Alliance, 2018, www.drugpolicy.org/resource/drug-war-mass-incarceration-and-race-englishspanish.
“The Growing Problems of the Prison System.” American Friends Service Committee, 28 Jan. 2016, www.afsc.org/story/growing-problems-prison-system.
The frequent mistreatment and abuse of prisoners within prison walls is not only one of the most pressing issues within the American prison system, but, unfortunately, also one of the most ignored. In an interview, a former inmate stated “Rape and sexual assault are as basic to the American prison experience as bars and bunk beds” Due to mismanagement, defective policies, and dangerous practices, sexual abuse and violence in prisons has grown immensely in the past years. In 2011, 8,768 allegations of sexual assault and harassment were reported nationwide. This number skyrocketed 180% by the end of 2015 with 24,661 allegations reported. According to the Huffington Post, 217,000 American prisons are raped each year. Additionally, the “Report on Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Correctional Facilities” released by the Department of Justice stated that 12.1% of juveniles also report experiences of sexual violence within correctional facilities. Prison rape victims face painful repercussions such as physical wounds, sexually transmitted diseases and psychological harm. With no support and sufficient psychological and medical treatment, many are left to suffer in silence.
As if the abuse itself was not terrible enough, victim reports are often ignored by authority members, and the prisoners are accused of lying. A federal law, the Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1996, made it extremely difficult for prisoners to sue prisons for assault and violation of their civil rights. The few who manage to the actual legal process often face biases and see an insignificant outcome. Correctional officers dismiss the majority of allegations as false or lacking enough evidence. According to a report released by the Bureau of Justice, of the 61,316 investigations in 2012-2015, correctional officers found that only 8.5 percent, or 5,187 allegations were true. The lack of action discourages inmates to report the abuse in the first place. In the image shown below, of the 120 abuses cases that were reported in New York State prisons, in the 120 abuse cases that were brought against guards in New York State Prisons, only 8 guards were dismissed. Furthermore, the fear backlash from authority members like prison guards and staff also dissuades inmates to report abuse.
In the early 2000s, Authorities and politicians of all levels became aware of this crisis and have taken steps to stop the preventable abuse. In 2003, Congress finally recognized the sexual violence crisis within prisons, and passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) with the intentions of enhancing the safety of prisons for inmates and correctional officers. Then in 2009, the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission (NPREC), a commission created under PREA, released a set of standards that would reduce prison rape. The commission presented four standards “to provide detailed guidance to federal, state, and local officials on how to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse in their confinement facilities.” The commission also suggested various procedures that would minimize rape such as publicizing sexual assault data within prisons, improving staff training to identify warning signs of abuse and the correct response, limiting cross-gender searches and supervision, and making it easier for prisoners to report abuse. Congress granted state officials one year to optionally comply to the standards; however, a 5% decrease in federal corrections funding would take place if the standards were refused. Since 2012, 48 states, excluding Utah and Arkansas, agreed to comply to the PREA standards and began working towards providing a safe environment for inmates.
As the #MeToo movement has matured in recent years, many former inmates find themselves being excluded from the movement as they come forward about their abuse during incarceration. A cultural shift is needed in order to convince the public that prisoners did not “deserve” the abuse they endured in prison; however, it is difficult because inmates are so alienated from society. In an interview with Nicole Wolfe, a former inmate, Nicole stated, ““You have to understand that most people in prison are there because they committed a crime. I committed my crime, but while you’re in there, you need to be safe. And it’s not OK that you’ve become the victim of a crime.” Women of the #MeToo movement are attempting to bring prisoners in the conversation by publishing letters from those who are still detained and including them in media coverage. Violence and mistreatment within prisons is far from gone, but authorities and society are working together to create a safer prison environment because no one should have to endure sexual abuse, even those who are incarcerated.
Works Cited
” Guards vs. Inmates: Mistreatment and Abuse in the US Prison System (In Partnership with Starz from VICE Media), partners.vice.com/starz/starzpowers4/news/guards-vs-inmates-mistreatment-and-abuse-in-the-us-prison-system/.
Mahone, Regina. “For Survivors of Prison Rape, Saying ‘Me Too’ Isn’t an Option.” Rewire.News, Rewire.News, 8 June 2018, rewire.news/article/2018/01/08/survivors-prison-rape-saying-isnt-option/.
McElwee, Sean. “America’s Awful, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Prison System.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 31 Aug. 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/sean-mcelwee/incarceration-america_b_3528901.html.
Santo, Alysia. “Prison Rape Allegations Are on the Rise.” The Marshall Project, The Marshall Project, 25 July 2018, www.themarshallproject.org/2018/07/25/prison-rape-allegations-are-on-the-rise.
Stannow, Lovisa, and David Kaiser. “The Way to Stop Prison Rape.” The New York Review of Books, www.nybooks.com/articles/2010/03/25/the-way-to-stop-prison-rape/.
“US: New Prison Rape Standards Offer Landmark Protection.” Human Rights Watch, 17 Apr. 2015, www.hrw.org/news/2012/05/17/us-new-prison-rape-standards-offer-landmark-protection.
The number of prisoners that suffer from mental illnesses is becoming extremely prevalent in prisons across the United States. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than half of all inmates suffer from mental health issues. In fact, since 1998, the number of prisoners with a mental illness has quadrupled to around 1.25 million. Prisons are now often referred as “the new asylums.” Approximately 20% or about 383,000 inmates have mental illnesses which is 10 times more than those admitted in state psychiatric hospitals. This statistic prevails in 44 states where prisons hold more mentally ill people than mental hospitals. The mental illnesses that are commonly found among prisoners are those that affect mood, thinking, or behavior such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Those who suffer from mental illness are two to four times more likely to be incarcerated; however, with proper treatment, this can be prevented. Many of the crimes mentally ill people are arrested for are considered “crimes of survival” which are related to homelessness or lack of resources. These individuals are often sentenced short sentences for minor crimes; however, mentally ill inmates often end up staying in prison longer than other prisoners. At the Orange County Jail in Florida, mentally ill prisoners stay an average of twenty-five more days than those who with no mental illness. At another prison located in New York, the average stay for all inmates is 42 days, whereas for mentally ill inmates it is 215 days. The main reason for this extended prison time is the inability for mentally-ill prisoners to understand and follow prison rules. Correctional officers treat all prisoners the same, no matter if they are mentally-ill or not which many times creates problems for those who do have mental illnesses. According to a study, mentally-ill inmates are more than twice as likely to receive infractions for breaking prison rules. Oftentimes, due to these behavioral issues, many mentally-ill inmates, approximately 55% to 76%, end up in solitary confinement.
Oftentimes, many individuals’ mental health conditions get worse during their time in prison, and once they are released they have difficulty gaining access to healthcare and needed treatment. Without the proper treatment, these individuals often end up getting re-arrested or homeless. Additionally, some individuals purposely commit crimes that will put them back in prison, as that is the only way they will receive any treatment for their condition.
Not only is it difficult to provide proper care to mentally ill inmates, but it is also very expensive. It costs $15 billion per year of tax dollars to house and provide care to inmates who have mental illnesses. In another prison in Florida, it costs $50 more per day to house an inmate with a mental illness compared to one who does not. On an annual basis, the average prisoner costs $22,000 per where whereas a prisoner with a mental illness can cost up to $50,000 a year. A major component of this increase annual cost is attributed to the cost of medications. Unfortunately, it is difficult for prisons to aid to their mentally ill inmates because of the large state budget cuts that provide care to mentally ill inmates. Sadly, suicide is extremely common among inmates who have a psychiatric illness. Suicide is the number one cause of death in prions, and studies show that up to half of the suicides that occur are committed by those with a mental illness.
Within the past two decades, correctional facilities have been evolving to provide better care to those suffering from mental illnesses. In Estelle v. Gamble and Ruiz v. Estelle, the Supreme Court declared that not providing mental care to mentally ill prisoners was cruel and unusual punishment, in addition to, established six criteria that would provide an adequate mental health care system. However, even after many changes, the prison health care system is far from where it should be, but without sufficient funds, it is nearly impossible to provide the correct care to those who need it. Imprisoning individuals who have mental illness places a burden on the individual, prison system, and federal and state budgets. It is clear that something must be done to fix this prevalent issue and mistreatment of those who are in dire need of help.
Works Cited
Carroll, Heather. “Serious Mental Illness Prevalence in Jails and Prisons.” Treatment Advocacy Center, Sept. 2016, www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/evidence-and-research/learn-more-about/3695.
“Criminalization of Mental Illness.” Mental Illness Policy Org, mentalillnesspolicy.org/consequences/criminalization.html.
Fellner, Jamie. A Corrections Quandary: Mental Illness and Prison Rules , 2006, www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_material/A%20Corrections%20Quandary.pdf .
“NAMI.” NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness, www.nami.org/learn-more/public-policy/jailing-people-with-mental-illness.
In my previous post, I touched on the issue of criminal recidivism in the United States. Criminal recidivism is a broad term that refers to the relapse into criminal behavior after a prisoner has been released. According to the National Institute of Justice, within three years of being released, almost 70 percent of prisoners were rearrested, and 75 percent within five years of being released. The United States has one of the highest recidivism rates in the world. In recent years, the Justice System has pushed to solve the front end of the problem, getting criminals in jail, but it has failed to deal with the back end of the problem, preventing these criminals from committing additional crimes once they are released. This situation fails to make total sense and is nothing but a temporary fix because ninety-five percent of prisoners will eventually be released back into communities and continue to commit crimes. According to Atlas Corps, the main explanation to this issue is that prisoners have a hard time adjusting back to normal life, getting a job with a criminal record, and reestablishing relationships. The criminal recidivism statistics signal that there is an evident flaw in our prison system that seems to prevent prisoners from readjusting into society after being released
On the contrary, in this post I want to discuss a specific country’s prison system that has been deemed successful. Norway’s prison system is almost the polar opposite of America’s in many ways. Compared to 707 people for every 100,000 in the United States, Norway’s incarceration rate of 75 per 100,000 people seems minimal. The max prison sentence is minimized to 21 years and life sentenced are not permitted. Additionally, Norway’s recidivism rate is one of the lowest in the world at 20%. Based on these statistics, it’s clear Norway is doing something right, and that something is called restorative justice. According to the Center for Justice and Reconciliation, restorative justice is “a theory of justice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused by criminal behavior… best accomplished through cooperative processes that include all stakeholders.” Norway uses this concept within its prisons to rehabilitate prisoners rather than punish them. Restorative justice responds through a crime through a three step process:
identifying and taking steps to repair harm
involving all stakeholders
transforming the traditional relationship between communities and their governments in responding to crime.
In 2010, Halden Prison, a maximum security prison, was labeled the most humane prison in the world. If you are only familiar with the interior of American prisons, you might have difficulty identifying Halden prison as even as a prison. The prison tries to maintain a “normalcy” atmosphere, so there are no bars on the windows, a full kitchen for the inmates, and a healthy and friendly relationship between the guard and inmates. A cell room is comparable to a dorm room with a comfortable bed, a TV, and a desk. The inmates socialize with one another in the rec room, have access to a gym, and prepare and eat dinner together. They are also given time to worship and strengthen their personal skills. Each inmate is assigned an occupation within the prison to continue and improve their responsibilities and worth ethic. The prison believes in the philosophy that “Allow people, even dangerous people, to feel like humans and they’ll behave more civilly than if treated like forces of evil”
Now, let’s compare this prison to a super-max American prison known for house America’s most dangerous criminals. A standard cell in ADX Florence is closet sized room with a shower set on timer, a 4-inch window, a toilet and sink, and a bed bolted into the ground. All but one hour of the prisoner’s day is spent locked up in their room. Those who are well behaved are granted two hours per day to work out in cages located outside. The majority of the 422 inmates in the prison are serving life sentences. Those who do get released are almost guaranteed a resentence due to their lacking ability to readjust to societal norms. Criminologist, Bob Cameron, believes that prisons should have five goals: retribution, incapacitation, deterrence, restoration, and rehabilitation. Could the Norwegian prison system appear to luxurious and lax? Many Americans would think so, but it is the overall idea of rehabilitation first that Americans must look to consider.
Works Cited
“Recidivism in the United States – An Overview.” Atlas Corps, atlascorps.org/recidivism-united-states-overview/.
“Recidivism.” National Institute of Justice, www.nij.gov/topics/corrections/recidivism/pages/welcome.aspx.
Sterbenz, Christina. “Why Norway’s Prison System Is so Successful.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 11 Dec. 2014, www.businessinsider.com/why-norways-prison-system-is-so-successful-2014-12.
“Tutorial: Introduction to Restorative Justice.” Restorative Justice, restorativejustice.org/restorative-justice/about-restorative-justice/tutorial-intro-to-restorative-justice/#sthash.RXJJ7xUn.dpbs.
Weller, Chris. “Photos of Maximum-Security Prisons in Norway and the US Reveal the Extremes of Prison Life.” World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/11/photos-of-maximum-security-prisons-in-norway-and-the-us-reveal-the-extremes-of-prison-life.
For my civic issue, I have chosen to research and discuss the prison and judicial system mainly in the United System; however, I also want to take a glimpse at other countries’ prison systems to gain insight on what the United States can do to improve this current system. I have always had the impression that the American prison system is corrupt and seems to care about punishing prisoners instead of rehabilitating them, but I never did any research to back these ideas up. So, the other day I decided to do some research to see if these opinions of mine could be factually backed up.
Per 100,000 United States citizens of any age, approximately 716 are estimated to be imprisoned in their lifetime. As of 2018, an estimated 2.3 million Americans are confined in a prison, placing the United States at the top in most populated prisons world-wide. The United States population adds up to less than five percent of the world’s population, but about 25 percent of prisoners in the world. Additionally, about 76.6 percent of prisoners are rearrested within five years after being released. So now that you understand some of the facts, I would like to bring a few questions forward that I would like to discuss in this post: What components attribute to the United States’ high incarceration population? and What factors contribute to people recidivating after being released from prison?
After seeing the number of prisoners in the United States compared to other countries like Russia, China, and Iran, I was extremely confused. Is it that Americans are more likely to commit a crime than those in other countries? No, that can’t be it. After some research, I have formulated several reasons that can be accounted for Americans wildly-populated prisons. First, many inmates are often held in state prisons and local jails before they are even convicted. According to CNN, in 2016 the majority of those who were being held in local jails prior to their court date ultimately did not end being convicted due to their ability to post bail; however, those who cannot afford to pay bail are forced to stay in jail until court. A major complaint about imprisoning people before they are sentenced is that it leaves those who cannot pay their bail forced in jail and unable to make a living to provide for their families.
Another component to the high rate of incarceration correlates to the harsh sentences with drug offense. Ever since the spark of the “War on Drugs” in the early 1980s, the number of people put behind bars increased by over 350%. In the 1980s, Reagan signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 where the main outcome was the creation of mandatory minimum sentences. A mandatory minimum sentence is a minimum number of years a person must serve when convicted of a particular crime. In the case of drug possession, it typically depends on the amount of drugs. The purpose of this act was to harshen punishment on high level drug offenders; however, most drug cases that resulted in a mandatory minimum sentence involved low level offenders. Many people see this war on drugs more as a war on people, specifically those of color and youth living in low-income communities. Fortunately, in recent years, there have been significant reforms that stabilized the prison population. In 2014, U.S. Sentencing Commission voted to reduce sentences for tens of thousands of people imprisoned for federal drug offenses. Additionally, Attorney General Eric Holder began the launched the “Smart on Crime” initiative that would provide treatment in place of mandatory minimum sentences to non-violent, low level drug offenders.
Another issue with the prison system is the high rate of prisoners who return to prison after being released. Compared to other countries who have recidivism rates ranging between 20 and 30 percent, the United States towers at 76 percent. There are many obstacles that prevent prisoners from adjusting back to life in society once they are released. One major setback is the difficulty to get a job if there you have a criminal record. Thee inability to gain employment is a major component of recidivism. Many people argue that the prison system is more focused on punishing criminals as opposed to rehabilitating them. Prisoners should have the resources that will prepare them to succeed for the outside world. I’m going to discuss this issue more about this in a future post.
Harry Shulman, author of What is Wrong with American Prisons and Jails, wrote “The faults of American prisons and jails are not to be laid at the door of any single group… but of the entire structure of public crime control, which is content to deal with society’s manifold problems of economic, social, and human relations largely in terms of punishment.” Perhaps there isn’t one person or law that can be blamed for America’s high incarceration and recidivism rates, but there are definitely many different aspects of this system that need reform.
Citations:
“Criminal Justice Facts.” The Sentencing Project, www.sentencingproject.org/criminal-justice-facts/.
Quora. “Why Are Incarceration Rates In The US So High Relative To Other Countries?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 1 July 2016, www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/07/01/why-are-incarceration-rates-in-the-us-so-high-relative-to-other-countries/#49de5b5bf836.
Wagner, Peter, and Wendy Sawyer. “Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2018.” States of Incarceration: The Global Context 2016 | Prison Policy Initiative, 14 Mar. 2018, www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2018.html.
Williams, Michael K. “War on Drugs Is a War on People.” CNN, Cable News Network, 22 Sept. 2016, www.cnn.com/2016/09/22/opinions/war-on-drugs-michael-k-williams/index.html.
