Tuesday, September 16, 2008

AMERICA'S OVERCROWDED PRISONS


Sacramento State Prison Gymnasium


9/17/08

Many believe that as a result of the “war on drugs” officially initiated by President George W. Bush in the late 1980s, and mandatory sentencing laws that have spread across the country, the U.S has become the world’s leading jailer. As a result we’re wasting millions of dollars filling beds with people who don’t need to be there. At a time when the U.S. has the world’s largest prison population, the national debate over prison overcrowding has never been more intense. Although most agree that prison overcrowding is an urgent problem that must be addressed: they disagree over the best way to solve the problem. Supporters of tough sentencing believe more prisons should be built to house the increasing inmate population. They also argue that punishing criminals with harsh sentences discourages other people from breaking the law. Critics of more prisons and enhanced sentencing believe longer mandatory sentencing and the war on drugs have placed many nonviolent drug offenders behind bars, creating an unnecessary strain on the nation’s prison systems.

Historically, California has been a role model for the nation when it comes to technological breakthroughs and advancements in law enforcement. Last year they demonstrated this by adopting one of the largest prison reform packages in the nation’s history. As explained in the Governor’s fact sheet on AB 900 of 2007 http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/fact-sheet/7557/, California enacted a major prison reform bill that will reduce overcrowding and recidivism, and change parole policies, without releasing dangerous criminal into our communities. When signing AB 900, Governor Schwarzenegger stated that more than 97 percent of inmates in California’s prisons will be eligible for parole someday, meaning almost everyone who goes into prison eventually gets out. California’s 70 percent recidivism rate means that thousands of offender return to our already overcrowded prisons. Rehabilitation is the key to ending the criminal cycle.

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