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Essay / The Failure of Mass Incarceration as a Solution to Violent Crime in America
Table of ContentsIntroductionDiscussionConclusionIntroductionThe United States has a greater number of citizens than any other country in the world. Sentencing laws that have been put in place that aim to extend prison sentences and ensure that repeat offenders are locked up for many years have significantly influenced mass incarceration. Some of these laws include the three strike rule and the minimum sentence. Mass incarceration was initially considered the best strategy implemented for limited violent crimes due to increased penalties. The situation has been significantly different as mass incarceration has turned out to be a huge problem for the United States than was initially anticipated. This article therefore significantly emphasizes the critical orientation and understanding of the claim that mass incarceration in the United States is a problem and not a solution to violent crime. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayDiscussionThe problem of mass incarceration in the United States was effectively developed based on the important need to limit the number of violent crimes. Therefore, the decision that was made was to make violent crimes carry much harsher penalties than other charges. The implementation of these laws and regulations has resulted in a very high incarceration rate, causing significant strain on available correctional facilities. In the United States, federal and state prisons are full and currently operating beyond the maximum number they can effectively accommodate. Due to prison overcrowding in the United States, the focus shifted from a rehabilitation and punishment facility to a detention facility where the number far outnumbered the number of correctional officers (Alexander, 23). The underlying focus within correctional facilities, where inmates are expected to review their behavior and understand the need for change, has changed, creating a very difficult environment where it is difficult to even manage the population. Is mass incarceration destined for success? This crucial question forms the basis on which a good understanding is necessary. The answer to this question is comprehensive and based on the significant problems existing within the criminal justice system, which have been caused by mass incarceration laws and regulations across the United States. Prisons have become a breeding ground for criminals where inmates collude with correctional officers to extort new inmates and gain major influence on the outside. Prisons have completely lost their original meaning due to mass incarceration. These issues really created a negative view of the entire criminal justice system, although there was not much thought given to the outcome or how it would significantly impact the entire criminal justice system . The high level of extortion and insecurity in prisons has raised significant concerns about mass incarceration, given that it is on the verge of collapse despite being touted as one of the best (Pettit and Western, 42). The reason why mass incarceration as a strategy has become a problem for the American justice system. It is primarily based on the fact that the laws and regulations put in place did not focus on the potential inability to support the high number of prisoners. The lackfocus on the key underlying elements that are crucial to developing a positive relationship within which it would be possible to have a better understanding and within which it would be possible to have an implementation process successful. The fact that no measures were put in place to mitigate potential risks within the criminal justice system created a very difficult environment in which it was extremely difficult to have positive engagement on the need to put in place better strategies, which would be used effectively to create better focus within the system (Pettit and Western, 50). The criminal justice system is a well-functioning system that requires planning before a strategy can be effectively evaluated. Implementation of laws advocating mass incarceration did not focus on developing an analysis of the impact these laws would have and how these issues would be effectively addressed. The current problem arises from poor planning in which it is possible to have a better operating environment in which it is possible to develop better understanding in which better decisions can be made. The federal and state governments use a lot of funds. in maintaining the policy of mass interaction. The funds used to finance mass incarceration would have been used for other important purposes given that the measures put in place are not effective. Despite the large financial sums used to facilitate this process, the underlying goal of reducing violent crime across the United States remains largely underachieved since the number of offenders over the years involving violent crime has remained significantly higher. higher than initially expected. This means that the focus on mass incarceration is a burden on the American system as well as on the citizens who finance the entire process through paying taxes. It is important to ensure that better measures are put in place to avoid imposing on American citizens a policy whose long-term success is highly questionable. The many years that mass incarceration in the United States has been operational has little success to show for it despite the billions of dollars spent to maintain mass incarceration (Vogel, 29 - 35). Mass incarceration does not prioritize rehabilitation but believes it is better to control violent crime. in the United States by increasing the length of sentences for major criminal offenses. The focus on the punitive aspect really created a very different level of focus in which it would be possible to have an improved environment in which positive behavior is a priority. Mass incarceration makes the case for punishment in the sense that even if an individual is imprisoned for 20 years, it is more satisfying to ensure that they complete their 20 year sentence without parole rather than putting the emphasis on behavior change through the development of effective behavior control strategies where inmates would be eligible for parole based on their behavioral considerations. Thus, the guidance that was effectively developed created a very difficult environment in which the reintegration of prisoners into society became a real problem. It is very difficult for a person who has been in prison for so long to better focus and understand the important elements of society since the goal in this case is to punish and not rehabilitate, despite the emphasis on both through the criminal justice system. . Adopting a better strategy..