The Mass Incarceration Crisis: America’s Guide to Dropping Below #1

Prison intuitions are supposed to aim for the basic principle of rehabilitation and yet, for decades, the US has been the country with the largest incarcerated population, causing major social and economic harm to thousands of people.

Today the American criminal justice system holds almost 2.3 million people in 1,833 state prisons, 110 federal prisons, 1,772 juvenile correctional facilities, 3,134 local jails, 218 immigration detention facilities, and 80 Indian Country Jails.

Totaling the U.S. government expenses to about $85 billion for both public and private prisons, $5.8 billion annually for taxpayers, and prisoners’ families with an extra $2.6 billion in fees and fines.

Yup. And even with alllll that money, America still fails to properly care for its inmates.

Instances of abuse behind bars are frequent, including broken bones, disturbing events like accidental death, and even harm to children birthed by incarcerated women. Others go years in confinement without seeing sunlight or having contact with other humans. Inmates are suffering tremendously and daily because they are at the utter mercy of officials who don’t have to answer to the public.

There is no doubt that ending mass incarceration will be an ongoing and difficult process. However, mitigation actions and solutions are possible.

First, America can start by decriminalizing other offenses and stopping the push for plea bargains/deals. 97 percent of federal and 94 percent of state criminal convictions are obtained through plea bargains, leaving thousands of innocent people incarcerated without full trial.

Next, more money should be put into schooling rather than prisons. The US currently spends more on prisons than it does its public schools with 15 US states spending $27,000 more per prisoner than they do per student. It is important to emphasize and push for more schooling as it will keep many focused on success and wanting a better future for themselves.

Reducing employment obstacles is another potential approach to ending mass incarceration. The US could ban the "former convictions" question on job applications, as regular employment is a key part of avoiding recidivism and discrimination against released convicts is frequent and unfair.

In addition, retraining of correctional staff is just as important to this process too. Staff is responsible for maintaining order in detention facilities and keeping prisoners safe, yet the job description only requires a high school diploma. Staff need to undergo more training and workshops to learn how to handle inmates in more non-aggressive ways. This allows for better communication and mutual respect throughout the facility.

Lastly, the United States should take into consideration the incarceration models of different countries. Norway is a great example. The Norwegian prison system strives for only rehabilitation, taking away its prisoners' freedom but not their humanity. They have one of the lowest rates of recidivism at 20% and even the appearance of their prisons are greatly different.

It is time to address the wrongdoings happening inside of prisons and change the system inside and out. With the knowledge and resources the United States has, it is not only more than possible to create a safer environment for its inmates, but also possible to break the huge socio-economic barrier it has created for them.