The US incarceration rates are among the highest in the world with 724 per 100,000 persons being held in a local, state, or federal correctional facility. It is estimated that half of the world population that is in correctional facilities is in the US with its 1719 institutions holding up to 2.3 million inmates (Sawyer & Wagner, 2020). The US inmates’ population comprises 3 % of its total population, which is a sharp rise from 1940 when only 1% of the nation’s population was incarcerated. At this point, it is important to find out what has caused such a sharp rise in crime and in turn incarceration rate in such a short time.
Reason for the Rise In Incarceration Rates
The US has witnessed an exponential increase in incarceration rates, which have increased four-fold in the last four decades. National Institute of Corrections (2014) establishes that most of the prisoners are drawn from the nation’s disadvantaged minorities who include men under 40, as well as those with poor educational attainment. This group of people is likely to engage in alcohol and drug abuse as well as a crime since the formal sector is not open. Looking at such a scenario one can conclude that social and economic injustices that the US government perpetuates are the reason for an influx in correctional inmates.
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In the last few decades, the nation has enacted numerous laws related to criminal aspects that have made many activities to become offenses. Flores (2018) asserts that drug and substance abuse has had a fair share of laws and legislation, which have automatically led to more chances of engaging in crime. The US is likely to enact more laws in the hope of combating crime but this enactment translates to increased criminal activities. In this case, the nation will indeed continue to experience an influx in its correctional facilities.
References
Flores, N. E. (2018). Contributing factors to mass incarceration and recidivism. Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science, 6(4), 56-69.
National Institute of Corrections. (2014). The growth of incarceration in the United States: Exploring causes and consequences. The US Department of Justice . https://nicic.gov/growth-incarceration-united-states-exploring-causes-and-consequences
Sawyer, W., & Wagner, P. (2020, March 24). Mass incarceration: The whole pie 2020. Prison Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2020.html
