Overcrowding in prisons is a common factor not only in America but also globally. Studies indicate that overpopulation in prisons varies depending on states. For example, some reports reveal that the state of California has some of the most severely overcrowded prisons, a factor that the U.S Supreme Court has termed as cruel and unusual punishment that violates the fourteenth and the eighth amendments (Seppala, 2010). Similarly, Illinois has 49,000 inmates instead of the allowed 33,000 whereas prisons in Iowa hold more than 24% of the normal capacity (Seppala, 2010).
Some of the causes of overcrowding in prisons include the fact that the justice system is sending more inmates to jail and letting them stay for longer periods than the law and the capacity of jails allow (Seppala, 2010). Studies have shown that even though the rates of capital offenses have reduced, the number of people engaging in minor criminal activities has relatively remained stagnant. This means that the number of people incarcerated for minor offenses is large. On the other hand, law enforcement officers let these people stay in prisons longer than the law allows. This leads to overcrowding in prisons since many people keep going to prisons, despite the high number of inmates.
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The other factor that leads to a large population in prisons includes the fact that some people are used to committing offenses even after release from correction centers. Therefore, such people lead to steady increases in the number of prisoners, especially if new detainees meet older re-entering detainees (State of Connecticut Department of Correction, 2010). Some prisons also have insufficient capacity to hold more people yet the officers still keep admitting more prisoners. The relevance of crime is another factor that leads to overcrowding in prisons. For example, people incarcerated for criminal acts such as murder, homicide, and rape among other capital offenses stay longer in prisons. This does not change even when the small offenders get into prisons.
On the other hand, a large number of offenders return to prisons for failing to follow the law or violating community supervisions. This factor also leads to overpopulation in prisons. The high rate of recidivism is another factor that leads to high populations in prisons. Recidivism involves prisoners going back to their old behaviors once they come out of prison. If a prisoner is released and he or she goes back to his or her criminal ways, then, the chances are that such a person will be taken back to prison (State of Connecticut Department of Correction, 2010). The move by law enforcement officers to add new criminal offenses to the penal cord constitutes another factor that has led to high population in prisons. The new bill states that even those with minor offenses will have to spend some time locked behind bars with the aim of deterring the occurrences of such criminal acts. Similarly, the aggressive or tough nature of the criminal justice system and the legislature towards criminal offenses has also increased the number of people going to prison.
Studies reveal that inadequate facilities such as beds and other personal facilities also leads to overcrowding in the small cells. Convicting inmates to serve for longer periods of their lives in prison has also lead to the escalating number of prisoners (State of Connecticut Department of Correction, 2010). This is because the high numbers of such inmates directly add to a large number of new inmates; hence, making prisons overpopulated. Higher penalties charged for some types of offenses make it impossible for prisons to be free. For example, research shows that the amount of fines charged for minor offenses are usually higher than the offenders can pay (State of Connecticut Department of Correction, 2010). This factor demonstrates that such offenders have to stay in jail for longer periods than they should; hence, increasing the number of inmates.
References
Seppala, T. (2010). Causes of prison overcrowding. Finland: National Research Institute of Legal Policy.
State of Connecticut Department of Correction. (2010). What causes overpopulation in prisons. Willcox Hill: State of Connecticut Department of Correction.
