Introduction
Overcrowding in prisons has become a severe problem in correction centers. Having more inmates than the facilities can handle leads to a significant strain on available resources, limiting the efficiency of correctional institutions. Congestion has plenty of negative repercussions, which have become too common in today’s environment. Prison overpopulation endangers prisoners’ basic rights: the right to an appropriate livelihood and the freedom to the best possible health and well-being. High crime rates, inferior courts and insufficient judges, poverty, poor designs, and less prison space contribute to jail overcrowding that can be mitigated through infrastructure expansion and better detention management practices.
Major Causes of Jail Overcrowding
High Crime Rate
One of the key causes of overcrowding is the continuing growth in the population of criminals sent to jail·. This growth is contributed by repeating crimes from ex-convicts leading to another imprisonment, increasing the number of prisoners. Many offenders are sent back to prison for breaking and failing to complete community supervision. The law has been amended to include new criminal acts, resulting in the arrest of many persons. The addition of tougher penalties for different types of crimes has resulted in many offenders spending far too much time in prison. According to MacDonald (2018), overcrowding is experienced since the justice system is imprisoning more people for longer periods.
The resources grow inadequate as the number of inmates rises. Due to a shortage of resources, inmates may be compelled to spend long periods not doing anything instead of engaging in an activity. This makes the convicts stay congested and contributes to negative effects, leading to prison fights. The policymakers have not separated the prisoners from their crimes and health issues. Those who commit offenses due to mental problems and depression are placed in the same prison as offenders other than being in psychiatric hospitals.
Fewer Courts and Incompetent Judges
The second main cause is the shortage of courts and the incompetence of judicial personnel. As a result, the number of those awaiting trial has increased. Since there are few judges, there are delays which adds to the enormous number of inmates. The illiteracy of these law menders has led many innocent people to jail hence increasing the population. The people have had to wait for their trial turn, and the only place to wait in is the cell. Adams (2019) explains that when in court, the incompetent judge overrules the crime and speaks a sentence that does not fit the crime. This has allowed people to spend more time in prison than they should. Detainees may be sent to jail for minor or non-violent offenses or face charges for excessively long durations. For some, detention may not be the best option. Alternatives to confinement provide several ways of dealing with such people, which do not include incarceration.
Poverty
High poverty levels are another major factor that has led many inmates to suffer in cells since they cannot afford to pay legal expenses. They end up being detained as they are unable to bail out. The fine amount ranges according to the severity of the crime. The offender might not have committed a mistake enough to be jailed, but they are forced to be in prison due to a lack of money. As MacDonald (2018) points out, if the court determines that an offender has failed to pay a fine, the court has the authority to extend a penalty for up to thirty days in prison until the fine is paid. The detainee’s inability to settle the fine will add to the extension of the jail term. These poor conditions lead to changes in personality and behavior, such as depression, anxiety, aggression, and delinquency. The minor mistakes committed might allow the court to give the offender a second chance to reform, but poverty will hold them behind bars.
Less Prison Space
Insufficient prison capacity is another one of the major causes of overcrowding. Most cells have been overused and have become congested since the facilities are limited and the number of offenders is high (Lynch, 2020). Most of the facilities are old, and minimal effort has been made to develop new facilities or improve existing ones. This has contributed to many inmates congesting the available cells. Several outdated cells have not been renovated to accommodate lawbreakers’ rapid expansion. Because of this, it is difficult to categorize prisoners so that they can be assigned to a certain program.
Since the cells have more prisoners than they should, different types of inmates mix, resulting in various stressful lives. New offenses have been added to the law as the world is modernizing, increasing the number of offenders. When these criminals are arrested, they join the already full cells since no new ones have been established. The convicts visiting the area has inadequate space that cannot accommodate more visitors; hence those visiting have to wait for their turn. As prisons have limited resources, convicts proceed slower through the steps that lead to liberty, increasing their numbers.
Poor Planning of Facilities
The fifth major cause is poor planning and inaccurate population projection regarding offenders’ needs. The lack of prison beds has led to sharing one bed, which causes different health problems due to improper sleeping and squeezing. Most of them are forced to lie on the floor or tie themselves to the window to sleep (Adams, 2019). Minimum facilities like washrooms have made the prisoners share different amenities where people with health conditions also suffer. The cleanliness level is low, which exposes the inmates to health issues, making them congested at the nearest clean area.
Facilities that include feeding are poor regarding quantity and service area. The food quantity offered is less, which causes the prisoners to be crowded in the feeding area to try and receive a better portion to fill their stomachs. However, the service area is not spacious enough to accommodate all the inmates. As a result, many have opted to eat while standing, and some squeeze themselves into the others. However, overcrowding being a serious crisis, can be reduced by proper handling of prisoners.
Alternatives to Alleviate Jail Crowding
Expansion of Infrastructure
Improving and building new infrastructure are among the best remedies to reducing overcrowding. This improvement would allow better distribution of convicts where they will be separated based on their crimes and mental issues. Expanding it would be easier to inspect the prisoners and minimize prison fights and health effects. Rubin (2018) states that the large spaces created will be enough to fit the prisoners’ required beds and social amenities. The prisoners would be able to dine peacefully without scrambling due to dining area expansion. The newly-built structures will enable the inmates to participate in extracurricular activities and learn more about reformation freely. An open space away from congestion is better positioned for fresh air and building positive attitudes, which helps develop creative life skills. All this is brought about by building more cells to prevent stressful congestion.
Reducing Prisoners
Minimizing the number of lawbreakers getting imprisoned is an important factor in determining the prison population. Different punishment methods have been established to divert minor crimes that do not need detention. Introducing moral lessons in the prisons might reform several prisoners, quickening their release. Stevenson (2017) explains that this is possible when those serving short sentences are released based on good behavior promises or house arrest. In between the prisoners, the policymakers should assess the health of all convicts to transfer them to their respective facilities.
Instead of being put in prison, people who commit crimes due to addiction or psychological problems should be transferred to treatment programs. This could greatly help minimize the population of those in prison. Due to long life sentences, many prisoners grow old in jail due to the history of crimes they committed when younger. They experience difficulty in accessing social facilities and moving around. To avoid these hardships, the policymakers need to release the older ones, and the population reduces.
Reducing Sentence Lengths
lowering the sentence is one factor that could majorly reduce the population of prisoners as the term is short. It would be important if the policymakers reduced some of the long sentences and informed the judges to avoid decision-making independently. By reducing the sentence, many prisoners serving short times will be released faster, creating space for others. Prisoners with longer sentences are divided into two groups; those serving part of their term in detention and individuals taking part of their punishment in the community under supervision (Rubin, 2018). Considering age, mental health or disability, and lactating mothers, the judicial system provides a shorter sentence to the offenders. Long sentences have a diminishing return on public safety as people age out of the high-crime years. They are particularly ineffective for drug-related crimes since drug dealers can easily be replaced in society. More severe sentences do not deter crime, and mass incarceration takes resources away from programs and policies that could significantly affect public safety.
Pre-Trial Detention Management
A huge percentage of persons in jail have not been found guilty of a crime and are awaiting a court decision on their guilt or innocence. However, their remand time can continue for months or even years in many circumstances. This can be addressed by establishing deadlines in criminal processes and providing bail and other alternatives before the trial to reduce imprisonment and avoid arresting someone who is not guilty. Based on Stevenson’s (2017) report, holding camp courts inside prisons to reduce the amount of time spent waiting for the courts to be cleared the next criminal is one factor that would quicken hearings and lessen the chances of detention for the innocent. Changing criminal procedures to ensure that cases are examined frequently and resolved more quickly minimizes the chances of more confinement. Finally, bail is an option of pre-trial imprisonment in which a lawbreaker is freed under a set fine and permitted to wait for trial outside of prison.
Establishment of Social activities
This is where the convicts are involved in general activities together. The actions happen when the prisoners spend more time on the field working on overall cleanliness or participating in co-curricular activities. This allows them to be free from congestion and showcase their talents and abilities. They help build each other by educating one another on what they know best. Dolovich (2018) explains that this outside exposure gives them time to work on themselves and reform. There are no chances of overcrowding when outside, giving them space to bond with one another. Social activities help distract the convicts from indoor struggles, and they enjoy their free play.
During these social activities, the correction officers monitor how offenders respond to court rules and take steps to make sure they follow community-based punishments. To help offenders get out of jail, they set the right parole conditions and keep track of their progress. Once the progress is positive, the convict’s sentence is reduced and he is released after a short period due to good conduct. When these people who recorded good behavior are released, congestion decreases. On release, the ex-convict can reform and reduces reoffending.
Conclusion
Overcrowding in correctional centers presents various social and economic problems to society. Poor infrastructure, poverty, less prison space, and inferior courts and judges have contributed to the high increase of inmates in jail, leading to overcrowding. Mitigating jail overpopulation is a crucial element that aids in preventing prisoner and staff health problems and increasing the efficiency of such facilities. Viable solutions include programs to help people addicted to drugs improve their education, job skills, and morality. Early intervention against poverty, prison space, and inferior courts is important to alleviate crimes and health problems and, in turn, cut down on prison cell overcrowding.
References
Adams, M., Klinsky, S., & Chhetri, N. (2019). Barriers to sustainability in poor, marginalized communities in the United States: The criminal justice, the prison-industrial complex, and foster care systems. Sustainability, 12(1), 220.
Dolovich, S. (2018). Prison conditions. In E. Luna (Ed), Reforming criminal justice: punishment, incarceration, and release 261-293. UCLA School of Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 18-11.
Lynch, M. (2020). Sunbelt justice. Stanford University Press.
MacDonald, M. (2018). Overcrowding and its impact on prison conditions and health.International Journal of Prisoner Health,14(2), 65-68.
Rubin, A. T., & Reiter, K. (2018). Continuity in the face of penal innovation: Revisiting the history of American solitary confinement.Law & Social Inquiry, 43(4), 1604-1632.
Stevenson, M. T., & Mayson, S. G. (2017). Pre-trial detention and bail. In E. Luna (Ed), Academy for Justice, a report on scholarship and criminal justice reform. University of Penn Law School, Public Law Research Paper No. 17-18.