The United States prison system locks up offenders at an increasingly alarming rate. The latest statistics indicate that correctional facilities in the country hold 1 in every 100 adults, which translates to 1% (Atwan 275). In other words, one percent of the adults in the United States is held in the prison system. The numbers reveal that America has the highest incarceration rates in the developed world (Atwan 275). Experts attribute the exponential growth in prison numbers to the increasing number of offenses committed from 1960 to the 1990s. Currently, the prospects of the correctional system in the United States appear bleak. The number of imprisoned people continues to rise as genuine fears mount regarding the capacity of the prison system to hold any more convicts. Something has to be done to reduce the rising number of people stuck in the prison system in the country. De-incarceration, proving a foundation for education to the inmates, hastening the execution of prisoners on death row, and the abolishment of the death penalty are some of the ways of reducing the growing population of prisoners in the corrective facilities.

Convicts placed on death row in the country account for a significant portion of the population of those incarcerated. Walt Whitman, one of the country’s most respected poets and literary figures, suggests fast-tracking the execution process as a solution to depopulating the prisons.  He bemoans the “unsatisfactory state” of the American custom relating to punishing the capital offenders (Whitman 301). At the time of writing his article, the poet observed that more than fifty capital offenses were committed in New York alone. To his utter dismay, capital punishment was only implemented once in the fifty incidences. The United States’ laws appear vague on the exact action that should be taken against a convict that is sentenced to execution. According to Whitman, the death row process is painstakingly long, a factor which contributes to overcrowding in prisons (301). Whitman suggests the swift implementation of the death penalty to reduce the incidence of high growth of prisoners that are sentenced to death.

I agree with Whitman’s suggestion that the law should fast track the process of implementing the death penalty since it reduces overcrowding in the American prison system. Also, I have to indicate that I have reservations about executing a person in a hurry before all appeal channels are exhausted. The justice system in the U.S. allows a convict to appeal the death penalty and only resorts to execution after a rigorous process of scrutinizing evidence availed to the courts. Pushing the date of actual implanting the judgment too far increases the propensity of the prison system to overcrowd. Therefore, I feel that Whitman’s suggestions to reduce the swelling up of numbers in the country prison system are valid.

Some authors suggest the abolition of the death penalty in the country, arguing that it is outdated, expensive, ineffective, and biased. Sonia Kumar, a student at the Kansas University, reckons that the rest of the States in the Union should follow the lead of the eighteen who have already abolished the death penalty (Kumar 294). She advocates for the abolishment of the death penalty since it is likely to be erroneous and biased (295). No relationship between the death penalty and lower levels of crime exist (Lamperti). Studies in England, for example, revealed that homicides rates increased after highly publicized executions (Lamperti). I agree with her assertions about eradicating the death penalty on the grounds that it is ineffective. Eradication of futile punitive measures such as capital punishment will reduce incarcerations within the corrective system in the country.

Reducing the recidivism rates in the prison system in the United States should begin by offering foundations towards helping the inmates acquire an education. Chandra Bozelko, a former inmate at the California correctional institute, reckons that a good place to start with the program to reduce prisoner recidivism rates is by providing newspapers in prison. The former inmate turned literary author feels that offering publications in a correctional facility is the right step towards delivering the foundational education, which inmates need (Bozelko). The writer thinks that the Obama era grants aimed at introducing university-level education for the inmates were ineffective (Bozelko). He recounts that newspapers fuelled his desire to re-join the world outside. I agree with Bozelko’s suggestion that providing information to the prisoners through newspapers could be a useful avenue for reducing recidivism. By keeping former convicts from relapsing back to prison, the number of people held in the correctional facilities across the United States will decrease significantly.

The suggestion by columnist and political analyst Mona Charen that the justice system should refrain from the plan to release non-violent offenders is misguided. She argues that locking people behind bars guarantees safety to a neighborhood (Charen). Charen opposes the idea of de-incarceration arguing that the proponents of the policy wrongly assume that non-violent drug offenders form a significant portion of federal convicts. Out of the 1.6 million people behind bars, she argues, approximately 200,000 are non-violent offenders (Charen). In my opinion, reducing mass incarceration in the prison system within the United States by releasing the non-violent offenders will reduce overcrowding in corrective facilities. The 200,000 quoted by Charen is still a significant number, even if the justice department decides to release about half of them. Therefore, I disagree with her stance that decriminalization is the wrong approach to curb the rising numbers in the American prison systems.

Implementing community policing could help reduce the number of people arrested and subsequently imprisoned. Josh Bowers, an associate professor of legal matters at the Virginia School of Law, reckons that undertaking deliberate measures to improve the relationship between the police force and members of the public will enhance the quality of law enforcement work. In the event of disagreements between the two groups, they will try and solve them like neighbors rather than adversaries (Bowers 287). He observes that disrespectful policing is counterproductive and will likely lead to violent clashes with the public. The solution, he proposes, is improving the way the public see law enforcement and vice versa (Bowers 288). Consequently, the public clashes will result in further incarcerations, hence increasing the number of people held in the correctional facilities. Not only will the arrests increase, but violent nature will likely cause deaths and injuries to the offenders. I agree with Bowers’ assertions that reducing the soaring numbers in the corrective facilities is contingent upon the quality of policing in the community. The American police department needs to embrace good policing to ensure mutually beneficial cooperation with the public.

Emphasizing the quality of corrective facilities over quantity is essential to reduce the rates of recidivism. Haisam Hussein, a regular contributor to the Vice magazine, reckons that the correctional system in the United States merely locks up millions on people and releases them without the necessary skills to re-integrate into the society (Hussein 285). The convicts released into the public grapple with debts accrued from prison fees and cannot access certain government services. As such, these released inmates immediately relapse and get re-absorbed into the prison system. The solution to this, Hussein suggests, is to find ways of addressing the psychological and mental issues which help inmates get absorbed seamlessly into life outside the prison system (285). I agree with the suggestions of Hussein regarding improving the quality of corrective service offered in the prison institutions in the country. Equipping convicts with requisite skills to succeed in the free society will certainly reduce recidivism and help lower the high numbers of incarcerations.

The treatment of inmates at the American prison system must improve to reduce the rates of recidivism. The first-hand narration by an inmate, Elijah Paschelke, describes the harrowing experience that an African American convict has to endure in the hands of prison wardens. Paschelke describes the cruel manner in which the warders deal with a disgruntled prisoner in Arizona State Prison during a riot (279). He implies that the evils he has witnessed in the penitentiary will be etched in his mind long after his release from prison after his ten-year jail term (Paschelke 279). It is likely that he will develop post-traumatic stress disorder from the events in the prison system and end up back in jail just like many of his colleagues. He implies that the humane treatment of those held in penitentiaries will help reduce the recidivism rates in the United States. I agree with his suggestions because I believe that prisoners are human beings who deserve dignified treatment. The horrific treatment meted out on prisoners by wardens will negatively affect their behavior when released, which later contributes to the growing number of inmates.

Conclusion

The correctional facilities in America hold one percent of the adult population. The high number of inmates and cases of recidivism proves that the justice system in the country should be changed drastically. The government should find ways to reduce the number of criminal offenders in the country while improving the rehabilitation of delinquents to eliminate recidivism. The current trends are worrying, but faster execution of the death penalty and de-incarceration are some of the ways in which the United States government can reduce the prison population.

Works Cited

Atwan, Robert. “Prisons, Police, Punishment: Is Our Criminal Justice System Broken?” America Now: Short Readings from Recent Periodicals, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1994.

Bowers, Josh. “The Case of Community Policing.” University of Virginia Magazine. Spring, 2015. http://uvamagazine.org/articles/the_case_for_compassionate_policing

Bozelko, Chandra. “To Fix the US Prison System, Give Every Inmate the Daily Newspaper.” Quartz, 13 Aug. 2015, qz.com/478901/to-fix-the-us-prison-system-give-every-inmate-the-daily-newspaper/

Charen, Mona. “Unlock ‘Em Up?” Creators Syndicate, 9 Oct. 2015, www.creators.com/read/mona-charen/10/15/unlock-em-up.

Hussein, Haissam. “Employees of the Month.” Vice, 5 Oct. 2015, www.vice.com/en_ca/article/jmavzy/employees-of-the-month-0000762-v22n10.

Kumar, Sonia. “Death Sentence: An Inefficient Method of Punishment.” The Collegian. Kansas University College, 2015.

Lamperti, John.  “Does Capital Punishment Deter Murder? A Brief Look at the Evidence.” Dartmouth College, 2010, math.dartmouth.edu/~lamperti/my DP paper, current edit.htm.

Paschelke, Elijah. “The Storm.” Orion. 2015.

Whitman, Walt. “The Death Penalty.” Brooklyn Eagle. 1858.