Prisons essays

Prisons essays As the general population of America ages, so do its inmates. It is predicted that by the year 2010, at least one in ten will be age fifty or older. In Florida for example, the growth rate of geriatric inmates already exceeds that of the younger inmate. The reason for this epidemic is partially due to tougher long-term sentencing guidelines, resulting from the get tough on crime campaign. Because of these long sentences, seniors are concentrated in prisons well beyond their proportions in civilian public. Prisons can lose substantial litigation costs if heath care programs and concerns are not met. The older inmate will also need to be separated from the younger inmate who potentially could overpower a geriatric inmate easily. As the government struggles with the issues of elderly inmates, the problem is only getting worse. The creation of the supermax prison is due to the current dangerousness of the adult male prison situation. These prisons are overcrowded to the point of danger and are forcing administration to act. Because of tougher sentencing guidelines, and longer sentences, the prisons have filled up without a turnover rate that eases the crowding problem. Prison administrators are being forced to release non-violent offenders from prison back into the community, leaving the violent offenders all together in the prison. This creates a tense situation inside the prison, and creates an opportunity for deviance such as riots or fights. Intermediate sanctions are beginning to fill the gap between prison and probation extremes. They can range from fines to boot camps and expand options in the criminal justice system to better suite a crime with an appropriate punishment. The particular punishment holds the offender strictly accountable for their actions. With the limited recourses available for the criminal justice system, intermediate sanctions permit effective and effic ...