Defining the Problem
Overcrowding in prisons is one of the major challenges faced in correction facilities in the United States and is an issue of major concern. It is defined as the condition in which a correctional facility holds more inmates than it was designed to accommodate, leading to overcrowded and often inhumane conditions. Many inmates began streaming prison systems from the 1970s through 1980 (Shen et al., 2020). Prisoners kept getting into prisons with nowhere to keep them, resulting in a challenge to the criminal justice system.
The high growth rate within a short period results in flooding and crowding of the facilities, making it hard for prison officials to supervise inmates and manage their functioning. According to statistics, one in every one hundred Americans has been put behind bars (Shen et al., 2020). The population in prisons continues to rise regardless of the decreased crime rates. According to Owens et al. (2021), nearly 2.3 million American citizens were incarcerated in prisons within the country. The more prisoners in a system have resulted in increased care and maintenance costs. It results in pressure on the inmates and the staff as well. The rise in population puts a strain on resources available for the inmates. Lesser resources manage to go around, and stretching thin spaces for occupation is likely to increase inmate hostility. Prisoners in a facility require a certain amount of space; hence when the population is more than needed, they are deprived of this privilege. Due to this challenge, the recollection system in America needs reorganization to face and overcome this problem.
Identifying the Stakeholders Involved
To provide context for the problem of prison overcrowding, it is important to identify the stakeholders involved and their positions or roles. For example, the prison’s criminal justice organization may face pressure to reduce overcrowding. Inmates are direct shareholders as they may be experiencing the negative effects of overcrowding firsthand. Other stakeholders may include elected officials responsible for setting criminal justice policies and community members impacted by the overcrowding, especially those living near the facilities. Other shareholders include advocacy groups working to address the issue.
Pertinent Issues to be Addressed
Some key issues that must be addressed to address prison overcrowding include; Overcrowding in specific facilities is more prevalent than in others. The causes of this occurrence may differ from one prison to another. Some prisons are located with high crime rates, resulting in more imprisonments. Other facilities are challenged by small space and bed capacity relative to the number of incoming inmates. It is essential to identify such more overcrowded facilities and devise a plan to solve the problem in the specific locations.
Another issue is longer prison sentences and inmates remaining incarcerated for a larger portion of their sentence. The primary reason for this is the transition from an indeterminate to a determinate mode of sentencing, which began in 1981 and resulted in an increase in the prison terms for nonviolent and low-level offenses (Shen et al., 2020). Consequently, harsh penalties are implicated for certain offenses, such as crimes involving sexual and physical violence, gun crimes, and drunk driving. This issue may need to be addressed through policy changes or alternative sentencing options.
The lack of alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders contributes to overcrowding in correction facilities. Nonviolent offenders are way too many, increasing the prison population at a high rate. Developing and implementing alternative programs, such as rehabilitation or community service, may help reduce the number of incarcerated people. Other alternatives include furlough, supervised home release, community, fines and probations, and restitution.
The other issue is that the correction department lacks an adequate system and has insufficient beds to house the population and manage high-risk inmates. The challenge mostly results from poor planning and building dorm decisions during expansion projects. According to Ortiz and Jackey (2019), prisons operating over 95 % capacity are supposed to be at 90% optimal. The department’s classification system significantly determines programming needs, and prisoners’ security has been compromised due to the lack of enough beds to make placement decisions. This issue has highly influenced the transfer and placement of inmates.
Impacts of Addressing the Issues
By addressing the issues of overcrowding in specific facilities, longer prison sentences, a lack of alternatives to incarceration, and inadequate prison beds, the criminal justice organization can significantly impact the problem of prison overcrowding. The number of inmates will be reduced to appropriate levels. The available resources for the inmates will be distributed more efficiently per prisoner. Prisoners’ management will become easier for the officials, and they can efficiently engage in activities. Lower populations will reduce prisoners’ vulnerability, pressure, and practices such as violence among inmates. Social support services for prisoners will become more effective. A lower population will be minimized, slowing down prison systems such as release processes. The maximum amount of money spent on incarcerations can be reduced and spent on other needs areas such as crime reduction and public safety. The community will have less population, and the advocacy groups will use fewer funds to advocate for a lower prison population and its effects.
Course of Action
To address the issue of overcrowding in specific facilities, the system needs to identify the overcrowded ones and develop a plan to reduce the number of inmates in these locations. This could be achieved by transferring inmates to facilities with more capacity and releasing inmates serving short sentences. The capacity of these facilities can be increased by building better infrastructure and more space. Prisoners with lower-level crimes can be released to allow for space for other inmates.
Elected officials should implement policy changes to address the issue of longer prison sentences. Working with elected officials to implement policy changes that reduce incarceration for nonviolent offenses is essential. This involves advocating for sentencing reforms in supporting initiatives that provide alternatives to incarceration. Articulated policies are necessary to provide the system with overriding objectives to enhance our political climate to support these changes. Incarceration and prosecution should only be employed proportionate to their committed offense, and no other options should be involved. Minor offenses should be processed differently as long as human rights are observed.
Another step that could be taken is to implement alternative sentencing options for nonviolent offenders. This strategy could include rehabilitation or community service programs, which may be more effective at reducing recidivism and cost-effective than incarceration. A system of diversions is essential such as police cautions and warnings, meditation options, restorative justice, drug treatment, prosecutor fines, and referral of the offenders to mental health services. These informal processes can provide informal justice and accessibility to crime prevention and minimize the number of imprisoned people. The organization should increase personnel to supervise community sentences and provide resources to implement them.
Proper planning and decision-making for the number of beds in facilities should be done to increase them in overcrowded prisons. Building projects in the department should be responsible for immediate response to the need for beds. A prison should only hold prisoners proportional to the space and number of beds available and set more beds for anticipated and persistent elevation in the population of inmates.
How Does the Course of Action Address each of the Stakeholders’ Interests
The proposed course of action addresses the interests of each stakeholder in different ways. Criminal justice organization is a significant shareholder in the issue. By implementing policies to reduce overcrowding and alternative sentencing options, the organization can reduce incarceration costs and improve inmates’ quality of life. By reducing overcrowding and implementing alternative sentencing options, inmates as a shareholder will experience improved living conditions and may have more opportunities for rehabilitation and education. This action can help to reduce the likelihood of reoffending and improve the chances of successful reintegration into society upon release. A lower number of inmates in prison will result in a reduced total population in communities with better sharing of community resources. Advocacy groups will have lesser work in the promotion of less crowded facilities.
How the Course of Action will Resolve the Issue
Implementation of this proposed course of action is essential for criminal justice to address the ongoing issue of overcrowded prisons. The plan will achieve the desired outcomes to reduce the number of prisoners in facilities, which will help improve their living conditions and reduce the overall cost of incarceration. Overcrowding in prison is associated with an increased rate of violent suicide and self-harm (Castelpietra et al., 2018). By solving this problem, the rates will be highly reduced. The presence will be able to offer prisoners, with their appropriate resources and care needed. Mental health challenges for the prisoners associated with stress will be reduced as they reside in better living conditions. The officers will manage and maintain activities around the prison for better outcomes. Overcrowding is the major cause of chronic and infectious diseases in correctional facilities. Less crowded facilities will promote the health of the inmates. Hence, reducing overcrowding in specific facilities, implementing alternative sentencing options, and working with elected officials to implement policy changes will address the root causes of overcrowding and lead to a more sustainable solution to the problem.
Potential Problems with the Proposed Course of Action
One potential problem with the proposed course of action is the implementation of alternative sentencing options and changes, such as increasing beds in facilities. Every change plan in an organization requires funding, and securing funding for this program may be challenging. Organizational changes require strong sponsorship and support from high-level leadership (Mansaray, 2019). Top leaders may fail to provide leadership building to implement these strategies. It may be hard to convince charges to implement alternative options to sentencing offenders. This is a unique challenge which involves stakeholder’s resistance to new processes and structures in correction in criminal justice organizations. Resistance from some shareholders, such as elected officials and community members, may be present in plans to reduce incarceration and implement alternative punishment. It is important to address these issues of concern and work with all shareholders to ensure the success of the proposed course of action. Initial steps that must be successful for implementation include identification of the crowded prisons and establishing a plan to ensure maximum collaboration with policy makers and consideration of shareholders involved.
Changes from Journal Assignment
As indicated in the journal access assignments, my initial thoughts have changed in the final proposals. Additional issues have been added, such as the causes of prison overcrowding and its effects, results, and outcomes of solving the problem. The way I thought about the problem changed over time as I researched the topic more, coming up with petrol model initiatives and strategies to cope with the challenge. Theoretical perspectives application and expert practitioners influenced my decision-making on recommendations that should be carried out to promote better ways to deal with the challenge of overpopulation in prisons.
References
Shen, Y., Bushway, S. D., Sorensen, L. C., & Smith, H. L. (2020). Locking up my generation: Cohort differences in prison spells over the life course. Criminology, 58(4), 645-677. Web.
Ortiz, J. M., & Jackey, H. (2019). The system is not broken, it is intentional: The prisoner reentry industry as deliberate structural violence. The Prison Journal, 99(4), 484-503. Web.
Castelpietra, G., Egidi, L., Caneva, M., Gambino, S., Feresin, T., Mariotto, A., Balestrieri, M., De Leo, D. & Marzano, L. (2018). Suicide and suicides attempts in Italian prison epidemiological findings from the “Triveneto” area, 2010–2016. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 6(1), 6-12. Web.
Mansaray, H. E. (2019). The role of leadership style in organisational change management: a literature review. Journal of Human Resource Management, 7(1), 18-31. Web.
Owens, K., Cobb, C., & Cranor, L. (2021, May). “You Gotta Watch What You Say”: Surveillance of Communication with Incarcerated People. In Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-18). Web.