...THE BUDGET COST AND EFFECTS OF PRISONS IN THE UNITED STATES Christina Adonia Turner June 15, 2013 Introduction to Public Administration TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Table Of Contents…………………………………………………………2 2. Executive Summary………………………………………………………..3 3. Scope and Statement of the Problem………………………………………4 4. Literature Review………………………………………………………….5 5. Methodology………………………………………………………………7 6. Analytical Results………………………………………………………....8 7. Discussion………………………………………………………………...10 8. Bibliography………………………………………………………………16 9. Appendix………………………………………………………………....17 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In summary, the cost of housing an incarcerated inmate does affect the budget of the United States. Whether, the inmate is sentenced to life imprisonment or the death penalty. The facts in this research paper leans heavily in favor of life imprisonment as a cheaper form of punishment verses an inmate being sentenced to death row. The judicial system and politicians have formed several alternatives to assist our country with the ability to lower the cost of housing an inmate in our prison system. For example, the United States detaining systems are concentrating more on issuing a fair sentence to nonviolent offenders, such as, substance abusers and prostitutes. They realize that the majority of the inmates are in need of drug rehabilitation and have a mental illness. Also, the research shows that women offenders are the most affected with drug addiction...
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...Zebulon introduced parole in the United States in the year 1876. Parole reduced jail overcrowding, as well as offering to rehabilitate prisoners by encouraging them to earn their way out of prison through good behavior. Parole involves the supervision of a criminal after serving all or part of jail term, the convict is allowed to live in the community under supervision, the parole period is dependent on the decisions made by the board of parole, violation of parole will result into re-imprisonment of the convict. A prisoner’s parole is based on many factors including time served, good behavior or recommendations from prison staff or the parole board. Many prisoners may be give early parole for lesser crimes because of prison overcrowding. A prisoner may also be denied for parole if a family of a person who was hurt or killed comes forth with a convincing plea as to why the prisoner should not be released. In North Carolina, the goals for Truth in Sentencing are as follows: • Classify criminal offenses into felony and misdemeanor categories on the basis of their severity; • Recommend structures for use by a sentencing court in determining the most appropriate sentence to be imposed in a criminal case; • Develop a correctional population simulation model; • Recommend a comprehensive community corrections strategy and organizational structure for the State; and, • Study and make additional policy recommendations. A number of states also have adopted varying types of truth-in-sentencing...
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...against humanity and the greater good of the world in general. In Florida alone in the past years has seen thousands of people working in Florida tomato fields against their will. Additionally, in South Haven, Michigan State, companies such as Adkin Blue Ribbon Packing Company have children as young as five years old working in their blueberry fields (Patel, Hill, Eslocker, & Ross, 2009). Chemicals and pesticides used in these fields are toxic to the workers causing serious respiratory and carcinogenic diseases. Unfortunately, most of these cases go unreported. However, over the years after outcries by human activists and other human rights organizations who are against this kind of labor force, law enforcement officials have worked tirelessly over the last couple of years to free thousands of ‘slaves’ and prosecute those involved in this outrageous crime against humanity. Some of those who found themselves in these unkind working conditions had come seeking better lives for themselves and their families while others were ‘sold’ into slavery. Ironically, most Americans know and ponder over child labor as a problem everywhere else except in America, and shamelessly I fall into that category. How much of a problem is sex trafficking in Charlotte, North Carolina and does this surprise you? Have you seen evidence of this issue or heard about it? Explain the story of Janet; why did she and so many other women end up on these farms...
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... A. Methods of execution. B. The history of the death penalty. II. How do you got put on the death row “death penalty” A. What state uses what method? B. What states don’t use any method? III. What do the people think about the death penalty in the U.S.? A. Why are people for the death penalty? B. Why are people against the death penalty? Conclulusion-The death penalty isn’t the right way to go for punishment after a crime it just as worse as the person that committed the crime. Fighting Crime with Murder The death penalty is a common topic and one of the major’s topics today. This research paper as you can already see is about the death penalty and it will show and tell what it is, how it works also how it is wrong because, two wrongs do not make a right even though two negatives make positive. I have learned many of things about the death penalty more than what I expected to learn. I hope by you reading my research paper you will learn how the death penalty isn’t the right way to go just like abortions some people say abortions are right but not the death penalty or the other way around it does not make any sense they both are murdering someone. Yes, the person on the death penalty did something wrong to get there but like I said before two wrongs does not make a right. Make them suffer in the prisons for what they have done instead of dying painless. Also now days you never can tell if that person truly committed that crime unless you were...
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...in the settlement of the European colonies. The earliest recorded execution dates back to 1608 (Death Penalty Information Center, 2011) . However, the use of capital punishment in the United States centuries later has been very controversial. Thirty-four states still use the death penalty as a punishment while 16 states have abolished its use (Death Penalty Information Center, 2011) . The constitutionality of capital punishment is in question and is constantly interpreted. The death penalty requires arbitrary decisions to be made by jurors. The studies on race in death penalty cases, the exonerations of those individuals on death row, and the cost of the death penalty are reasons to abolish capital punishment in the United States. Recent studies on the death penalty show surprising facts about the race of defendant and victim. In North Carolina it was found that the odds of receiving the death penalty rose by 3.5 for defendants whose victims were white. A California study found that defendants who murdered Whites were three times more likely to receive the death penalty than those who murdered Blacks and four times more likely than those who murdered Latinos. Race-of-victim and race-of-defendant discrimination has been found in 96 percent of the states in which death penalty and race studies have taken place (Death Penalty Information Center, 2011) . The exonerations of those on death row are somewhat shocking. To know that individuals on death row could be innocent should deter...
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...Violence In Prisons A large percentage of male inmates have a lengthy history of violence. At the end of 2005, 53 percent of adults sentenced to state prisons were committed for violent offenses.[8] With such a large proportion of inmates previously involved in violent acts, it is not surprising, therefore, that violent behavior is a way of life within prisons. Many inmates just resort to violence as their normal reaction to frustration, disagreements, or lack of power. Those who are not prone to violence are constantly watchful to avoid situations that could lead to violent confrontations. A 2008 study of inmate-on-inmate violence in thirty prisons confirmed what is called the “importation” theory, or that violent inmates bring their violent ways into prison with them. The Bureau of Justice Statistics indicate that the Federal Bureau of Prisons and 19 states are over capacity, with 20 additional states also close to maximum prison capacity. A case in point: Chino Men's Prison in California, was built to hold 3,000 inmates; it currently holds 5,900 prisoners. In 2009, Chino, California prison inmates staged a riot which resulted in the injury of at least 175 prisoners. Overcrowding increases stress under the best of conditions, let alone in situations when individuals have limited coping skills, such as prisons. The Chino riot raged for 11 hours and injured 175 inmates. Men suffered vicious stab and head wounds as prisoners attacked each other with makeshift weapons, including...
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...Community Corrections or Incarceration Are community corrections a better solution than incarceration? Michelle Brooks ITT Technical Institute Community Corrections or Incarceration Abstract In this research paper will read about different subjects and topics that pertain to incarceration and community corrections. The incarceration rate is going up in the United States while at the same time community corrections is slowly fading away because of limited support from the local communities and government officials within each state. In this research I hope to find out those community corrections has more to offer than incarceration. In conclusion incarceration is not the right way but community corrections will be. Community Corrections or Incarceration Table of Contents Abstract Introduction Background on Community Corrections Background on Incarceration Effectives of Community Corrections Effectives of Incarceration Programs dealing with Community Corrections Programs while Incarcerated Theory Interview with Mr. Sharron Wilson Result Reference Page Community Corrections or Incarceration Introduction Community Corrections is a better solution than incarceration because it offers many different alternative programs for several different types of offenders. Incarceration also offers similar programs...
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...Many offenders within the prison system, when released, must follow up with a parole officer. There can be many different conditions of parole placed upon the offender. The Parole Commission assigns these conditions of parole to assure that the parolee will live a life without crime or assist him or her to do so. The parolee may have to gain suitable employment, attend rehab, report to their parole officer at certain times or even wear a device that allows the offender to be monitored electronically. The parole system interacts or affects the Criminal Justice System in many ways. Are there ways to improve the effectiveness of this system? What does the future hold for this organization and its impact on the Criminal Justice System? History and Creation In June of 1910 there were three federal penitentiaries. Due to the enactment of legislation, federal prisoners began receiving parole on June 25th of 1910. The Parole Board, at this time, consisted of the warden and the physician of the prison and the Superintendent of Prisons of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Each prison had its own parole board. In May of 1930, however, a single parole board was established. This board consisted of three members that served full-time and were appointed by the Attorney General. In 1945, the board started reporting directly to the Attorney General. Then in 1948, two other members were appointed to the parole board due to the increase in the prison population. The parole board...
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...Moreover, the conviction for drug offenses accounted for ⅔ of the rise in the prison population and was the greatest perpetrator of racial oppression. Police had free reign as to what counted as justified cause and the courts even allowed an implicit drug exception that went against the Bill of rights. Black bodies accumulated within the prison system and even with the removal of mandatory minimums many were set in a perpetual cycle of recidivism. While within the prison the 13th Amendment allowed these same bodies to endure a condition analogous to that of their ancestors. Alexander sheds light on this issue with her inclusion of the example, “ Today, many inmates work in prison, typically earning far less than the minimum wage—often less than $3 per hour, sometimes as little as 25 cents. Their accounts are then “charged” for various expenses related to their incarceration, making it impossible for them to save the money that otherwise would allow them to pay off their debts or help them make a successful transition when released from prison.” (Alexander 70) The previous quote conveys the notion that prisoners are virtually paid very little, one could even argue not at all. The oppressive nature of America’s justice system does not seek to reform prisoners so that...
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...Americans and the death penalty. After doing research for a few days it hit me that there was a whole other topic that I should be doing. Under most instances I support the death penalty but I came across an article that gave an opinion that all death penalty inmates should have their evidence reexamined and DNA tested if they were convicted in a pre DNA era. After that I looked into the statistics of people that had been exonerated after serving years in prison by reexamining the DNA from their cases. I was amazed that there had been so many people exonerated out with such limited resources. I now knew that I wanted to know more about DNA exonerations what the statistics were with race and those wrongfully convicted. I think the two subjects African Americans and the death penalty and DNA exonerations could be really enlightening as it shows that the American Justice System in the past surely has executed wrongfully convicted men in the past. So I used Google to search “Exonerated by DNA and Race” and began to read not only their cases but also their stories. The next day I was already questioning my stance on the death penalty. Not only did I think about how their lives will never be the same I thought about all the time they lost and can never get back. Time stood still for them while their families, friends, and loved ones moved on with their lives likely never expecting to see them on that side of their lives again. I sat there and thought how many men have been wrongfully convicted...
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...Ohio State University law professor and civil rights activist Michelle Alexander, author of "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness," reports there are more African American men in prison and jail, or on probation and parole, than were slaves before the start of the Civil War. Statistics reported in 2006, by the U.S .Department of Justice, Bureau of Statistics support this claim, which show that Blacks made up 41 percent of the nation’s 2 million prison and jail inmates, while Non-Hispanic whites made up 37 percent and Hispanics made up 19 percent. The disproportionate ratio of blacks to whites who are incarcerated is especially great in Iowa, Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota – greater than 10-to-1 (USJB, 2006). Why this structural inequality towards African Americans is happening, why it matters, and suggestions to rectify this, are issues that are discussed in this paper. Why is this happening? Since 1970, the U.S. has experienced a large and rapid increase in the rate at which people, regardless of race, are housed in federal and state correctional facilities (Snyder, 2011). This rapid growth in the prison population has been attributed in a large part to the rate at which individuals are incarcerated for drug offenses, especially minorities (Snyder, 2011). Between1995 and 2003, the number of people in state and federal prisons incarcerated for drug offenses increased by 21 percent, from 280,182 to 337...
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...CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK ------------------------------------------------- POLICY BRIEF VETERAN TREATMENT COURT SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO THE COMMON PLEAS COURT OF CUYAHOGA COUNTY TONY D. MORRIS PREPARED FOR: Honorable John J. Russo Administrative and Presiding Judge Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court July 1, 2014 SWK 300: SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY PROFESSOR MICHAEL A. DOVER SPRING 2014 GOAL STATEMENT The sole purpose of this policy brief is to deliver concrete and measurement evidences that Veteran Treatment Courts (VTC) promotes public safety by diverting veterans with addictions and/or mental illness into a voluntary specialized court as oppose to the traditional criminal justice system. At present the Cleveland Veteran Treatment docket is only available to veterans that reside in the City of Cleveland. By expanded the court to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, veterans would have access to the resources available, especially at the county level. There are 38 cities and 19 villages in Cuyahoga County. According to the United States Census Bureau and there are 90,753 veterans residing in Cuyahoga County and increasing as service members from Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom & Operation New Dawn (OEF,OIF,OND) begin to return and reintegrate back to civilian life. The VTC has proven to be smart, cost effective ventures that assist veterans on the road to recovery, effectively and successfully reducing recidivism...
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...legal could help the economy, be medically beneficial, is safer than alcohol, and it would help all walks of life in one way or another. The legalization of marijuana could be very economically beneficial according to a study done by an economics professor at Harvard University named Jeffery Miron. Professor Miron says the government would save about $7.7 billion a year by the policing and prosecution being cut if marijuana was legalized in the U.S. The study also states that if the taxing of tobacco and alcohol was similarly used on marijuana, another $6.2 billion would be attained. In 2008 another study was done. In Texas $46.1 million was spent by state prisons only supervising marijuana prosecuted inmates. In California marijuana enforcement was estimated to be over $146 million. Some prisons now are facing overcrowding. Think of the amount of money that would be saved and some of the space that would be freed up in the Department of Corrections facilities. With the savings from the policing and prosecution being diminished and the money gained from the taxing, the money would go to the states. The following is a projected breakdown of marijuana tax revenue Professor Miron came up with based on today’s economy. Projected marijuana tax revenues* State Tax Revenue (in millions)...
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...Capital punishment is the legal process when a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for their crimes. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a social justice organization that’s actively working to abolish capital punishment in the United States. The ACLU does this by working within legislature to change laws to improve the lives of those in need of help. The ACLU stands against capital punishment and is justified in doing so because it interferes with the first amendment, being the right to life. Capital punishment cases also clog the court system with appeals and hearings, and aren’t any cheaper for the state than a life in prison without the chance for parole charge would be. The ACLU is founded on protecting our civil rights, which include our right to life. Capital punishment violates the right to life provided by Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) (ACLU Death Penalty par.1). While the right to life is more commonly referred to in the issue of abortion, it still applies in the issue of capital punishment. Article 3 of the UDHR does not specify that it is to only guard certain people and not others. The right to life protects all people, criminal or not, and we cannot take away their right to life just because they are brought into custody. What would make someone’s life less important or less worthy than how we see our own? What makes us, as a society, think we are above one another and have the right to execute...
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...Introduction There are over 90,000 women in prison in the U.S. today. (WEAP) Between 1980 and 1993, the growth rate for the female prison population increased approximately 313%, compared to 182% for men in the same period. At the end of 1993 women accounted for 5.8% of the total prison population and 9.3% of the jail population nationwide. (NWLC) Although the proportion of prisoners who are women is relatively small, women make up the fastest growing subset of the entire prison population. For this reason, and because male supremacy and sexist justice are so intimately related to this problem, a separate consideration of women in prison is needed. Male privilege and domination, and the protection of that privilege have long been and continue to be central to the criminal prosecution system. In this essay I will consider three main subjects in this regard: Social and economical causes of female violence, what’s the reaction of society and justice system to it, how prison works in this society and what’s its effect on female prisoners? Social and Economical Causes of Female Violence First I will consider social and economical causes of female violence. Who are the women in prison? The profile that emerges in study after study is that of young, single mother with few job skills, a high school dropout whom lives below the poverty level are the most typical women in prison. Seventy-five percent are between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-four, are mothers of dependent children...
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