The amount spent on prisons has increased 700% over the last four decades and amount is on an upwards trend. This is placing a huge burden on taxpayers, paying about 39 billion dollars a year to fund the United States prison system (Godard, 2016). Rehabilitation programs can effectively bring the amount of money spent on prisoner, since they will deter their maladaptive behaviors that got them convicted in the first place. However, very little money is spent on rehabilitation programs. In fact, of the $43,000 spent per inmate in California only 5 percent goes to fund rehabilitation programs (Ocregister, 2013). Rehabilitation will be getting prisoners out of the prison system faster. This will benefit the economy as prisoners are costly. In …show more content…
By implementing programs such as education, job training, drug treatment, and anger management, less money would be spent since the rate of recidivism will decrease. The effect is more broad than just that, since there are more rehabilitated individuals reentering society, costs in healthcare are cut due to fewer uninsured addicts will be institutionalized, and the cost of law enforcement and courts will be cut since there are lower crime rates and arrests. Not to mention the economic bonus of prisoners re-entering society with skills that will better them in the workplace. While rehabilitation programs can have a large cost up front, between $628- $652 million dollars a year just in the state of California, this cost will be offset by the efficacy of these programs in rehabilitating prisoners to shorten their sentences, and keep them out of prisons for good (Ocregister, 2013). Implementing these rehabilitation programs will save money by discouraging prisoners from fall back into a life of crime. Not only that but it will save money in the long run, by introducing prisoners back into society with skills and education needed to hold …show more content…
In order to amend ex-convict’s past actions, there must be an effort to ensure that they have better qualifications when they leave prison; for example, through programs which allow them to pursue an education. Additionally, a national movement must occur to assure the public that the rehabilitation is effective and ex-convicts are prepared to be productive members of society. Many citizens and politicians in America think that funding prisons isn’t necessary, or that spending tax dollars on people who have committed crimes is a wasted effort. The truth is that there are many people in prison who shouldn’t be there due to the justice system, or many who have realized their mistakes in life and are truly changed (Italiano, 2015). Congress is also not giving enough support. For instance, California is suffering from overpopulation in its prisons and jails, one issue that is stemming from this is that fact that lawmakers are forcing more people into prison that don’t belong such as drug users and other small class offenders