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Hannah Dodd
Viki Stalbird
English Composition II
March 25, 2016
Over-Population of American Inmates
The United States of America currently holds 25% of the worlds prisoners. This has led
to an over-population in American prisons where many inmates live in inhuman conditions.
Gymnasiums, broom closets, and crowded cells are used to house inmates throughout the prison.
Beds can be seen stacked three high upon each other in rows, with little space in between,
spanning what is supposed to be a gymnasium for recreation and exercise or a cafeteria. There
are approximately 240,000 rapes occurring in US prisons each years as non-violent inmates
cannot escape the violence of those who are. This causes mental and sometimes physical trauma
that lasts even after they have been released from jail. More than half of inmates in the U.S. are
in prison serving for a non-violent crime. Inmates who are under threat from another inmate are
often sent to isolation which is considered a punishment. This punishes potential victims instead
of those who threaten them. 61% of US prisoners are incarcerated due to drug related crimes. A
majority of those drug related crimes are addiction, but the imprisonment of people addicted to
drugs does nothing to help them overcome their addictions. Another 15% of inmates have mental
health problems and are denied aid for getting their mental health under control through the use
of medication or counseling. The population of Inmates in American prisons should be reduced
through the implementation of programs for drug addiction, mental health, finding stable jobs,

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and adapting to life outside of prison because it will lower the amount of money needed to fund
prisons and lower overall and reoccurring crime rates.
Drug related crimes are the most commonly committed crimes in the United States. Drug
dealers and addicts both face time in prison, but this doesnt prevent them from dealing drugs in
the future or to help them get over their addiction. Keep in mind that the high-level drug dealers
aren't cluttering up our prisons; they're too rich and smart to get caught. They hire addicts or
kids, sometimes as young as eleven or twelve, to take most of the risks that result in
confinement.(Seven Ways to Fix the Criminal Justice System). Steps need to be taken to treat
drug addiction as a medical problem, thus offering much needed help to those with drug
addictions and disempowering drug dealers. By disempowering drug dealers and helping addicts
recover from their addiction, less people will be involved in illegal drug activity. The 61% of
crimes which are drug related will drop significantly and result in a significant decrease in
inmate population.
15% of inmates have mental health problems or disorders either causing or caused by
their imprisonment. A majority inmates who have mental health problems are left untreated in
prison unless they are an active danger to others or themselves due to their illness or instability.
While some inmates are instantly routed to mental health institutions, they are underfunded and
overcrowded. Prisons have been forced to pick up the slack of the mental health institutions by
continuing to house these inmates. Inmates whose crimes are due to their mental health and are
left untreated are likely to return to prison after they are released because they will continue to
struggle with their mental health. This is the same case for inmates whose mental health declines
due to the treatment they receive in prison either by the guards or mistreatment from other
inmates. These inmates often develop feelings of hatred or struggle with accepting what has

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happened to them, especially in instances where prison rape has occurred. Mistreated inmates are
more likely to return to jail after their release as they are now unstable or influenced by negative
emotions and thought forms. By creating a program that immediately separates violent from nonviolent criminals, the mental and physical health of non-violent criminals (50% of inmates) can
be easier protected and maintained. This significantly reduces their chances of being returned to
prison. Another program would take all inmates with mental health problems to facilities in
which they can learn to deal with or receive mental health care. A program like this would help
inmates deal with their mental health and remain stable even after they have served their time.
Adapting to life outside of prison can be difficult for former inmates who no longer are
used to living a normal life. Many former inmates return to prison because they werent able to
cope and deal with their new environment. Finding a place to stay, work, and interacting with
others in this no longer familiar environment can be a challenge without help. There are already
programs in place to help inmates learn working skills and how to live outside of prison that are
provided during the duration of their sentence. Despite these programs being in place not all
prisons house these programs or have the money to. Former inmates need the most help when
released as they are in their adjustment period. During this adjustment period help in finding
stable well-paying work and decent housing is crucial. By creating a program that helps former
inmates adjust to their new lives after they have been released will reduce their chances of
returning to prison due to newly committed crimes.
People who have been released from prison usually have a hard time finding a stable or
well-paying job. This is due to the fact that many employers look to see if candidates have
criminal records. Former inmates who had stable jobs before their incarceration have often times
lose their job when they were sentenced to prison and cant find one when they are released.

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When former inmates cannot find a job its easier to fall back into a life of crime because there
are a lack of opportunities. A program for placing people who have been released from prison
into stable and suitable jobs or education opportunities needs to be created and made widely
available to lower chances of future imprisonment. The program also needs to disallow potential
employers from excluding former inmates from equal opportunity employment. This can be
accomplished by not allowing employers to see records of non-violent crimes. By taking these
steps, the programs can help former inmates to make a new life for themselves.
The cost of the programs is a large set back to their chances of being created as more
money than ever has been needed to house the USs ever growing inmate population. The initial
price for starting each program is also unknown as a thorough evaluation of inmates needs need
to be taken into account. However as inmates go through these rehabilitating programs they
would be less likely to commit crimes in the future, saving billions of dollars in housing costs.
This would eventually outweigh the cost of the programs and end in lower housing and program
costs. If even only one program is instated, in the case of the drug rehabilitation programs, drug
related crimes would drop significantly. This would drastically affect the current 61% of inmates
who serve for drug related crimes. Overall these programs would help reduce the number of
inmates in the US, saving upwards of $5billion.
The benefits of placing inmate rehabilitating programs in action would be monumental in
the long run. Inmate population would be dramatically reduced in the U.S. As the inmate
population lowers there can be fewer prisons. This decrease in inmate would save upwards of
$5billion each year in taxes. Former inmates will also be less likely to return to prison as they
will have been assisted in finding stable jobs and housing. The programs require significant
amounts of startup money, but despite the initial cost of starting these programs billions of

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dollars will be saved as fewer inmates will need to go through the programs over time. Finally a
significant drop in crime and a rise in mentally healthy people can be expected and would create
a safer and more stable society.

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Citations
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Times 2015: 15. Academic OneFile. Web. 6 Mar. 2016.
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"Fix America's criminal justice system." The Denver Post (Denver, CO) 2015: General OneFile.
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Hudson, David. "President Obama: "Our Criminal Justice System Isn't as Smart as It Should
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Kopak, Albert M., Norman G. Hoffmann, and Steven L. Proctor. "Key Risk Factors For Relapse
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System." Vox. 01 Mar. 2016. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.vox.com/2016/3/1/11134908/criminal-justice-mental-health>.
Lozoff, Bo. "Seven Ways to Fix the Criminal Justice System." The New Age Journal (2001): n.
pag. Web.

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Mohr, Gary C. "Reforming The Criminal Justice System." Corrections Today 77.6 (2015):
46. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 6 Mar. 2016. Ohio Link. Sinclair Library, Dayton, OH. 6
Mar. 2016