For the past two decades, the number of inmates in American prisons has been rising steadily eliciting concerns amongst leaders and the public. New York, in particular, is viewed as the hub of most violent activities in the United States. The prisons in the city are filled with so many inmates some of whom committed petty thefts such as not responding to a warrant or failing to pay debts. The petty criminals are placed with the violent prisoners who have committed rape and murders. The panelists in the CUNY Forum discuss the alarming rates of inmates in the rehabilitation centers in New York. Their focus is directed to a certain prison in the city known as Rikers with the aim of providing suggestions to solve the issue of mass incarceration. This essay entails a brief outline of the ideas of the panelists concerning violence and the rising rates of offenders in rehabilitation centers in New York.
The issue of violence in New York has taken center stage in most political and criminal justice discussions. Some people have called for the closing down of the Rikers Prison since there is no particular order in the categorization of offenses. Also, due to the rising rates of prisoners and overcrowding, the institution does not give adequate services and facilities to inmates. The example of Rikers is utilized throughout the discussion of the panelist who list that the fundamental problems in the prison are the poor infrastructure and the lack of adequate funds to improve the conditions for the criminals (CUNY Forum, 2016). Also, it is quite difficult for families and loved ones to make frequent visits to the prisoners. Most of the offenders in the institutions have mental problems resulting in numerous violent incidents in the prisons.
Each state thrives on different policies concerning the classification of inmates in prisons. For example, North Carolina puts 16 and 17 year olds in the same rehabilitations with adults. The categorization problem also emanates when the prisons put all offenders under one system. The panelists suggest that inmates should be grouped based on the crime and mental states (CUNY Forum, 2016). The groups should be accorded law enforcers who know how to deal with each issue. Another challenge that has led to high incarceration rate is the lack of money to post bails. Most offenders remain in prison because they do not have money to pay for their short-term releases before trials (Reiman & Leighton, 2015). The panelists suggest that therapeutic and restoration programs can lower the number of inmates going back to the criminal justice system (CUNY Forum, 2016). The projects will offer offender new skills and knowledge that will give them opportunities to pursue different careers instead of going back to crime.
The major players in the justice system include the senior law enforcers and the leadership in New York. Gang violence has been the number problem in the region because the young people lack activities or jobs to perform. The state and federal government should institute programs that will give the young people opportunities and work to prevent them from partaking in gang violence (Clear & Frost, 2015). They should also sensitize on the need to grow themselves into respectable citizens rather than throwing their lives away. The criminal justice system also requires formulating reforms to reduce the incarceration rates. First, they should not place all the offenders under one universal setup since it will result in improper management of the inmates. Secondly, they should review the laws that put people in the justice system. The aspect directs attention to the problem of petty criminals. The criminal justice system seems to be in a rush to place individuals in the prisons without considering different rehabilitation measures.
References
Clear, T. R., & Frost, N. A. (2015). The punishment imperative: The rise and failure of mass incarceration in America. NYU Press.
CUNY Forum (2016). Latest edition: Crime and Punishment in New York: Reforming our Justice System in the 21st Century City. Retrieved May 2, 2016 from http://www.cuny.tv/show/cunyforum.
Reiman, J., & Leighton, P. (2015). The rich get richer and the poor get prison: Ideology, class, and criminal justice. Routledge.
