The Growth of Incarceration in the United States
The Growth of Incarceration in the United States
The central thesis of this article looks to the growth rate of imprisonment in the United States over the last four decades or say, while proclaiming how the incarceration rate has unnervingly quadrupled during this segmented period. More specifically, the article compiles various contributions to the factor of national incarceration, yet one most crucial is; policy maker decisions directed to increase the severity and use of prison sentences, clear individual laws reflectant of choice policy to increase incarceration length and usage (Travis, Jeremy, Bruce Western, and Steve Redburn, 2014). The study incorporated an analysis by the Vera Institute of Justice among fifty states in the USA, where “prison population effects of a wide range of sentencing policy changes” (Travis, Jeremy, Bruce Western, and Steve Redburn, 2014). Ultimately the hypotheses of these studies proclaimed that these exceedingly high rates of incarceration have constituted a major source of social harm and injustice. Furthermore, it proved that all determinate statutory sentencing laws and voluntary guidelines have proven ineffective towards target of diminishing or greatly reducing racial and alternate unwarranted sentencing disparities while alongside increasing consistency (Travis, Jeremy, Bruce Western, and Steve Redburn, 2014). It is to my understanding that this broad extensive research can be completely and utterly subservient towards the negative factors of incarceration growth, especially after a complete fifty state denomination of empirical data from literally every single state in the entire country. The article states that in terms of motivation towards correctional policy, changes/reconsiderations must be made within prison policy, social policy and sentencing policy, as to ultimately reduce the nation's reliance on incarceration. Furthermore, presumptive sentencing guidelines and parole, if properly designed and implemented, “can demonstrably improve consistency and reduce disparity” (Travis, Jeremy, Bruce Western, and Steve Redburn, 2014).
References:
Travis, Jeremy, Bruce Western, and Steve Redburn, 2014., eds. The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences. NATIONAL ACADEMIES, 2014. PDF. Causes and Consequences of High Rates of Incarceration; Committee on Law and Justice; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; National Research Council.
