High Incarceration Rates in the U.S.

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Table of Contents

Thesis statement
Hypotheses
Working solution to the problem
Measurement and Analysis Approach
Applicable Resources
Ethical standards

Thesis statement

The United States is listed as the third most populated country in the world, however, it is ranked number one for having the highest incarceration rates.

Hypotheses

In response to the thesis statement, the following hypotheses were formulated:

The high incarceration rates stem from economic issues, unquestionable policies, and arbitrary laws.
Race and socioeconomic class are the major factors influencing incarceration.
Recidivism is associated with various incarceration policies and other aspects of correctional facilities.

Working solution to the problem

The problem of the staggering incarceration rates stems from ineffective policies that fail to consider the whole crime and incarceration spectrum. Therefore, the major solutions to the problem should primarily focus on rectifying this inefficiency. With regards to three policies, the following solutions have been proposed:

Sentencing policy – Strategies for moderating incarceration rates are influenced by the complex interplay between policymakers and the public. This is because literature illustrates that some sentencing practices require significant financial, social, and human costs, yet, they result in uncertain benefits, which are discordant with the long-lasting doctrines of the jurisprudence of punishment. Policymakers should revise policies regarding long prison sentences, policies on the enforcement of drug laws, “truth-in-sentencing” requirements, mandatory minimum sentences, and permit convicts to shorten their sentences via earned time or good time policies. Therefore, they should design new policies that aim to actually “correct” offenders. For instance, nonviolent, non-serious, and non-sexual offenders should be diversified to community corrections or local jails, hence, reducing the convict population in state prisons. Furthermore, policies should objectify to reduce or eliminate criminal penalties for certain low-level felonies
Social policy – Revising sentencing policies by themselves will not mitigate the underlying problems of low education and economic insecurity associated with incarceration of the country’s most impoverished communities. Solutions have to be outside the criminal justice system, and they entail policies focusing on neighborhood poverty, drug addiction, and school drop-out – all of which are interlinked with incarceration. As a result, policymakers will have to evaluate and deal with the accessibility, availability, and quality of social services provided, such as employment, drug treatment, and housing.
Prison policy – Since the experience of incarceration can be damaging to some specific individuals, their families, and the community at large, efforts should be made to better the conditions and programs in prisons. This would be achieved by minimizing the detrimental outcomes of incarceration and facilitate the successful reintegration of former convicts upon release, hence, ultimately reducing recidivism.

Measurement and Analysis Approach

Country and state-level analyses will be conducted using data from two sources. First, data from the Sentencing Project will be used to examine the state and federal prison population by offense; population under the control of the U.S. corrections system – jail, prison, probation, and parole; the proportion of individuals in prisons convicted for drug offenses; the rate of imprisonment by race and ethnicity; and the proportion of individuals serving life sentences. Second is the National Institute of Justice to measure the rates and causes of recidivism.

Applicable Resources

Hunt, S., & Dumville, R. (2016). Recidivism among federal offenders: A comprehensive review. Web.

This article examines the rate of recidivism, the relationship between recidivism and criminal history, the offender’s federal offense, the sentence imposed, and offender characteristics. Overall, the study illustrates that relatively high recidivism rates have characterized the U.S. over the past years.

Prison Studies. (2019). Highest to lowest – Prison population total. Web.

It contains a list of the total prison populations in various countries.

Travis, J., Western, B., & Redburn, S. (2014). The growth of incarceration in the United States: Exploring causes and consequences. Web.

This comprised of an analysis of literature illustrating the outcomes of the high rates of incarceration on public safety, with regards to convicts themselves, their families, and society to which they return upon their release. This was achieved by evaluating the established policies of governance and jurisprudence, which have historically driven the utilization of incarceration.

United States Sentencing Commission. (2017). Demographic differences in sentencing: An update to the 2012 Booker report. Web.

The length of sentencing is strongly correlated with particular demographic factors, such as race and gender. Black male convicts tend to receive longer sentences than their White counterparts. This disparity has been greatly contributed by non-government-sponsored departures and variances. Moreover, criminal history of violence does not serve as a predisposing factor. Lastly, regardless of race, female offenders tend to receiver shorter sentences than White male offenders during the Post-Report period.

U.S. Census Bureau. (2019). World Population Day: July 11, 2019. Web.

It contains a record of the total world population and even ranks them from the highest to the lowest.

Ethical standards

Since the secondary data sources used do not contain any identifiable information and are legally accessible to the public, and ethics review is not required. However, this study will still observe the professional codes of practice.

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