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Although criminals should be taken off the streets, incarceration isn't always an effective way to prevent crimes Does it control crime? Increasing incarceration rates may in fact work adversely against crime. Prisoners face horrible conditions such as inadequate medical care, abuse by guards, rodent infestation and lack of rehabilitation programs. They are often raped and condoms are not available, thus spreading AIDS. These conditions, coupled with an environment of criminal peers, often make prisoners more violent than when they went in. Back on the street Further, a large majority of
prisoners are not the "violent predators" we are conditioned to believe.
More than
70% of prisoners are locked up for non-violent crimes, most for drug crimes or low level
property crimes. While many prisoners only need drug or alcohol counseling or help finding
jobs, our government opts to flex its muscles by throwing these people in prison.
Prison usually has a long-term affect on a person and may hinder them of leading a normal lifestyle even if they've changed in positive ways. Most prisoners' living environments lead to few options in life. The majority come from poverty-stricken neighborhoods that suffer from inadequate education, unemployment, broken families, social isolation and other factors that make criminal activity more likely. Unfortunately, prison does absolutely nothing to address these “root” causes of crime. Largely a result of the “War on Drugs,” America's incarceration policies have disproportionately impacted minorities, particularly African Americans. While African Americans constitute only 13% of drug users, they represent 74% of those sentenced to prison for drug possession. The horrifying result has been that one in three black men between the ages of 20 and 29 is under some form of criminal justice control. Social Costs Effective crime prevention One such program is the Community
Justice Project. The CJP works with courts to provide community service, education and
employment opportunities for offenders, parolees and individuals on probation. CJP has not
only shown a significant decrease in the recidivism rate of its participants, but has also
used these offenders to give back to the community. Prisons are more geared towards punishing people instead of rehabilitating them Another organization, the Victim
Offender Mediation Association, is just one of many community groups working toward
implementing the ideals of restorative justice. Unlike incarceration, restorative justice
attempts to repair the harm caused by the crime and reintegrate the offender back into
society. Restorative justice has had great success in reducing recidivism rates of property
offenders in Australia and continues to gain support worldwide. What you can do
by Matt Haney, Hearts & Minds
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