Overpopulated U.S. prisons

Overpopulation in the United States Prisons
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Abstract
In the United States, overcrowding is a major issue of concern that has imposed pressure on the correctional facilities, hence creating the need for adequate measures from respective stakeholders. The number of inmates in the U.S. has doubled in the recent past while the resources put on correctional facilities have significantly reduced which have resulted to overcrowding (Farrington, & Nuttal, 1980, p 224). As demonstrated in various research studies, prison overcrowding affects the inmates negatively in many ways. Some of the effects discussed in this paper include; aggression, competition for limited resources, high rates of illness, increased recidivism and suicidal cases. Violence cases such as sexual assault among inmates arise when several inmates share housing units (Gilna, 2014). Reduction of this cell space per person is a persistent problem and cause of alarm. There are various methods that can be implemented to reduce overcrowding in prisons. They include; invest more in rehabilitation programs, focusing on adult education programs among inmates, the involvement of community and religious groups.

Introduction
Research and practice by various stakeholders from different jurisdictions show that there are better ways to reduce mass incarceration in the United States of America (Howard, 1996). States need to be tough on criminal offences but in a way that emphasize on r…