Criminal Justice/Corrections Essay

Im prison ho consumption house workforcet is ace of the many forms of penalization for commission of plagues in the unite States. The length of time of irons dep terminates on the unassumingness of the crime committed. The to a greater extent or less serious crime of cut up and homicide is punish qualified by life imprisonment and the male situationor provide be confined in federal prisons. Those convicted with less serious crimes like misdemeanor offenses forget be sentenced to shorter time in local or county jail or with sanctions in alliance department of corrections or halfway house. Overcrowding in jails and prisons has been a park sight in virtually of the correctional institutions in the joined States.The nicnic. org. (2001) through a announce from the benevolence Project of Volunteers of America revealed that while 500,000 persons are admitted and released from convey and federal prisons annually, twenty propagation that amount everywhere eleven milli on are admitted and released from jails annually. This goes to doom that at any ante upn time of the division, the United States is handleing and or feeding 10. 5 million yardbirds. The disposal win revealed that jail worlds grew at a write down rate of 275% since 1980 while the federal prison commonwealth increase by 427% in the very(prenominal) period.This precious growth in bunko population is not expected and causing big reckon shortage from the stir direct up to the federal train of g all overnment. In as much as the confidence trick population continue rising and only a small add up over the historic period has go away federal prisons due to windup of their imprisonment as punishment for their crimes, a big number of ripening wrongdoers which exact higher(prenominal) spending due to their geriatric- link up ailments complicated the problem. This paper aims to document the extent of the maturation wrongdoers population across the U.S. the reasons f or the increase and the roblems associated with it. Further much than, this paper allow in any case offer solutions to the problems based from the documented causes and experiences of the contrastive provinces in dealing with the problems. A number of kingdoms in the U. S. expressed alarm over the ines crestable position that in their effort to rid society of unsuitable and legalityless elements, their jails and prisons became jam-packed. Feeding and housing these yardbirds e circumscribedly the ripening offenders constitute them a lot more, sacrificing their budget for breeding.The stirred secernates name the generally accepted incident that education should be more financially supported than pris 1rs as this is the proven most effective way to foster a impudently generation of responsible and impartiality abiding citizens. western Virginia account that prison population in this commonwealth exceeded the national fair(a) owe to its 9. 3% incarceration which is the highest among the U. S. invokes. The non-profit organization further reported that between 1994 and 2004, the confidence trick population in westbound Virginia increased from 2,392 to 5,032 or 110% increase.Thegrassrootleadership. org (n. d. reported that the state projected that by 2012, the inmate population lead increase by 35% over that of 2004 level or a total of 6,774 inmates to feed and maintain. Although the change magnitude population of senescence inmates is not mentioned, common mother wit will tell that the population is included since most of the ageing population is sentenced to anguish in prisons for life. The state government in order to cope up with the unprecedented increase, spent $100 million to kind new prisons.The organization further reported that in the last 10 grades, the Division of Corrections of western hemisphere Virginia tripled its intake. To this effect, the state has increased spending for inmates five times the amount for higher ed ucation and other affectionate serve. In absolute figures, agree to grassrootleadership. org, the state of West Virginia appropriated $6,435 per full time college scholar and $19, 377 per person incarcerated by DOC. Inflation adjusted, the amount per college student is 33% higher than in 1994 while the amount per inmate increased 169% or five times the amount per student The grassrootleadership. g reported that West Virginia government rent the very strict policy of the state regarding sentencing and battle cry as the cause of this urge in inmate population.To minimize this effect, the state downstairsstand Implementing a cap on the number of people incarcerated .. , along with re-examining sentencing and release policies in the state that can lead to an end of the soaring number of incarcerations. A thorough re- test of the recent give-and-take policy of the state is in order (grassrootleadership. rg, n. d. conclusion, 2nd par. ). In addition to this strategy, the twent y-four hours root word Center alternative which set asunder incarceration for misdemeanor crimes in favor of community service, home incarceration nd boards created for reparation is also put in place. A saving of round $ 42-63 million per year can be recognize from seven centers based from the Lee Day Report Center follow experience of $14. 00 per day per inmate.The state of Florida recognized the increasing number of maturation offenders in their prisons. The Florida Correction Commission (n. d. eported that in 2000, The Florida Legislature instructed and postulate the Department of Corrections to establish and operate a facility for elder inmates at the River sum punitive Institution in Chattahoochee. The Florida Correction Commission (FCC) further reported that the Florida Legislature required the Correctional aesculapian Authority (MDA) and the FCC to submit an annual report on the medical examination wellness status of ripening offenders in the state administered and private institutions together with an examination of geriatric policies existence implemented in other states.The FCC revealed that the monetary value of maintaining an aged(a) prisoner is triad times the cost for a younger inmate. The reason for this is the geriatric problems associated with aging specially in a confined surroundings where depression always linger. The FCC further revealed that age 50 should be the starting point for ancient inmate definition. The FCC reported further that per their observation, there were three sanctioned assorts of fewtime(a) inmates, the first time offenders, the universal or career criminals and those that has grown oldish in prison waiting for the end of their sentenced imprisonment.According to FCC, inmates 55 years and older on the average were suffering from three chronic health problems that require specialised and high-priced treatment as in the case of approximately 15 to 25% of heir elderly inmates having noetic hea lth problems. For this reason, the aging inmates contri thoed greatly to their huge medical expenses. In the year 2000, the FCC reported that there were 5,082 aging offenders which represent 54. 9% increase from 1995 level. In June 2000 come in of a total of 71,233 inmates, the number of 50 year and above offenders increased to 5,605. It is projected that by 2010, the Florida elderly inmates will s nearly to 8. % of the total inmates.The FCC further revealed from their abide by that 62. 8% of the elderly inmates were prisoned due to violent offenses and whence require longer imprisonment. The state of Florida recognizes the significance of the terce type of aging patients or those who grew old in prison in addition to national and state laws requiring longer prison sentences as the contributing portion to recrudesce of their aging offender population. The FCC reported that at present, no geriatric facility except for River Junction Correctional Institution in Chattahoochee is devoted to the aging offender population.The state government plans to segregate the older population according to geriatric health postulate and the security level needed so that the number of ail guards can be adjusted especially in minimum security segregated group for sparing reasons. The FCC further reported that the Florida Department of sr. Affairs develop a course on elderly abuse, neglect and exploitation to produce certifiable individuals to carry out preventive medical hitch so that elderly diseases will not make acute and more costly to cure.Studies were also organism undertaken to release elderly inmates who does not pose risk to society anymore due to their fallible stature. Lastly, the Florida state is conducting survey as to the ost they will incur and the economic benefits if their preemptive programs will be implemented. The state of atomic number 31 is also not exempt in aging offender problem. The Associated Press (2000) revealed that in 1979, there were nearly 570 convicts aged 50 and up, increased to 3,050 in June 1999 and 5,000 in 2004. The Georgia prison officials estimated that the elderly inmates could swell to 9,000 by 2010.The Associated Press further reported that like in other states, the cost of maintaining the elderly offenders is becoming more and more costly. The newspaper revealed that healthcare cost for average Georgia prisoner now amounts to $8. 25 a day. For an elderly offender 50 years old and above, the cost is $27. 00 a day or somewhat $10,000 a year. The newspaper continue saying that the elderly offenders in Georgia prisons represents about 6% of the square inmate population but the expense in maintaining them amounts to 12% of the annual health care budget for inmates.This so because the elderly inmates require costly and more specialized health care practices owing to their special geriatric problems. Georgia prison fficials revealed that longer prison sentences, tighter word approvals and the inevitabl e aging of those prisoners waiting for the completion of their terms contributed to the intumescency population of aging offenders. In addition, the The two Strikes and Youre Out law (Associated Press, decrepit Inmates Swell, 13th par. enacted by Georgia in 1994 which punishes a whitlow who commit crime of armed robbery, change child molestation and sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, profane and kidnapping to a mandatory 10 year sentence without parole. The newspaper added that a second rape of any of the six felonies or murder, the felon gets a andatory life sentence without parole. All of these resulted to stacking effect of offenders in jails until the whole population get grayer and larger and more costly to handle.Associated Press further reported that nates Kerbs, a researcher on criminal arbitrator from University of Michigan suggested selective decarceration to ease the problem of swelling aging offenders population in Georgia prison system. This includes more often o fficials parole review of elderly inmates , electronic monitoring of graying offenders in release programs that is well-nigh supervised and edical paroles for chronic and terminally ill inmates. ground from available studies, the states of Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas share the same problem on aging offenders as the states we excite discussed. However, not all states in the U. S. look at aging offenders with compassion and understanding. One such state is calcium. Times faculty writer, Warren, J (2002) reported that the atomic number 20 Department of Corrections is well aware of the aging prison population.The state according to the writer is well aware of the fact that the cost of maintaining aging offender is thrice the cost of that of the younger inmates. Longer sentences and actual decline in paroles were considered as the cause of the rise in number of aging inmates. The Time s staff writer further give tongue to that the state in this times of economic belt tightening faces a $24 billion deficit mainly because of the health care expenses of the graying inmate population. Despite this, the state of California is hesitant to implement cost cutting strategies conflicting the other U. S. states.The felons, young and old are merge in cells. Although the idea of sequestration based on age, health status and security needed is being considered, that never got off the ground due to the fact that the Correction and state officials are against it. A true day in the life of an aging offender is a struggle against extortion, insult, bullying and disrespect from the stronger and younger inmates. The correction officials claim that segregation require surplus upfront cost in terms of new buildings and prison facilities and this cast off no room in a state with huge budget deficit.The prison officials laim that offenders did crimes to society and so they have t o suffer the consequences in prison. The staff writer said that nobody in the state legislature is bent to be subdued in treating offenders. They even passed a law called 3 strike and youre out law to care the problem of the habitual offenders. This law sentences a felon to life imprisonment with no parole homework on the third crime conviction heedless of the nature of the wrong doing. The writer revealed that the population of inmate in California federal prison as of 2002 is about 4% of the total inmates f 5,800 men and women.According to the writer California reported an expenditure of $676 million on medical care of inmates but decline how much is for the elderly. The author further stated that California prison officials conceded the fact that the elderly require a 24 hour hospice care, high cost cardiac care, costly organ transplants, expensive genus Cancer treatment and closely supervised treatment for dementia. On the national perspective, the U. S. sanction of Priso ns total inmate health care expenditures from 1990 to 1999 amounted to $2. 7 billion (U. S. General score Office, 000).The GAO office also recognizes the fact that aging inmate population contributed greatly to this expenditure. The BOP also consider the changes in sentencing laws like mandatory minimum sentencing and the habitual criminality conviction as contributory to graying of the federal prisons. To economize on health care expenditures with accent to aging offenders health care, the GAO consider several options. The GAO advance the states prison officials to obtain discounts through bulk purchases of states prison system needs and privatizing health care services in some states.This will involve appointing specialized private hospitals as alternative to government reign health care services in cases of upgrade geriatric health care problems patterned afterward the Medicare- based cap on profitments ( GAO 2000, Summary, 3rd par). This according to GAO will save the gove rnment about $6 million annually. The GAO also proposed payment of $2. 00 per request catch over the usual round of doctors. This co-payment scheme is aimed to turn out unnecessary medical visit requests by the inmate disrupting the busy doctors. The co-payment scheme will generate taxation of about $1 million annually.It has been documented that the most compelling problem of aging offenders is the inability of some states to deliver the needed medical care for their ailment. The Bureau of Prisons admitted that a number of states is not ready to draw rein the rising population of elderly offenders in their prison system resulting to huge budget deficits. This is due to the fact that it cost three times higher to maintain elderly offender than a younger one and five times higher than the expense of a college student. The geriatric ailments are more expensive to cure.To better the inevitable increase of aging offenders number in the prison system, a systematic approach should be done. The sentencing and parole system should be soft in dealing with the elderly inmates. The prison should start with the segregation of the elderly based from the state of their health and their somatogenic ability and capacity to do crimes to society. The terminally ill, frail and weak should be given medical parole and let them join the main stream of society. They have suffered a lot of physical and mental punishment in jail in exchange for the crime they have committed.Those who are still strong but behaving well in prisons should be given parole but will be required to report to Day Report Centers to determine the progress of their immersion to the mainstream of society. Those having mental problems should be confined to hospice care centers under minimum security. The sickly but still able bodied should be separated from the rest and should pay $2 per requested doctor visit over the normal doctors daily round. The able bodied and dotty ones should be housed separately a nd placed under strict security until they mellow down and complete their imprisonment sentence.The two and three strikes and youre out law will take care of habitual offenders. early(a) cost control strategies proposed by GAO can be considered seriously by the states now that the aging offender problems were given full attention to further realize cost savings.. The recommendations are based on the ism of win- win strategy in decision making. Considering them will rid federal prisons of unnecessary huge expenses, give freedom to deserving aged inmates and let the states use the savings for education of the youth to produce a new generation of able- bodied and law-abiding citizens.