Prison overcrowding - causes and effects, reforms to reduce the issue

1. Introduction
Prison overcrowding is a matter that has raised concern in many countries. For example in England and Wales the current number of prisoners totals 80, 000 (André Kuhn 2009 p. 105), a space designed for one person is allocated two prisoners. In the U. S. and Canada, the situation is the same and also in many other countries. Under such circumstances, the prison services usually lack the capacity to provide the basic needs of the inmates. Sanitary facilities are inadequate and pose a threat to the health of the prisoners. More over, lack of such important facilities undermines human dignity among the inmates. The real meaning of imprisonment is not achieved since prisons become places of dehumanizing the prisoners unnecessarily, rather than serving as correction centers. Overcrowding results in undesirable situations such as prisoner strikes, epidemics, death, prison breaks amongst other things. Such situations are usually overwhelming to the prison administrations, and usually attract undue disapproval from human rights organizations (Cox et al 1984 p. 1149). This paper is a discussion and a critical evaluation of reforms that can reduce prison overcrowding.
1. 1Prison Overcrowding
1. 11Causes of prison overcrowding
There are several factors that contribute to prison overcrowding. The laws of many countries require that suspects be kept in remand awaiting conviction. The number of crimes punishable by imprisonment is high, including some which fines can be an effective alternative. With the current rate of population increase, there is a possibility of a continuous rise in crime. This means that prisons will be receiving inmates from time to time, creating the possibility of an increase in overcrowding within prisons.
1. 12Effects of Prison Overcrowding
The behavior of prisoners is largely affected by overcrowding, mainly tending to lean towards anti-social actions facilitated by idleness and the presence of a large number of people with varied behavior in a small space. There is therefore need for reforms that could reduce prison overcrowding.
1. 13Reforms to Reduce Prison Overcrowding
1. Shortening prison sentences would be significant in reducing prison overcrowding. It can help in avoiding the accumulation of prisoners since as more are brought in, others leave to create more space.
2. The offenders who are not violent and have been proved incapable of jeopardizing the security of the public can be put under community work until they complete their sentence. Parole reforms can ply a significant role in reducing overcrowding in prisons
3. Constant evaluation of progress in terms of prisoner improvement is important in order to release prisoners who have reformed.
4. Establishment of new prisons to create space is also a significant move towards improvement of prison situation. This can help in reducing the circumstances whereby too many prisoners use few facilities such as sanitary and sleeping space.
5. Prisoner rehabilitation schemes can also significantly reduce overcrowding. The convicts can be engaged in particular jobs where they can get training, they can also be enrolled in useful courses that may change their lifestyles, including temperament management and other ethical courses.
Bibliography
1. André Kuhn. What can we do about prison overcrowding? European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, Springer Netherlands, vol 2, 4, 2009: 101-106.
2. BBC NEWS. UK Overcrowding ‘at Crisis Point’ Wednesday, 28 August, 2002.
3. Benjamin Steiner and John Wooldredge. “ Rethinking the Link between Institutional Crowding and Inmate Misconduct”. The Prison Journal 8, 7, 2009: 205-233.
4. Clements, C. The relationship of offender classification to the problems of prison overcrowding. Crime and Delinquency, 28, 1982: 71-85.
5. Cox, V., Paulus, P., & McCain, G. Prison crowding research: The relevance of prison housing standards and a general approach regarding crowding phenomena. American Psychologist, 39, 1984: 1148-1160.
6. Farrington, D., and Nuttal, C. Prison Size, “ Overcrowding, Prison Violence and Recidivism”. Journal of Criminal Justice, 8, (1980): 221-231.
7. Megargee, E. I. The Association of Population Density Reduced Space and Uncomfortable Temperatures with Misconduct in a Prison Community. The American Journal of Community Psychology, 5, 1977: 289-298.
8. Pat Dawson Charles Montaldo. Mandatory. The Montana Town That Wanted to be Gitmo, 2009 viewed on 8th May 2009 at, 9. Porporino, F., & Dudley, K. An Analysis of the Effects of Overcrowding in Canadian Penitentiaries. Ottawa, Ontario: Research Division, Programs Branch, Solicitor General of Canada. 1984.
10. Richard Artison. No Simple Answers for Solving Crime or Prison Overcrowding. Milwaukee Journal, vol. 2, 3, 1995: 78-99.
11. Richard S. Jones, Jeffrey Ian Ross, Stephen C. Richards, and Daniel S. Murphy. The First Dime: A Decade of Convict Criminology The Prison Journal, vol, 8, 2009: 151-171.
12. Shelden, R. G., & Brown, W. B. Correlates of Jail Overcrowding: A Case Study of a County Detention Centre. Crime and Delinquency, 37, 1991: 347-362.
13. Tobias K. Houpe. Prison overcrowding still a problem, Cincinnati, 1996
14. Toch, H. Living in Prison: The Ecology of Survival. The Free Press, vol 2, 1, 2002: 101-122.
15. Tom Daems Compatible victims? Prison overcrowding and penal reform in Belgium, Elsevier Ltd. 2008.