Austin A. Ohio

Overcrowded Prisons

We are overcrowding prisons and it very bad for the prisoners and society.

Dear future president,

I am writing you today, because overcrowding prisons is a big problem. Overcrowded prisons, are not only expensive, but they are very dangerous. I am taking a class, where we spent an entire unit on issues within our prisons. I have also watched multiple documentaries on this topic and have done much of my own research. I believe that even though this is a big problem, there are many solutions that can help fix it.

Overcrowded prisons are very expensive. This is important because this is a waste of YOUR money. Your tax dollars are being spent on overcrowding prisons. According to The New York Times, In 2010, the aggregate cost of prisons in 40 states was $39 billion, an average cost of $168,000 per inmate. This is way too much money and it is unnecessary. This money could be spent on improving your community instead of on prisons.

Overcrowded prisons are very dangerous. It is dangerous for not only guards but it is also dangerous for prisoners. It is dangerous, because the more people there are, and the less privacy there is, the higher the tensions are. This makes the likelihood guards or other prisoners are assaulted. It is also dangerous for the public because when prisons are full of nonviolent criminals, this leaves violent criminals on the streets who are likely to commit violent crimes again.

One solution to overcrowded prisons is to reduce sentences for drug offenders. This would drastically reduce the amount of people imprisoned and it would leave room in prisons for violent criminals to be locked up and off the streets. Some people believe that we need to keep drug offenders locked up but it is much better to have drug offenders free than it is to have violent criminals free. Leaving violent criminals on the street could leave you as the victim of a violent crime.

Austin

McLaughlin, Michael. "Overcrowding In Federal Prisons Harms Inmates, Guards: GAO Report." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 15 Sept. 2012. Web. 07 Nov. 2016

 Santora, Marc. "City’s Annual Cost Per Inmate Is $168,000, Study Finds." The New York Times. The New York Times, 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.