One of the major reasons that prisons have become overcrowded is that crime control strategies and legislative changes have favored longer sentences. These approaches have taken several forms that, when combined, have incarcerated people for longer periods of time with less possibility for early release. Many factors such as new offenses, mandatory sentences, lengthening terms, and habitual offender laws, have added to prison overcrowding.
In an article found in the Los Angeles Times, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, “unveiled a new model that places one man in charge and aims to reduce crime by better preparing inmates for life on the outside. Under the plan, prison leaders for the first time in decades would emphasize rehabilitation, marking a shift away from an era when punishment was the overriding mission” (Reiterman & Warren, 2005). I believe that drug offenders are not receiving the treatment they should and agree that a focus on rehabilitating them is the answer. In my opinion, allowing offenders to receive court-mandated rehabilitation when they are released will reduce recidivism.
Proposition 36 provides treatment instead of incarceration for drug offenses. In 2000 Proposition 36 was passed and California's landmark treatment-instead-of-incarceration initiative was born. Since then, thousands of non-violent drug offenders have had an opportunity to reunite with their families, and work toward recovery from drug abuse. According to the official, state-sponsored evaluation of Prop. 36, conducted by Douglas Longshore of UCLA, “Prop. 36 has extended access to treatment to tens of thousands of people who were not being reached by other treatment programs, 50 percent of whom have never had access to treatment before, and many of whom were severely drug-dependent” (Drug Policy Alliance, 2004).
California’s correctional organizations have had to respond to many scandals in the past year from a videotape of officers beating juvenile inmates to federal investigations in some of its prisons. The Governor has proposed a plan to turn the focus onto helping inmates receive job training and other resources to prepare them for release. It is our belief that rehabilitating offenders will not only assist in them not returning to prison, but offering them the skills they need to survive on the outside to become productive citizens. If they attain the skills and job training needed when they are released from a correctional facility they have a better chance of staying out of prison.
Lastly, focusing on the sentences drug offenders are given or serve is another factor in prison overcrowding. These offenders receive lengthy sentences which until now did not support rehabilitation. These inmates get lengthy sentences with no treatment and tend to recidivate when released. This makes prison a revolving door for these offenders who have not received treatment for their addiction while incarcerated and do not have the will to stay away from the drug when released. Lacking the willpower to cope with their addiction and no assistance upon release, most drug offenders begin using and find themselves back in prison because they did what they had to on the outside to support their habit.
While the war on drugs is a positive one for our state and our country, society has proven there is definitely a demand. With demand comes supply and the supply continues to increase as other countries flood our country by trafficking them here. Deciding to focus on rehabilitating inmates or providing treatment instead of incarceration are important first steps in relieving overcrowding. Looking at sentencing guidelines for non-violent offenders will also assist in keeping these offenders out of jail time and time again may also help. California’s correctional organizations need to shift, in my opinion, to correcting; after all, they are called correctional facilities for a reason.
References
Drug Policy Alliance. (2004). Prop. 36 Means Thousands are Home for the Holidays. Retrieved from , 2005.
Reiterman, T. & Warren, J. (2005). State Plan to Reform Prisons is Laid Out. Los Angeles Times online version. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com.
