discussion

Posted: August 12th, 2013

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Discussion

            The number of convicted felons in prisons has risen over the years. Many criminals are sent to serve time in prisons these days than it used to be before. This has led to overcrowding in the prisons. This is because the prisons system was not built to serve as many criminals as they have today. The existing prison amenities cannot sustain the current number of prisoners. Judges are extremely tough on criminals, especially petty and first time offenders. This is because they would like to change people’s mentality about crime. If it were noticed that the court system was being lenient, more people would be attracted to a life of crime.

However, this method of dissuading people from joining a life of crime seems not to be working. The rising numbers are an indication that incarceration is not enough. The function of the prisons originally was to rehabilitate criminals into law-abiding citizens. Lawmakers therefore need to create new strategies of discouraging people into a life of crime. Legislations need to change so that better modes of rehabilitation are found. This can be done through evaluating the current role of prisons. New legislations can also be adopted so that prisons serve their purpose better.

The current incarceration policies are only meant to protect the public. The society is able to get rid of troublesome people. Unfortunately, once they have served their time, they do not come out of prisons as rehabilitated citizens. This means that of the prison has not served its purpose. Law needs to be dynamic. There is no need for criminals to be sent away, only to come back harder than they were.