Does Incarceration Help Reduce Crime in the U.S.?

Does Incarceration Help Reduce Crime In The U.S.?

               Incarceration is the state of being confined in prison; imprisonment. So does incarceration help reduce crime in the United States? According to The Sentencing Project Research and Advocacy and Reform, “The United States is the world’s leader in incarceration over with 2.2 million people currently in the nations prisons or jails, with a 500% increase over the past thirty years”. With that being said I do not think that incarceration helps reduce crime in the United States. I say this ecause although people are being put into jail for their terrible actions there are also still others who are committing crimes who have not been caught.

Furthermore, with my opinion of incarceration helping reducing crime in the United States these anti-prison organizations helps me justify my opinion. Some statistics say that the length of incarceration does little to nothing about recidivism, the return to prison. It is said that prisons are inhumane places and these inmates become even better criminals than they were before. Again I mention that American prisons have the highest incarceration in the world, which is proven to be true.

Also, in continuation of my previous statement it is also stated that people are jailed because the system does not know what else to do with them given the complex social problems surrounding crime. This then causes the person who has been incarcerated has a built up anger and range and all they eventually want is possible revenge. Not everyone will be that way, but there are some individuals who are like that.

In conclusion, I do not think that incarceration helps reduce crime in the United States. The United States is the highest population in incarceration with a increase of 500% over the past thirty years. This was the main point I was directed through this paper. Only because that is a significant point that needs to be overlooked. These anti-prison organizations are not helping either, it is said to be making things only worse. As well as putting criminals in jail because no other option could be decided to give them. Overall, I am a firm believer that incarceration does not help reduce crime in the United States.