Prison Overcrowding and Death Penalty
The United States incarcerates more people, in both absolute numbers and per capita, than any other nation in the world. Since 1970, the number of incarcerated people has increased sevenfold to 2.3 million in jail and prison today, far outpacing population growth and crime.
In the U.S., approximately half a million correctional officers are responsible for supervising more than two million inmates. Correctional officers are exposed to unique workplace hazards within a controlled prison environment.
Based on the videos from this week and your textbook, answer the following questions as completely as possible. Do NOT be too short in your answers. Please make sure they are complete sentences and grammatically correct.
Question 1: When did prison overcrowding begin to be a problem in the United States and what was the main issue that caused the overcrowding?
Question 2: In your textbook, read Chapter 10, “Community Sentences: Probation, Intermediate Sanctions, and Restorative Justice.” Then beginning with probation and selecting two other alternatives to incarceration, complete the table below:
Alternative
- Explain how this alternative works.
- List one pro.
- List one con.
- Is this alternative effective? Why or why not?
Probation
Question 3: The death penalty is a very controversial issue that is used by the courts in extreme cases involving the crime of murder. While, in the past, executions have been authorized for other crimes, currently all prisoners sitting on death row have a conviction for murder. Using Chapter 9, “Punishment and Sentencing,” in your textbook and the link below, answer the following questions in complete sentences.
The Death Penalty Information Center provides essential statistics like State by State information. See the basics by hovering over the states on the interactive map. Scroll to the bottom to select particular states for more details, and see a summary on right side of page for each state you select. For comparison, you’ll see that Louisiana has the highest murder rate at 14.4 murders per 100,000 residents!
Fill out the table below as it relates to the state you live in.
- State you reside in?
- Death penalty in your state?
- If no, when was it abolished?
- If yes, how many are currently on death row?
- What is the total number of executions in your state (including before 1976)?
- What is the number of innocent people freed from death row in your state?
Question 4: Do you believe the death penalty is effective in deterring crime and should remain in place? Why or why not? (Please be detailed in your answer.)