Real Torture: U.S. prisons bursting with excess inmates

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
10/29/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

With two million people behind bars, some states have been ordered to release inmates

A quick and easy fix for crime in the United States is to throw the guilty in prison, taking them away from the civilian populations - if only temporarily. Now, America is watching some jailbirds come home to roost - overcrowded prisons are now bursting at the seam, and many states, most notably California, have been ordered to release inmates - putting dangerous felons with increased knowledge from time served on the streets.

Wardens and experts now fear that increased overcrowding and an increasing lack of privacy for inmates will see them more prone to lashing out and causing trouble.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - California has 140,000 inmates when its 33 prisons are only designed to hold 80,000. Nationwide, overcapacity is expected to soar to 45 percent above its maximum limit by 2018.

The Bureau of Prisons Network is around 39 percent over "rated capacity," the highest level since 2004.

The Supreme Court has slapped an order on California ruling that 30,000 prisoners must be released by the middle of next year, labeling overcrowded conditions in its jails as "unconstitutional."

Torture? 3 Islamic terriorists were 'water boarded'. There are now more than 2 million boxed up and cramped inmates in the U.S. Our prison system is real 'torture'.

The U.S. prison system is massively overstretched despite extra space being added.

Wardens and experts now fear that increased overcrowding and an increasing lack of privacy for inmates will see them more prone to lashing out and causing trouble.

Several prisons have had to create makeshift living quarters for detainees in public spaces such as gymnasiums. Some inmates having to sleep in bunks of three, while some cells which are only designed to house one person are now home to up to three inmates.

In addition, inmates are being allowed less time in communal areas such as the cafeteria, TV rooms and recreation yards.

The U.S. is far ahead of the rest of the world in terms of the number of prisoners per 100,000 population, with Russia the second highest and South Africa in third. The European average took fourth place.

� 2012, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Keywords: Prisons, inmates, overcrowding, California

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1 - 5 of 5 Comments

Doug
1 month ago
The real problem here is the amount of non-violent drug offenders that wind up in prison. We are America...we are free, and before the "war on drugs", this was never an issue. Prison should be reserved for those who are violent and interfere with others inalienable rights. What you do with, or put in your body, is of no consequence to anyone but themselves. Put someone in prison for assault, rape, murder, theft and so forth....just leave the drug addicts out of it. Unless of course they commit a violent crime or are trying to peddle their drugs to minors.
Cynthia Burgess-VanDenBerg
3 months ago
I agree that the prisons are over crowded, but the answer is not to let criminals out early, or have them serve their sentense in a less secure level facility. To do so is "salt in the wound" of all the victims, and their families. When these criminals were sentensed, it was their consequence, for their behavior. They had choices....their victims did not. The victims and their families do get some closure and some sense of peace when justice is served....to back track on that promise, to those hurt, is just wrong at a very basic, ethical level. Yes, over crowding and not having an out let for their energy and or frustration can lead to more prison fights, etc. However, if our goverment did not pay, for example, for criminals serving life sentenses, to earn ( equals "paying for") multiple college degree's, maybe some of that funding could be used for building more facilities. My brother had my father murdered when I was 17 years old. I miss him every day of my life....it's been 29 years. That kind of pain never goes away. Douglas Burgess is serving 3 life sentenses.....but he is a "model" prisioner! If he ever got out, I would feel that there is something very wrong, and just sad....with our justice system. My father did not deserve to die, and it would be an injustic to him for the person responsible to serve anything less than what the jury found. In fact, it would basically be "spiting" in the jury members faces. Not just for my borther's trial, but every jury based trial!!! In a truly ideal world, of course, we wouldn't even have to be talking about expanding prisons.....because children wouldn't kills their parents.....people would respect each other, and their differences......."live and let live", and all that. If everyone would just stop all the hating in the first place, we wouldn't even have this problem. We need more prayer and spirtuality in this world, and less guns and violence.
Corundum
4 months ago
Unfortunately, it has been conservative law makers who have consistently rejected building prisons for the number of people there sometimes obtuse and counter-productive laws put in jail. I seems to be easier to whine about a problem than to prevent the problem.
vance
6 months ago
Before anyone cries a river for all those poor crowded criminals, just remember that they are in prison because they committed felonies. This means that they "Robbed", "Raped", "Murdered" people. So, I say let them be crowded. I don't want "Robbers", "Rapists", and "Murderers" roaming free and easy to prey on innocent people. That means victimizing you.
Emma
6 months ago
This has already been initiated in CA. The solution has been to release prisoners from state institutions into local county jails without an increase in funding for local jurisdictions now under state mandate to house and supervise those released early from state supervision. Less violent offenders are given ankle bracelets and supervised electronically. The result has been an increase in crime and a decrease in the number of law enforcement personnel. Homicide rates in Stockton CA alone have already surpassed last yrs record by 2 and is now at 60 with two months left to go. Meanwhile, two or three weeks ago the prison system was ordered to provide for a sex change operation for a prisoner, because it's seen as his Constitutional Right. All the while, our vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan can't get benefits promised to them when they enlisted!?! @?? Here's one way to help the economy in Mexico ...pay the Mexican Authorities to house our prisoners. A taste "of a Mexican Prison would make them very happy to share space. Also, ammending the Three Strikes Law in CA will free up space for the most violent offenders, which I think was the original intent. The federal gov has more and more infringed on state's rights. We sure have our priorities messed up. "The law is an a --!"

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