Why We Must Fix Our Prison System

The neighborhoods of America have become more dangerous. We are wasting alot of money and millions of people are dying. There's one and only one solution to this problem : We need to fix the system. We need to figure out who goes to prison and for how long. In 1984, Japan had a population half the size of ours and was putting over 40,000 people in jail compared to 580,000 in the United States. As shocking as that was, the difference between both countries now is even more disturbing. Since then, Japan's prison population has come close to around 70,000, while ours has quadrupled to around 2 million.
The United States has the world's highest rate of putting people in jail. With 5% of the world's population, our country now houses nearly 25% of the world's reported prisoners. We currently incarcerate 756 inmates per 100,000 residents, a rate nearly five times the average worldwide. In addition, over than 5 million people who recently left jail remain under "correctional supervision," which includes parole, probation, and other community sanctions. In saying that, about one in every 31 adults in the United States is in prison, in jail, or on supervised release. This all comes at a very high price to taxpayers: Local, state, and federal spending on corrections adds up to about around over $60 billion. Over the last 20 years, we have been putting more and more people for nonviolent crimes and for acts that are driven by mental illness or drug dependence in jail.
The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that more than 350,000 of those locked up suffer from mental illness, and the percentage in juvenile custody is even higher. Our jails are also heavily populated by the "criminally ill," including inmates who suffer from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and hepatitis. Also those imprisoned for drug offenses rose from 10% of the inmate population to approximately 33% between 1984 and 2002. In short, The jail system in America is becoming a problem and we need to reduce the level of crimes in America.