Can'T Get A Job With Criminal Justice Degree

with an estimated 2.4 million people behindbars, the united states reportedly incarcerates more people than any other country. so howdid we get here? why are so many us citizens in prison? over the last 40 years, the prison populationin the u.s. has risen by 700 percent. this is largely due to changes made in drug sentencinglaws that started in the 1970s. the zero- tolerance narcotic policies resulted in adramatic increase in prison numbers. nearly half of

federal inmates and 16 percent of state inmatesare locked-up on drug-related charges. long sentences and mandatory minimums arealso a factor. many states have variations on the “three-strikes” law, where repeatoffenders automatically receive life sentences for their third felony. rules have stayed in place despitestudies showing that longer prison sentences and higher incarceration rates have little effecton reducing crime. these policies disproportionately affect minorities.according to the naacp about 58% of

the male prison population is made up of africanafrican americans and hispanics,yet these minorities make up only a quarter of the americanpopulation. racial minorities are more likely to be arrested and convicted and once convictedthey often face harsher sentencing than their white counterparts. (21) a more recent development affecting prisonovercrowding has been the growing number of privatised institutions. for-profit companiesnow run many prisons in the u.s. these companies are typically contracted by the governmenton the strength of affirmations that they will uphold the rights and welfare of inmates, all whilesaving taxpayers money.

however, a 2013 report from anti-privatisationgroup, in the public interest, recently investigated these prison contracts. out ofa total of 62 contracts, more than half (41) had quotas stating that prisons must have 80 - 100percent occupancy at all times. if the state and local governments fail to meet the quotathey often pay thousands, sometimes millions taxpayer money, for unused beds. which meansit’s in the state’s interest to keep prisons full regardless of whether or not crime rates arefalling. according to the report, louisiana, for example,is locked into prison contracts with some

of the highest occupancy quotas in the country,earning the nickname of the “world’s prison capital.” it’s reported they have an incarcerationrate nearly five times iran's and 13 times china's. this is partially because in additionto private companies, louisiana sheriffs are reportedly also profiting off of prisoners. in the early 1990s the state encouraged sheriffsto build more local jails in order to reduce overcrowding, in return they would receivecash incentives. now, according to the times- picayune (pick-ah-yune) there are more inmatesin local jails than in state prisons despite the fact that the state offers better re-entryprograms.

overcrowding has been exacerbated by the lackof a nationwide mental illness support system. the deinstitutionalization of mentalhealth care in the 60s and 70s, left many patients with no where to go. now more than half ofthe prison population is made of those with a history of mental health problems. most experts agree that major prison reformsare needed on a state and national level, programs like the ‘smart crime initiative’have attempted to rebalance drug sentencing laws.

but as long as prisons are still working ona for-profit model, companies and states will benefit from arresting and detaining us citizens. although it’s different in every state,the death penalty is still a hotly debated issue. check this video out from our friends at dnews tolearn more about the debate. and be sure to subscribe. we release new videos 6days a week. thanks for watching.