Did you know that the United States has the highest reported incarceration rate in the world? It has also been found that on average, two out of every three released prisoners will be rearrested, and one in two will return to prison within three years of release. These are some very startling statistics that have made many people question our current American criminal justice system.
In a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, reporter Harry Wexler discusses a Senate bill that could make some changes for the better. Senator James Webb has proposed a bill that would involve reevaluating the American criminal justice system, documenting which policies and programs work and which need to be reformed. Most researchers would agree that the current system fails in two main areas.
- The incarceration of nonviolent offenders (mainly drug users) limits the space for violent criminals which are a threat to public safety.
- The current system lacks meaningful rehabilitation programs that could keep released offenders out of prison in the future.
The Los Angeles Times article highlights that in order to preserve public safety we need to reconsider who goes to prison and provide effective rehabilitation for those who do. What’s your opinion?
We don’t need more rehab techniques. You people just want control. You forgot a flaw too. We need to stop punishing innocent people.