Free Essay on the Rate of Imprisonment in America

According to the bureau of justice statistics, the United States of America has the highest rate of incarceration in the world today with 2.2275 million prisoners last year alone with 910 per every 100,000 people being prisoners. (Alexender, 2009) The rate of incarceration though high in U.S.A as a country varies among the different states. The highest rate of imprisonment for example is in the state of Texas where according to statistics by the bureau of justice, last year alone a total of 221,800 prisoners. Per every a hundred thousand people however, Oklahoma was found to have the highest number of prisoners with 1,300 people per every 100,000 adults. The district of Colombia was found to have the lowest number of prisoners in the country with only 2,700 prisoners in the same year. Maine has however the lowest number of prisoners per 100,000 people with only 450 adults out of every a hundred thousand people.

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Kenya, as compared to the United States has a slightly lower rate of imprisonment per every 100,000 people which currently stands at one hundred and nineteen people. The number of prisoners in Kenya as at October 2015 stands at 50,500 with a prison population rate of 121 people per every 100,000 citizens. (Njiri, 2009) Germany on the other hand as at January 2015 had a prison population rate of 69,385 with a prison population rate of 81 out of every 100,000 people. The two nations combined are nowhere close to the rate and number of prisoners in the United States taken last year.

The major reason for the low rate in Germany is that the two countries make better use of non-custodial sentences as compared to United States. Moreover, the population of the two countries cannot be compared to that of the United States. The population of U.S.A as per 2014 statistics stands at 318.9 million while that of Germany and Kenya stand at 82.5 million and 42 million respectively- conclusive evidence of the high rate of imprisonment in America. Another factor contributing to the high rate is the level of economy in the country. With the growth in economy and a capitalist country which is basically a man-eat-man society, it simply translates to a society where if one lacks a means of survival, then the only way to survive is through engagement in criminal activities.

The rate of imprisonment in America as seen above is overwhelmingly high with the growth of population every single day, it simply means that the rate of criminal activities will increase and hence the number of prisoners in the country. Non-custodial sentence is a thing that should be revised and implemented as soon as possible. (Davis, 2008) Instead of sending people to prison for misdemeanors, a better way to rehabilitate them is through a fines. Reviewing the three strikes laws will also go a long way in reducing the rate of imprisonment in the country. These laws have been a major factor in increasing the number of people in prisons today.

Full employment should be made a national policy in all the states in the country. Such a policy will help avert crimes and hence reduce the number of prisoners in the coming years. Incentives should also be made to employers so as to employ ex-convicts. Such actions help reduce the number of ex-convicts who find their way to the world of crime again and later to prison for a second time and later a third time and after the third time are subject the three strikes raw hence increasing significantly the number of prisoners.

Works Cited

Alexender, m. (2009). Mass Incarceration in the Height of Colour Blindness. new york: Oxford University Press.

Davis, A. (2008). Are Prisons Obsolete. New Jersey: Longman Publishers.

Njiri, K. S. (2009). Blackspots in Prison. Nairobi: LongHorn publishers.