Introduction
Public outrage over several recent murders has prompted politicians and crime-weary citizens to demand that dangerous criminals be locked away for life. But the get-tough campaign is colliding with the reality of a prison system bursting at the seams. The federal prison system is 37 percent over-capacity, while budget-strapped states are housing prisoners in tents, hallways and gymnasiums -- or releasing them early. Conservatives cite government's duty to protect the public and argue that investing in new prison construction will pay off in long-range crime reduction. Liberals criticize the national trend toward mandatory sentences -- enacted largely as part of the “war on drugs” -- as a wasteful approach that is unaffordable and unlikely to cut crime.
|
|
|
 |
Apr. 12, 2019 |
Bail Reform |
 |
Oct. 19, 2018 |
For-Profit Prisons |
 |
Mar. 03, 2017 |
Women in Prison |
 |
Jan. 10, 2014 |
Sentencing Reform |
 |
Sep. 14, 2012 |
Solitary Confinement |
 |
Mar. 11, 2011 |
Downsizing Prisons |
 |
Dec. 04, 2009 |
Prisoner Reentry |
 |
Apr. 06, 2007 |
Prison Reform |
 |
Jan. 05, 2007 |
Prison Health Care |
 |
Sep. 17, 1999 |
Prison-Building Boom |
 |
Feb. 04, 1994 |
Prison Overcrowding |
 |
Oct. 20, 1989 |
Crime and Punishment: a Tenuous Link |
 |
Aug. 04, 1989 |
Can Prisons Rehabilitate Criminals? |
 |
Aug. 07, 1987 |
Prison Crowding |
 |
Nov. 25, 1983 |
Prison Overcrowding |
 |
Feb. 26, 1982 |
Religious Groups and Prison Reform |
 |
Jun. 18, 1976 |
Criminal Release System |
 |
Mar. 12, 1976 |
Reappraisal of Prison Policy |
 |
Oct. 20, 1971 |
Racial Tensions in Prisons |
 |
Oct. 13, 1965 |
Rehabilitation of Prisoners |
 |
Oct. 09, 1957 |
Prisons and Parole |
 |
May 02, 1952 |
Penal Reform |
 |
Jan. 30, 1937 |
The Future of Prison Industry |
 |
May 08, 1930 |
Prison Conditions and Penal Reform |
| | |
|