With the largest prison population in the world, penal systems throughout the United States have been targeted for reform by public interest groups and human rights organizations. Prison Reform seeks to change the conditions for inmates in the nation's prisons, while also reviewing the judicial system that has lead to record incarcerations.
On February 9, 2009, a panel of three federal judges tentatively ruled that the state of California must reduce their inmate numbers by as much as 55,000 within three years.The New York Times: Court Orders California to Cut Prison Population
Alternative Punishments
As crowding in prisons becomes a matter of increasing concern, state judicial systems have considered alternative punishments aimed at reducing the prison population.Bodton.com: US prisons full, but crime, cost to taxpayers soar (November 20, 2007) Several states utilize a point system to determine the probability that a convict will be a repeat offender. Criminals, who are considered less likely to repeat offend, are given alternative sentences. The alternative punishments seek to avoid adding to the cost and crowding of the penal system.
References
Fast Facts
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U.S. jail pop 1975
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U.S. jail pop 2008
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California approved a prison reform plan in April 2007
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Vermont, Michigan, Oregon, Connecticut and Delaware have corrections budgets that equal their education budgets
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Guantanamo Bay prisons have been criticized as inhumane
