Running head: OVERCROWDED PRISONS

Literature review of Overcrowded Prisons

Jacqueline I. Garcia

University of Texas at El Paso

 2
OVERCROWDED PRISONS
Abstract

The purpose of this literature review is to 1. Why is overcrowding a problem?

2. Should there be a limit on how many prisoners are held in each facility/prison?

3. If so, how would this medically affect or benefit prisoners and staff?

This literature review about overcrowded prisons is to inform anyone who is interested in this

nationwide problem and learn about both the perspectives. This review will give you some

insight on how overcrowded prisons are being handled, how are they being affected and who is

being affected. Overcrowding is a tough subject to describe because of the many different

problems it has there is no general definition. But overcrowding consists of not enough capacity

for everyone and with that come consequences that aren’t all being solved. Such as shared

space, low resources, low medical resources, not secure safety and overcrowded situations within

each and every different prison. Not everything can be solved at once but some are getting short-

termed fixed. Such as how to handle each and every resource and treatment. How to keep

inmates and staff working along and with less conflict but even with that little short termed fix

things come up. Inmates get in in altercationg either with each other or staff, and thiers nothing

to prevent that form happening. With that being said, safety becomes an issue. Guards and the

many inmates are not having the best way to wto work together sinces thiers so many of them

guars cant let their guard down. Then the medical aspect of it becomes harder when

diseases/infections are spreding and theirs not much room for all the ill in the infirmary. Or when

thiers fights between inmates and it get to physical. Also treaments and mental health help

(psychological) or among other mental problems the prisoners might have are going unnoticed

because of the overcrowding.

 3
OVERCROWDED PRISONS
This should be researched more and find ways to how to solve the many situations going

on. This topic should be more talked about and more seen. People need to find out whats

happening in prisons in the United States. Find ways to change whats happening. Find ways to

avoid overcrowding.

A literature review on: Changes in Overcrowded Prisons

Prison overcrowding has become not only a state problem but a national problem. The

incarceration rate in the United States has more than tripled in the last two decades. (Levitt, 1996).

It’s hard to calculate over the years what exactly is an overpopulated prison because their is a

different population in every state but never changes the outcomes of having health issues, high

violence inside the prison, and overshared space between prisoners. These rapid increases have

created managerial, financial, and other strains on prison systems. (Gaes, 1985) Prisons also have

certain limitations on the many inmates they can have but this doesn’t stop them from

overcrowding and having inmates in bad hygiene conditions or overshared prison cells. Although

this has resulted in a change of policies to help alleviate prison overcrowding, there is little

evidence these are anything more than short-term fixes to a problem with no end in sight. (Pitts,

Griffin & Johnson, 2014) Theirs two sides to everything and in this case, one side thinks that since

the prisoners committed crimes who cares about their living situation, but the other side thinks that

no matter if they are prisoners they have the right to live in good living conditions. This is an issue

that will always be present in the United States. To further explore this controversy, the following

questions must be explored:

1. Why is overcrowding a problem?

2. Should there be a limit on how many prisoners are held in each facility/prison?
 4
OVERCROWDED PRISONS
3. If so, how would this medically affect or benefit prisoners and staff?

These four questions will help give a better understanding of what is overcrowding and what

changes can be made to help as well as identifying the implications and possible consequences

overcrowding does to prisoners.

Why is overcrowding a problem?

One of the three most important reasons would be the medical attention there is in these

prisons. Craig Haney says in chapter 15 titled Prison Overcrowding; some treatments and

programs go unattended and in result and these prisoners with psychological problems leave the

prison either the same or worst from where they began. In other words, since there’s so many of

them with only such limited resources the prisoners aren’t getting the enough medical help they

should each be getting. Treatments for mental health and psychological problems are also a big

issue medically. Craig Haney states that, As a result, many vulnerable prisoners were suffering

from painful and potentially disabling psychiatric conditions that were overlooked or

disregarded. Treatment resources were stretched so thin that even prisoners who were classified

by the prison system as suffering from serious mental disorders were being ignored.

The more prisoners the more health issues come up not just psychological for example,

such as drug problems. The more prisoners use them inside the more they need the infirmary and

take up beds for the urgently ill ones. According to Donna Lyons, In 2007, The Legislature

authorized 5,000 more beds for short-term treatment in the state's corrections system, meaning

that yeah they had more beds but they weren’t temporary. Those beds were being used as quick

fixes to the prisoners rather than taking their time in helping them. Apart from these medical

problems theirs suicide, homicide that are most of the time occurring since the prisons are

overcrowding. Haney expresses himself saying, Indeed, many prison systems have increased
 5
OVERCROWDED PRISONS
their housing capacity over the last 30 years (by increasing the number of cells or beds) without

commensurate increases in programming, medical, and mental health resources. At the bottom

here is a graph of the most contagious and non contagious illnesses in percentages.

Another important reason would be resources in general. Since theirs many inmates and

they all need things such as basic hygiene materials. Not everyone is getting them, such as toilet

paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, or soaps. They either get some or don’t and have to wait all over

again. According to Griertz and Nardulli, In such a situation, strong incentives exist for

decisionmakers to engage in a careful weighing of the benefits versus the costs of their actions.

They also must share the amount of room and privacy they get so Gaes believes that Still, others

have assessed various physiological effects like added stress, increases in blood pressure, and

higher levels of anxiety (Bonta & Gendreau, 1990; Clements, 1982; Ekland-Olson et al., 1983;

Kendrick, 2011, Ornduff, 1996; Thornberry & Call, 1983). The more inmates the less resources

they have. The more sick they get the less they are able to help.

Lastly the ffects it has and how good is the rate of going back. In any given year,

approximately the same number of persons are released back into the community from state or

federal prison as enter them; in 2010, for example, that number was nearly 700,000 (Carson &
 6
OVERCROWDED PRISONS
Sabol, 2012, p. 30). (Haney, 2015) People keep going back making the same crime but having a

different sentence. Some are first offenders, but some inmates are third or fourth offenders and

prison become their home. If the number of inmates that are leaving are coming back when is the

capacity or population going to go down? Some prisoners are being sentenced to 50 -60 years,

meaning that if its more than a handful you would have these prisoners there for life depending

their age. And the new comers will just be adding to it. Haney states that “attempts to relieve

prison overcrowding have been equally as prevalent, encompassing a host of different

approaches.” Some of these approaches he says were tried were “…new prison construction,

early release and parole reforms, diversion programs, and inmate transfers to other facilities…”

But these still haven’t solved prison overcrowding.

Should there be a limit on how many prisoners are held in each

facility/prison?

Having a limit on how many prisoners there is keeps everything in order as of having

way too many inmates and double or even triple in each cell. Having a limit not only is safeties

for staff and inmates but can decrease the altercations between inmates. Capacity isn’t the only

issue, violence is. Overcrowding is affecting the inmates deal with each other and who is

encountered at certain times. Prisons have all different types of gangs and people within the

gangs the last thing the guards need is a riot between them. Guards try their best to not mix up

gangbangers between other but with the overpopulation it’s harder to keep track of who isn’t

supposed to be with who. As Crowding increases it becomes more difficult to classify and

segregate offenders such as rival gang members, codefendants, first-time offenders, or pretrial

and sentenced inmates (Stojkovic and Klofas 1997). This is not only putting the inmate’s safety

but the staff and guard’s safety as well.The resources also their become a problem if theirs to
 7
OVERCROWDED PRISONS
many of them. Resources get used up so fast, inmates get overlooked on and nothing will run

smoothly. If violence/riots does occur how would your excpect for a average staff to stop the

overpopulated inmates. Theris also the resources and treatment and accomodities that change

because of the many people in there. Indeed, many . prison systems have increased their housing

capacity over the last 30 years (by increasing the number of cells or beds) without commensurate

increases in programming, medical, and mental health resources. (Haney, 2015) This is

something prisoners need in there to help their wellbeing and with the overcrowding thiers no

way the people that need thoses reousrces cant get them.

According to Tartato and Levy (2008), inmates in dormitories intead of cells would more

often than others visit the infirmary because of the living conditions in there. They believe that

inmates that slepts in the dormitories wouldn’t like being there and they would rather go though

a checkup and maybe they might be move to better housing. These types of problems and

scenerios would be happening often because of the overcrowding. These prisoners although they

have done some illegal things to be in there should aleast have adequate food, shelter and

medical assistance. In fact, in part because of prison overcrowding and the lack of adequate

resources with which to address the needs of so many prisoners, many of them still routinely

leave prison, and return, lacking basic literacy skills. (Haney, 2005)

Conclusion/Synthesis

Theirs a chance that by building maybe smaller prisons where there is less people and have less

time to do will help the overcrowding in bigger prisons where criminals keep coming back and

eventually hit lifetime. Moving prisoners that are about to hit their time to another smaller prison

and have better help such as skills for the outside world, help to come back and adjust and

continuance rehibilatation programs would help a lot of those prisoners inside feel less of outcast
 8
OVERCROWDED PRISONS
rather than just thrown out with not knowing nothing. It would cost money but less than a full

bigger prison. It will help specifically certain inates. Having certain requsites and that might

lower the coming back rate and help the overcrowding problem.

References

Pitts, J. M. A., Griffin, O. H., & Johnson, W. W. (2014). Contemporary prison overcrowding

short-term fixes to a perpetual problem. Contemporary Justice Review, 17(1),

124–139. https://doi.org/10.1080/10282580.2014.883844

Haney, C. (2015). Prison overcrowding. In APA handbook of forensic psychology,

Vol. 2: Criminal investigation, adjudication, and sentencing outcomes. (pp. 415–
436). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
https://doi.org/10.1037/14462-015
Steven D. Levitt. (1996). The Effect of Prison Population Size on Crime Rates: Evidence from

Prison Overcrowding Litigation. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, (2), 319.

Retrieved from http://0

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.294668

1&site=eds-live&scope=site

Tartaro, C., & Levy, M. P. (2008). CROWDING, VIOLENCE and DIRECT SUPERVISION

JaiLS. American Jails, 22(4), 12. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=34787210&site

=eds-live&scope=site

Gerald G. Gaes. (1985). The Effects of Overcrowding in Prison. Crime and Justice, 95. Retrieved

from http://0

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.114749

7&site=eds-live&scope=site
 9
OVERCROWDED PRISONS
Lyons, D. (2010). Crime and Treatment. State Legislatures, 36(3), 26. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mat&AN=48500771&site

=eds-live&scope=site

J. Fred Giertz, & Peter F. Nardulli. (1985). Prison Overcrowding. Public Choice, (1), 71.

Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsjsr&AN=edsjsr.300239

93&site=eds-live&scope=site

Oxley, J. W. (2007). president’s commentary. American Jails, 21(1), 4. Retrieved from http://0-

search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=24979483&site

=eds-live&scope=site