Incarceration in Texas - Essay Sample

Introduction

Incarceration is a state in a person who has been convicted with a crime by the court of law is imprisoned. In Texas, the convicted persons are incarcerated in state prisons or local adult jails (Gaes). The rate of incarceration has been in the rise of the last decade thus raising an alarm which has made it possible to find ways of reducing this menace.

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The need to reduce the rate of incarceration has been necessitated by the effects which come along with incarceration. In Texas, citizens pay millions of money to run prisons which have incarcerated many people, sending one in prison calls for more than $5,000 a year to maintain that person in prison which eventually eats into taxpayers number, hence need to reduce the rate of incarceration (Orrick, Erin, & Lynne).

Over the past years, it is evident that the number of years one stay in prison has increased significantly due to change of laws ("Downsizing Prisons: How to Reduce Crime and End Mass Incarceration."). For this reason, some prisoners have gone high; this menace can be managed by ensuring that when one is incarcerated, he undergoes rehabilitation process and upon proving a change in behavior the prisoner ought to be released.

A survey conducted in prisons indicates that incarcerated persons have a low level of education (Raphael). With this in mind, it becomes necessary to ensure that the population within Texas are educated for them to be aware of the law expectation and avoid indulging in uncalled vices which leads them to prison.

The rate at which blacks and whites are incarcerated shows a significant difference. There is a high rate of incarcerating blacks in Texas as compared to whites. For this menace to deal with, it becomes a prudent idea to ensure that the judges passing sentence in the court of law have an equal perception to both blacks and whites (Raphael). Hence the rate of incarceration will be reduced.

The research has indicated that more than 50% of incarcerated prisoners have a history of drug abuse. It, therefore, becomes crucial to ensure that fight against drug abuse is rolled out in Texas (Raphael). This can be achieved by introducing a program to educate the public on the effects of drug use and building rehabilitation centers to rehabilitate those who are already under drug abuse.

Conclusion

In conclusion, incarceration has proved to be costly and consumes taxpayer's money at an alarming rate hence need to reduce it. Conducting public sensitization program to educate them on the importance of avoiding crimes which might lead to prison is crucial in the fight against incarceration.

Works Cited

"Downsizing Prisons: How to Reduce Crime and End Mass Incarceration." Vol 43, no. 05, 2006, pp. 43-3094-43-3094. American Library Association, doi:10.5860/choice.43-3094.

Gaes, Gerald G. "Reducing the Rate of U.S. Incarceration One State at A Time." Criminology & Public Policy, vol 17, no. 3, 2018, pp. 689-692. Wiley, doi:10.1111/1745-9133.12381.

Orrick, Erin A., and Lynne M. Vieraitis. "The Cost of Incarceration in Texas: Estimating the Benefits of Reducing the Prison Population." American Journal of Criminal Justice, vol 40, no. 2, 2014, pp. 399-415. Springer Nature, doi:10.1007/s12103-014-9265-3.

Raphael, Steven. "How Do We Reduce Incarceration Rates While Maintaining Public Safety?". Criminology & Public Policy, vol 13, no. 4, 2014, pp. 579-597. Wiley, doi:10.1111/1745-9133.12100.