Research Paper on U.S. Incarceration Rates

Introduction

The rate of incarceration has risen in recent years, leading to a high population of prisons in the United States. "In 1972, 161 per 100 000 U.S. residents were incarcerated: by 2007, the rate was at 767 per 100, 000" (Travis et al. 33). This statistic shows the increase in the rate of incarceration by five times over 35 years. Overall, the jail and prison population increased to 2.23 million, which was the highest in the world (Travis et al. 33). The growing rate of incarceration was attributed to several factors, including the change in policies and the increase in crime rate. Although the crime rate increased, leading to a higher rate of incarceration, policies on drug offenses, and the lengthening of sentences played a more significant role in the rising prison and jail population.

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The Rise in Crime Rate and Number of Arrests

The first direct cause of the increase in incarceration was the rise in crime rate. Between 1980 and 2010, there was a general increase in crime rate according to data from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. However, the ratio of arrests per crime did not increase significantly between 1980 and 2010. For some crimes such as rape, the number of arrests dropped 44 per 100 to 24 per 100 (Travis et al. 48). But, arrests for drug offenses increased by 89 percent between 1980 and 1989 (Travis et al. 49). During this period, several policies were enacted to curb the sale and use of drugs. The primary cause in the increase of arrests in drug offenses was the declaration of the war on drugs. The war on drugs led to more effort by police officers and the court system to curtail the use of drugs. By 2006, the drug arrest rate had risen by 162 percent since 1980 (Travis et al. 50). The increase in the number of arrests would subsequently lead to higher prison and jail population. Astonishingly, in 2009, 1.3 million people were arrested for drug offenses, further adding to the jail and prison population (Travis et al. 50).

Increase in Probability of Imprisonment

The second factor that led to an increase in incarceration rates was the increase in the probability of an arrest leading to imprisonment. In the previous paragraph, it was highlighted that the number of arrests for offenses such as burglary and rape did not increase. This, thus, does not explain why the prison population increased. However, as this analysis indicates, the rate of imprisonment increased. For 100 people arrested for allegations of murder, only 41 were imprisoned in 1980, but in 2010 the number rose to 92 (Travis et al. 50). For other offenses, the chance of imprisonment also increased with drug offenses imprisonment rising by 350 percent (Travis et al. 51). The implication was that the likelihood of one being sentenced to time in prison increased dramatically, leading to the high prison population. The behavior of prosecutors and judges changed as they sought to put more people in prisons for minor offenses to reduce the crime rate.

Introduction of Harsh Policies

Harsh policies were also introduced to curb crime. Due to the increase in crime rate, there was growing pressure for the government to enact laws that introduced severe penalties for offenders. One of the practices adopted was the establishment of "mandatory minimum sentences" (Travis et al. 44). These sentences involved fixed fines and prison sentences for certain crimes. Therefore despite offenders committing minor crimes, they were subjected to specific penalties. As a result, the number of people who were incarcerated increased. Another policy that was adopted during this period was the "three strikes law" (Travis et al. 44). The three-strikes law ensured that people with two or more previous violent convictions were sentenced to life in prison. Therefore, many repeat offenders with prior convictions received life imprisonment leading to the high prison population. Other policies also removed the possibility of parole for certain offenses (Travis et al. 44). Parole is a system that has traditionally been used to encourage good behavior among prisoners by releasing them before the expiry of their sentences. The introduction of policies that eliminated the granting of parole ensured that offenders served their full sentences. The lack of parole thus led to an increase in the prison population. Overall, the length of sentences was increased as a measure to deter crime. However, this also led to a rise in the rate of incarceration as offenders were subjected to lengthy sentences.

Racial Disparities in Prisoner Population

An important observation in the rise in incarceration rates was that there were racial disparities in the prisoner population. Despite Blacks and Latinos comprising a small percentage of the overall population, they constitute a significant part of the prisoner population. These disparities show that Blacks and Latinos were targeted by law enforcement officers leading to an increase in their arrest and eventual incarceration.

Conclusion

It is no coincidence that the U.S. has the highest rate of prisoner population in the world. The number of prisoners has increased significantly since 1980. The main factor that has led to an increase in the rate of incarceration is the war on drugs, which has led to millions of arrests as a result of drug offenses. With minor offenses such as drug possession having minimum mandatory sentences, the rate of incarceration has increased. The move to introduce strict punishment for offenders has also played a part in the increase in the prison population. Despite there being an increase in crime, the number of arrests has not increased, pointing to the fact that other factors are to blame for the rising prison population.

Work Cited

Travis Jeremy et al. The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences. Washington, National Academic Press, 2014