Prison Overcrowding

One of America’s many problems is an overabundance of prisoners, since the United States has the highest prison population of any country in the world, both in numbers and per capita. A major cause of the inflated prison population is the huge prevalence of gangs in America. Consequently, there are growing numbers of gang related crimes, including robbery, drug selling, and homicide. One way to significantly decrease the amount of US citizens sentenced to prison is for the police to devise a massive plan focused solely on cracking down on gang violence, influence and recruitment of members.

                In some communities, many young people are pressured to join a gang, and it can become almost necessary to become part of one for survival. This creates much more gang related violence. When a gang has more members, it tends to be bolder and thus initiates larger scale movements and attacks on rival gangs. The resulting strife and fear in communities can generate a domino effect which often drives people who aren’t even in gangs to commit crimes of desperation and retaliation. The problem of growing numbers of gangs in America has increased the amount of prisoners in both state and federal prisons.

                If the police forces developed more specialized law enforcement groups dedicated to drug busts and gang crime, the number of gangs could be greatly reduced. This would ensure safer communities and result in fewer arrests, court cases and prison inmates. A large reduction in street crime would greatly lessen both the amount of money spent on prisons which are funded by the US taxpayers, as well as lower taxes needed to pay for uninsured victim’s treatments.