Born Behind Bars
The prison system in America is at a pathetic state. The number of people behind bars is approximately 2.3 million (Epstein, 2009). This number compared to prisoners in 1978 is five times more. America has the highest rate of imprisoned people in the world today. Most of the inmates are people suffering from, mental problems. They comprise of the 16% inmates who should not at all be in prison. They should instead be provided with medical care. Another fraction similar to this is a child under an age of eighteen (Epstein, 2009).
Children born of imprisoned mothers require just the same things as those of children born outside the prison. They require affection, a good growing environment, good nutrition, good pediatric care, and a domestic life that is stable. This means that children born in prisons can not fully have proper facilities and food supplement for their growth. Such children require proper rearing environment and nursery facilities which are hardly available in today’s America prison.
No special facilities are budgeted by the government to cater for children born behind bars. According to State Prison Expenditures report of 2001, an amount of $29.5 billion was budgeted only for adult correctional facilities. These facilities include, medical care, food service, basic living expenses, and purchase of operational facilities (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2004) This reports shows that children facilities are not budgeted in prisons budgeting. Yet, statistics show that there exist incarcerated women who have given birth in prison. Such children have faced various challenges in life. They are at great risk of depression, attention disorders, poor performance in school, truancy, aggression, and anxiety (Prison Facts, 2006).
As a suggestion, it is important for the states to consider how to solve the peril that children in prison go through. Since various states are spending highly on prisons than education, the federal government should consider how to separated expectant mothers from prison until they have given birth. The expectant women prisoners can be placed in homes care and community correctional facilities and under security until they have delivered. The born children should be placed in a nursing facility until when their mothers are set free. Such a measure will see into it that the costs of expenditure in prison are cut down and the young children are raised in a safe environment with proper care and support. Similarly, those women prisoners who are expectant and have done minor crime cases should be set free because they congest the prison facilities.
As a way of easily decongesting prisons, Oregon state has come up with Indeterminate sentencing. This is a kind of imprisonment in which parole is give to one after the board has evaluated a persons’ rehabilitation. Minimum number of years for prison sentence has been established by the criminal law which classifies felony into group A, B or C. (Oregon Government, 2007). Such a program is advantageous to incarcerated parents because they will aim to behave to their best for them to get their children out of prison life. If all the states could adopt such a programme, children and expectant mothers will not have to stay for long years in prison. Thus, decongestion of prison will also be achieved.
The provisions of community correction programs are one of the best’s steps to take in preventing the rate at which children are born in prisons. Such a correctional programme requires new policies and fund allocation. Stases like Texas and Kansas have already implemented this program where none governmental and community agencies have provided individuals with correctional learning and incentives that economical empowers them. This is a way of preventing crime due to poverty. Other states like, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Arizona are in the process of developing community corrections agencies (PEW center of the states, 2009). Such a program will enable mothers to stay with their children after giving birth instead of giving them away to other people rear them.
Reference
Bureau of Justice Statistics, (2004) State Prison Expenditures, 2001. Retrieved from http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/spe01.pdf
On July 22, 2010.
Hearts and Minds, (2006) Prison Facts. Retrieved from http://www.heartsandminds.org/prisons/facts.htm
On July 22, 2010
Epstein, (2009) Americas prisons: is there Hope? Retrieve from http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2009/jun/11/americas-prisons-is-there-hope/
On July 22, 2010.
PEW center of the states, 2009) The Long Reach of America Corrections. Retrieved from http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/PSPP_1in31_report_FINAL_WEB_3-26-09.pdf
On July 22, 2010
High Cost of Prisons Not Paying Off, Report Finds (2006). Retrieved from http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0608-05.htm
On July 22, 2010.
Oregon’s Perspective (2010) http://www.oregon.gov/CJC/overview.shtml
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