Crimes form part of human existence due to the differences between people. Since the traditional era, criminals face the full force of the law whenever found guilty of their crimes. In the United States of America, measures aimed at regulating and dealing with crimes exist. The nation houses thousands of prisoners, which highlights the rate of crime in the US. There exists a rise in the number of incarcerated people in the US over the last few years. One of the most critical reasons for the surge in prisoners arises due to efforts such as the war on drugs. The initiative led to the establishment of tougher laws and prosecution strategies, increased policing, while at the same time reducing judicial discretion (Elkavich 782). The result of this framework was the increased arrests of criminals around the US. The increased arrests in return boosted the number of accused people, who ended up in prisons.
Reduction in criminal activities represents one of the core aims of law enforcement agencies. Over the years, crime rates in the US continue decreasing compared to the past majorly due to more investments in policing and crime detection technologies. However, the number of prisoners keeps increasing each year. The increased number of prisoners rises due to the presence of mechanisms aimed at dealing with criminals. The Nixon administration ensured more courts and prisons were constructed (Elkavich 782). In the process, many accused people found themselves in courts compared to previous times, in turn increasing the number of prisoners. In addition, the use of modern technologies assists prosecutors and courts in solving more crimes compared to the past. For instance, forensics and ballistic investigations assist in solving thousands of criminal matters, which in the past proved challenging. As a result, the numbers of guilty people increase despite reduced crime rates.
Work Cited
Elkavich, Amy. “Who’s Using and Who’s Doing Time?” American Journal of Public Health 98.5 (2008): 782.